U.S. Acres was a strip created by Jim Davis, far better known for his role as the creator of Garfield.The strip centralized on a cast of Talking Animals who lived together on an unnamed farm:
Orson, a pig with an overactive imagination and fondness for books
Roy, a prankster rooster
Booker, a yellow chick
Sheldon, a partially-hatched chick
Wade, a paranoid duck who is afraid of everything
Lanolin, a really mean sheep
Bo, her really kind (but not too smart) brother
Cody and Blue, a cat and dog, respectively
While the strip lasted for three years (1986-1989), it is perhaps better-known in its Animated Adaptation in the form of Garfield and Friends. There, it existed for seven years as the "B" in that series's A-B-A format — that's right, the animated version lasted more than twice as long as the strip did!The strips can be viewed at Garfield.com. For tropes present in the cartoon adaptation, see the listing at Garfield and Friends.Also known as "Orson's Farm" outside the US.
Adults Are Useless: ...and so are all other humans. The only humans who appear in the strip are a farmer and his daughter, who picks up a young Orson. They are only seen from the waist down, and never appear again afterward.
Art Evolution: The art goes from round and cutesy to very loose and frenetic, a radical departure from Garfield either way.
Ascended Extra: Brett Koth gained a co-writer's credit in the strip's last couple years, even though he did no more work on the strip than he had in Garfield at that point.
Debut Queue: The entire cast was introduced one at a time, starting with Orson, followed by Roy, then Booker and Sheldon, then Wade, then Bo and Lanolin, and finally Cody and Blue.
Expressive Accessory: The duck head on Wade's innertube, which looks exactly like his actual face and often mirrors the expression on his actual face.
Frivolous Lawsuit: When Orson read the tale of Goldilocks and the three bears and asked if any of the listeners knew what she did after trying the too hot and the too cold bowls of porridge, Lanolin suggested she sued the bears.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: When Orson explains to Booker that he's named that because he loves books, his response is "I'm just glad you don't love kumquats". While this was probably just a use of Inherently Funny Words, Fundamentally Funny Fruit, or both, he may have been implying his name would be "Kummer". Say that out loud.
Wade: Who's in there? Max: You don't know me. Wade: Are you sure I don't know you? Max: I don't know. Wade: You don't know what? Max: I don't know that you don't know that you know me. Wade: But how do I know that?!?
Roy: Okay, Booker. It's time you started rooster training. Booker: Why? Roy: Because you need to practice if you want to be like me. Booker: I'd rather drink pond scum! Roy: Good! You've got the Obnoxious part down!
No Fourth Wall: After passing a sign reading "The end is near," Orson smacks into the end of the (truncated) last panel. This strip◊ also addresses the strip's end quite literally.
The whole last week and final Sunday comic were about the strip ending in one way or another.
OOC Is Serious Business: In the strips final week, Wade finally conquers is fear of everything, which causes Orson, Roy, and Booker to run off screaming.
Portable Hole: Booker ripped one from the ground so the worm he was chasing would be stuck underground.
Punny Name: U.S. Acres was supposed to be a pun on "U.S.A."
Talking Animal: Unlike in Garfield, the cast of U.S. Acres actually talks. (This might also be the reason for why Cody and Blue weren't in the cartoon.)
Your Mom: One strip featured Booker plugging a hole and then yelling that the worm's mother was a garden hose. When the worm tried to return to the surface, it hit the head on the cork.
A later strip had a worm telling Booker his mother swam after garbage scows. Guess what Booker's "Mom", Orson, was ready to do at the end of the strip?
Feeling bored, Wade told Cody his mother had fleas so Cody would chase him away.
. For tropes present in the cartoon adaptation, see the listing at Garfield and Friends.Also known as "Orson's Farm" outside the US.
0 reviews 
