Jim Davis’Garfieldis perhaps the most successful comic strip ever created, read all over the world, to the extent that it has the Guinness World Record for the most syndicated strip. It’s therefore surprising to learn that while Davis' father liked his son’s creation, there was a contemporary comic that he loved just that little bit more. This fact is made all the more interesting due to the fact that Davis was friends with his ‘rival’ creator, who ended up shapingGarfieldbyprompting Davis to rename a major character.
Davis kept it quiet that his father preferred a rival comic, admitting in 2014 that"Nobody else knew that until today."
… But Davis' Friendship with Mort Walker Ended Up Changing an Iconic Garfield Character
In an interview withMental Floss, Jim Davis admitted that while his dad likedGarfield, he actually preferred’army life' comic stripBeetle Bailey, by Mort Walker. The strip follows its title private as he attempts to shirk his various duties at Camp Swampy while dodging the abuse of dim-witted Sergeant Snorkel.Beetle Baileybegan publication in 1950, combining humor about life in the armed forces with character-based comedy and physical humor.
Jim Davis ended up renaming Odie because he didn’t want to use the same name as Mort Walker’s Boner’s Ark character.
Apparently, Davis' father simply enjoyedBeetle Bailey’s brand of humor more thanGarfield’s,with Davis stating,“Nobody else knew that until today.”
Peanuts vs. Garfield: Charles Schulz Secretly Considered Jim Davis His Arch-Rival
According to a biography of Charles Schulz, Peanuts' creator considered fellow cartoonist Jim Garfield to be his biggest professional rival.
Davis Renamed Odie to Avoid Clashing with Mort Walker’s Boner’s Ark
Walker’s Comic Strip Used Davis' Intended Name
While fans might have forgiven Davis for being less than fond of Mort Walker, given his dad’s preference forBeetle Bailey, the two were actually close friends. As recounted inMort Walker’s Private Scrapbook, the two met incredibly early in Davis' career, right when he was about tobegin publishingGarfieldin national syndication. Walker talked Davis through some essentials of succeeding in the newspaper comic business, writing that,“We’ve been friends ever since.”
The meeting ended up being significant forGarfield, asit led to Davis changing the name of his dog character Odie(originally the pet ofJon Arbuckle’s roommate Lyman, later owned by Jon himself.) In explainingGarfield, Davis mentioned that he planned to call his dog character"Spot,“with Walker mentioning that in his comic stripBoner’s Ark, he already used a dog character named ‘Spot.’ Wanting to keepGarfielddistinct, Davis switched to the name ‘Odie.’
It’s a cute detail to know that even for the creator of the internationally syndicatedGarfield, parental approval can be hard to come by, though of course Davis was never in any doubt that his dad loved his strip too, even if his heart belonged toBeetle Bailey. However, it’s even more fascinating to know that the creators of two of the oldest and best-loved comic strips of all time were not only friends, but that Walker ended up casually shaping such a widely known part ofGarfieldby prompting Davis to rename Odie.
Source: Scott Neumyer,Mental Floss
Garfield
Garfield is the central character in Jim Davis’s comic strip, which officially began in 1978 under the same name. Garfield is an orange tabby cat with a love of lasagna and a disdain for Mondays. He tends to torment his owner and dog while trying to secure more food - and quiet.
