Created by Jim Davis in 1977 (with new comics still being published to this day), Garfield is one of the most popular comic strips in history, and it’s easy to see why - the lazy, sarcastic, perpetually hungry orange cat is absolutely hilarious. Whether he’s pulling a prank on Jon, bullying Odie, or ending up as the butt of the joke himself, Garfield never fails to get the laugh, which is especially impressive given how long the strip has been around.

Garfield has been a pop culture icon for nearly half a century, which is an incredibly impressive accomplishment. However, with so many comic strips in his history, it’s hard to reflect on the best ones without being overwhelmed by the sheer number of comics. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to break down Garfield’s greatest hits: by anniversary! And as of June 2024, an entire month’s worth of Garfield comics have just turned 40, which actually coincides with Garfield's official sixth birthday. Here are the 10 funniestGarfieldcomics that just turned 40!

10 Garfield & Jon are Hilariously Fighting for the Other's Attention

Garfield - June 10, 1984

While their relationship usually consists of Garfield either insulting or pranking Jon, and then Jon more often than not retaliating with an insult or prank of his own, there is never any animosity between them. In fact, most of the time, they are just fighting for the other's attention - even against each other. In this strip, Garfield is trying to make Jon pay attention to him, complaining that his owner has all but stopped doing so. Meanwhile, Jon is literally dressed like a clown to get Garfield's attention, and making the same complaint as his fat orange cat.

When someone is fighting for the attention of another, their competition isn't usually their own lack of attention towards that person. But here, that's exactly what's going on, and the absurd miscommunication couldn't be funnier.

9 Garfield Isn't Just Jon's Cat, He's Also His Alarm Clock

Garfield - June 11, 1984

Remember how Jon and Garfield's relationship mostly consists of pranks and insults? Well, this comic is a hilarious example of the former. Jon is sleeping in bed, and when he barely opens his eyes for the first time that day, Jon finds Garfield sitting on his chest with a trumpet. Jon says to Garfield, "Don't you dare", to which Garfield replies, "I don't know what you're talking about".

If Jon hadn't sensed Garfield being a mischievous scamp and woken up on his own, he would have been rudely awakened by the obnoxious sound of Garfield blowing into a trumpet right in his ear. Granted, the result would have been hilarious, but it's somehow funnier that Garfield was caught, even if it meant the orange cat didn't get the chance to be Jon's 'alarm clock'.

8 Jon Discovers a Startling Truth About Garfield Nearly Six Years in the Making

Garfield - June 12, 1984

Before Garfield's official sixth birthday, Jon prepares him his daily breakfast, while commenting that he's made Garfield the same thing every day for "nearly six years". The breakfast in question is raisin toast, and on this particular morning, Jon discovers a startling truth: Garfield hates raisins. Jon watches in utter shock as Garfield picks the raisins off his toast and puts them in a drawer overflowing with raisins, the same raisins that had originated in Garfield's toast for the last six years.

It's one thing to not know someone's food preferences if they have been keeping it a secret, but for Jon to have missed an entire drawer in his home bursting with raisins that have been accumulating slowly over the course of more than half a decade is just plain obtuse - and utterly hilarious.

7 Garfield Welcomes the Consequences of His Cruelty with a Mischievous Smile

Garfield - June 17, 1984

It's no secret that Garfield doesn't like Odie, which is why Garfield pranks Odie any chance he gets. But sometimes, those pranks can be quite cruel - including this one. Garfield sneaks up behind Odie and kicks him off a table, but before he does so, he considers all the consequences of his actions, seemingly talking himself out of it. But then, in the final panel, Garfield grins wildly and gives in to his worst impulses.

The consequences that awaited Garfield for doing this to Odie included Jon being mad at him, Odie going to the vet, and Garfield himself getting lonely. But, as Garfield said himself, "nobody said life was a rose garden", which is one of the funniest justifications for letting one's intrusive thoughts win that has ever been brought to a comic panel.

6 Garfield Makes a Pledge to Do Something with His Life - Right After a Nap

Garfield - June 18, 1984

As Garfield is getting out of bed in this comic, he comments on how he'll be six years old tomorrow (which is roughly 40 years old in cat years). However, Garfield makes the decision that he won't be slowing down now that he's six, as he pledges to go out and do something with his life. And then, Garfield promptly curls back up into bed to take a nap, saying that he'll do something with his life afterward.

It's hilarious to see Garfield even pretend he's interested in doing anything other than sleeping or eating, with this declaration probably being more of a momentary midlife crisis than anything else. And then, it's even funnier to see him completely abandon that pledge moments after declaring it - which is just classic Garfield.

5 Garfield Truly Values the Birthday Present Jon Gets Him (for the Worst Reasons)

Garfield - June 19, 1984

This is the comic strip where Garfield officially turns six years old, and to celebrate, Jon gets him a gift that Garfield comes to truly cherish: a rubber chicken. Upon giving it to Garfield, Jon tells him that rubber chickens are a lot of fun, to which Garfield replies, "We'll see about that". Garfield then proceeds to whack Odie in the face with the chicken, sending him head-first into his food bowl. At that point, Garfield decides that rubber chickens are, indeed, quite fun.

Not only is this particular comic strip legitimately historic in that it marks Garfield's official sixth birthday, but it's also the start of a hilarious running gag involving the rubber chicken Jon got him - a gift Garfield's owner soon regrets giving.

4 Garfield's Rubber Chicken Makes Jon Miss the Trumpet

Garfield - June 21, 1984

As Jon is lying in his bed, sleeping peacefully, Garfield sits on his chest with his rubber chicken (who he's named 'Stretch') and starts pecking Jon with it. When that doesn't work to wake up his owner, Garfield whacks Jon in the face with Stretch, and that seems to do the trick. With Jon now awake, Garfield proceeds to place a breakfast order, which includes a "bowl of rubber bands" for his rubber chicken.

When Jon got Garfield the rubber chicken for his birthday, telling him they are 'a lot of fun' as he handed it to him, Jon should have known that Garfield's idea of 'fun' would have come at his (and Odie's) expense. And this comic strip confirms that hilariously.

3 Garfield Flexes the Full Might of His 'Cartoon Logic Powers' to Bully Odie

Garfield - June 27, 1984

It's well established that Garfield bullies Odie any chance he gets - kicking him off a table, whacking him with a rubber chicken, etc. - but this time, Garfield absolutely outdoes himself. When Jon is scolding Garfield about how he's always mean to Odie, and couldn't possibly do anything else to him, Garfield politely disagrees before flicking Odie's nose right off the pup's face.

Garfield has been known to break the fourth wall, or otherwise use the fact that he's a cartoon character to his advantage. What makes this strip such a standout, however, is the reactions of Odie and Jon, as they don't have the same level of meta awareness as Garfield, and are utterly horrified by the heinous crime against natural law they just witnessed.

2 Garfield Proves that He Really Does Love Odie (Even if the Pup Annoys Him)

Garfield - June 30, 1984

After Garfield literally kicks Odie into the next week (which he did in the comic that was published on June 29, 1984 (and which Garfield pays for later)), the orange cat starts to miss the annoying pup. While he's eating lunch, Garfield comments on how Odie would usually knock him into his own food bowl by now. So, to simulate the situation, Garfield plunges his own face into the food bowl right next to a surprised Jon.

He may not like the attention Odie hogs from Jon, or the fact that Odie is always absentmindedly running into him while he eats, but Garfield shows that he'd rather have an annoying Odie than no Odie at all, and it's actually quite sweet.

1 Garfield Cements 1984 as His Best Birthday Year Ever

Garfield - June 23, 1984

In this comic, Garfield introduces his stuffed bear, Pooky, to his new rubber chicken, Stretch, in a moment that arguably marks the cutest Garfield has ever been. The real takeaway from this is that Garfield shows that he cherishes Stretch at the same level as he does Pooky, a stuffed animal that Garfield has famously loved for quite some time.

Garfield's feelings toward Stretch are a direct result of how joyful Jon made his birthday, with Jon's love for Garfield emulated by Garfield's love for Stretch. This is an understated moment, to be sure, but after giving it a moment's thought, it's actually quite a tear-jerker, as it shows how happy Jon made Garfield on his sixth birthday. And that's why this is one of the 10 best Garfield comics that just turned 40.