‘Garfield’ Creator Clarifies Suggestive 1990 Comic That Sent Minds To The Gutter
Illustration 74762454 © Nichacha | Dreamstime.com
Is dog semen to Jon Arbuckle what lasagna is to Garfield? A peculiar rumor that has persisted online for years involves the comic strip for May 30, 1990, depicting the Monday-abhoring protagonist’s owner consuming a less-than-palatable beverage. Speculations became so hard to swallow (heh) that the franchise’s creator, Jim Davis, had to address it directly.
The notorious cartoon features Jon reaching out for what he thinks is a “cup of coffee” at the vet’s office. He soon finds out that the drink isn’t actually java, as the pet doctor and Jon’s love interest, Liz, congratulates him by proclaiming, “You are going to give birth to a fine, healthy litter of puppies,” leading readers to surmise that the man has just gulped down canine semen.
nobody:
— soul nate (@MNateShyamalan) September 5, 2020
jim davis on may 30th, 1990: garfield’s owner john arbuckle has consumed dog semen pic.twitter.com/d1GnVn7NGl
However, in a 2017 interview with BuzzFeed News, Davis definitively debunked the theory. According to the Garfield creator, his own experiences with farm animals played a role in inspiring this plot.
First-calf heifers on his farm would be fed a “high-protein supplement,” supplied by the veterinarian, to promote the birth of healthier calves, he related. He imagined there’d be a similar alternative for dogs, so he wove “a protein-enriched drink formulated for a pregnant dog” into the story.
Folks, I regret to inform you that Jon Arbuckle does NOT drink dog semen in this 1990 Garfield comic https://t.co/4SRErIU7C8 pic.twitter.com/S50DHIQhQE
— ishmael n. daro (@iD4RO) October 19, 2017
And that’s why Liz mentions the “healthy” litter Jon would have—because he had just drunk a supplement for expectant pooches, not bodily liquids.
[via Boing Boing, CBR.com, BuzzFeed, images via various sources]
