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No. 5925: Odie's Birthday, Part 2: 1996 to 2023

First | Previous | 2025-08-08 | Latest

Odie's Birthday, Part 2: 1996 to 2023

First | Previous | 2025-08-08 | Latest

Permanent URL: https://mezzacotta.net/garfield/?comic=5925

Strip by: Nyperold

Caption: So, Jon has not historically, incontrovertibly celebrated Odie's birthday before that point. Maybe he started then and has done so since? Let's look...
{Jon is seated on a park bench, holding a brown cellular phone; Garfield is beside him}
Jon: Uh... how far is not far enough?
Garfield: Now he can be rejected from anywhere
Caption: 1996
{Jon is depressed; he says so in the panel I removed}
Jon: Ellen won't let me come to her party, Garfield
{...}
Jon: At least I have one friend to be with me
{Jon is mildly cheered up by this prospect; however, looking at the watch on his right wrist, Garfield has bad(?) news for Jon}
Garfield: I'd love to, but I have a party to go to
{Maybe it's Odie's; he has to get back at him for mocking his supposed age earlier that year, and where better to do that than at Odie's own birthday party?}
Caption: 1997
{At nighttime, lit by a light blue full moon, Garfield and Odie enter that animal variety show stage known to us as a fence}
Garfield: Welcome to the show!
Caption: 1998
{Garfield is answering the phone}
Caller: Congratulations, lucky contestant! Answer just two questions and win, win, win!
{You can just see the fear on his face; after all, there's a high probability that he won't be able to answer}
Caption: 1999
{Garfield and Odie are outside; a green leaf falls}
Odie: Yip! Yip! Yap! Yap! Yap! Yip!
Caption: 2000
{Garfield is watching television}
Man who thinks he's a dog: Dogs can't talk, Phil
Phil, the host: But you just did
Caption: 2001
{Irma offers Jon a form and a pen, also giving him pause}
Irma: Sign this release form
Garfield: Diner chili... gotta love it
Caption: 2002
{Garfield is holding up a cat hair}
Jon: {off-panel} YAAAAHH!
Garfield: Definitely worth the price of admission
Caption: 2003
{Garfield is in bed, completely covered}
Jon: Wow... I wish I were you
Garfield: Take a number
Caption: 2004
Jon: "Lasagna famine"
{Garfield seems scared}
Caption: 2005
{Jon sits with a dreamy look on his face}
Jon: Having a girlfriend changes everything, Garfield
Caption: 2006
Jon: I may never reach my full potential
{Garfield is now in the position of having to spit out his coffee lest it choke him in his laughter}
Caption: 2007
{Garfield and Jon are having coffee, not at home, or even at Irma's, but at a coffee bar; Garfield has started to drink his, while Jon regards the barista}
Jon: That guy always looks so sad
Garfield: Your tips could make Binky the Clown sad
Caption: 2008
Garfield: If you spend enough time planning, you never actually have to do anything
Caption: 2009
Jon: Do you think it's time I tell her that I l... {Jon's tongue hangs out at the prospect of continuing this word} lu...luh...luh...
Caption: 2010
{Garfield regards himself in the mirror as he passes it}
Garfield: Hey, handsome
Caption: 2011
{Odie is standing with his head inside a box of Doggy Treets brand dog treats; crumbs fall out, covering the area around his feet}
SFX: Munch munch munch
Garfield: Odie is enjoying a little snack
Caption: 2012
Jon: Do birds have fingers?
Garfield: Deep, disturbing thoughts
Caption: 2013
Jon: Have you ever put your shoes on before your socks?
Liz: No
Caption: 2014
{Jon, Liz, and Garfield are at the ledge. Jon and Liz are having coffee; Garfield is not partaking}
Liz: We should do something fun
Caption: 2015
{Jon and Garfield are at the ledge, where an orange sits}
Jon: An orange is a healthy fruit
Caption: 2016
{Garfield is barely bearing up under the heat. Jon, clad in a tank top and brimmed hat, leans in from off-panel}
Jon: You should wear a hat
Caption: 2017
{Garfield make a motion to kick Odie off the table, but misses}
Garfield: Missed
{Garfield walks away}
Garfield: It's Odie's birthday
{Odie's eyes shift to look at us, and his tail starts wagging}
Caption: 2018
Aliens on TV: Take us to your theme parks!
Garfield: That explains the Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops
Caption: 2019
{Garfield is watching TV, just like last year on this date}
Detective on TV: Everyone here is a suspect in the disappearance of the missing dessert!
Caption: 2020
{Odie is outside, howling at a crescent moon}
Odie: OWOOOOOO
{Garfield is in bed, awake when he was trying to keep sleeping}
Garfield: Stupid encore
Caption: 2021
{Garfield is sedately having coffee while Jon leans excitedly forward}
Jon: But they had a big sale on raisins!
Garfield: Hellooo, Monday
Caption: 2022
{Garfield stands on the ledge while Jon dispenses information that either he or Liz must have said or should have said at some point in the past 45 years}
Jon: If you eat too many cookies, you'll get sick
Garfield: My, my...
Caption: 2023

The author writes:

Following on from #5560: Odie's Birthday, Part 1: 1995 to 1978...

There you have it: Odie's 40th birthday was acknowledged, and celebrated by... Garfield not kicking Odie after making like he was going to.

Now, it can be speculated that the celebrations were simply not shown -- Odie's not the title character, after all -- and that, if Lyman truly is in the area, maybe Odie mostly goes to visit him. But for the most part, at least on the day itself, Garfield strips almost never acknowledge it.

Original strips: 1996-08-08, 1997-08-08, 1998-08-08, 1999-08-08, 2000-08-08, 2001-08-08, 2002-08-08, 2003-08-08, 2004-08-08, 2005-08-08, 2006-08-08, 2007-08-08, 2008-08-08, 2009-08-08, 2010-08-08, 2011-08-08, 2012-08-08, 2013-08-08, 2014-08-08, 2015-08-08, 2016-08-08, 2017-08-08, 2018-08-08, 2019-08-08, 2020-08-08, 2021-08-08, 2022-08-08, 2023-08-08.