Heartwarming moments in Garfield:
- "Cats are nice to have when you're feeling lonely.
" - The end of the terrifying 1989 Halloween arc. Garfield has woken up in a Bad Future where his house and neighborhood is completely broken down and empty. When he realizes this, he finds that Jon and Odie are back... Only to realize that they are hallucinations. Accepting that he can't be alone, he wakes up and hugs them. Thankfully, they are real this time.Jon: Want some breakfast, Garfield?Garfield: Who needs it? I need you!
- Garfield gets very sentimental around Christmas. In the December 24, 1989 strip, he was asked what he wants for Christmas, and responds by saying that he wants a "second helping" of the food, shelter and love he already has.
- The next strip of that December, published on Christmas Day, reveals that Jon's present for Garfield is Jon's parents, grandmother and Doc Boy. Jon's explanation and Garfield's response is rather touching.
Jon: It's family! Bearing food!Garfield: You know what I like! - His first Christmas is especially heartwarming.
- The Christmas strip has Garfield hug Jon and Odie while wishing them a merry Christmas and spreading his arms as if to get a hug from the reader. Aw, Garfield, you're so cute!
- June 17th, 2006 started the mini-arc that would end up with Jon and Liz finally getting together.
- Highlights include: Jon stumbling in on Liz's date with some other guy, the other guy asks something along the lines of "What, do you like this idiot?" and, not missing a beat, Liz says "As a matter of fact, I do"; the conclusion of Jon and Liz's night together, complete with a kiss and Jon revealing that it's his birthday and, when asked by Liz if he got anything nice, replies "I got a life", and Jon spending the rest of the evening gushing about his and Liz's kiss. "And they lived happily ever after."
- The October 19, 2003 strip has an adorable moment in Jon snuggling with Odie in bed.Jon: I love you, too, Odie.
- This. A more subtle example, but considering Jon's life, it's quite a heavy-hitter.
- The first time Jon's Grandma came to visit. Garfield is affectionate to her all week, and is sad to see her go.Jon: You liked her, didn't you, Garfield?
- The February 27, 1981 strip has Jon see Garfield sleeping with his teddy bear Pooky and wonder what he's dreaming about. It turns out Garfield is dreaming that he's sleeping in the lap of a giant Pooky.
- This Christmas strip.
- As well as this one.
- A glorious day indeed.
- The content, peaceful faces Garfield and Odie make when asleep. Pure d'aww.
- Nothing's too fancy for our Jon.
- This strip is relatively minor, but it still shows that Garfield really does have a sentimental side. Also, when Jon first sees Garfield in place of his pillow, he doesn't look particularly enthusiastic and you'd expect him to shoo him off. Next panel, Jon's happily drifting off to sleep while snuggled up against his kitty, awww..
- Despite being in a bad mood, Garfield feels better and relaxes in his owner's arms after Jon tickles him.
- Camping is more fun with a good friend.
- This sunday comic. There is just something really touching about not only Odie and Garfield happily playing in the mud with each other but also Jon joining them and they all having a good time together. Then the mud-covered Jon remembers his date...who is at his front door looking at his muddy self with angry eyes.
- The last comic of the Thirtieth Anniversary book. In it Garfield gushes over his teddy bear (which is nothing new) but Davis' note at the bottom talks about his first assistant Valette Green who passed away some time ago. If you look carefully at the last panel of the strip you can see her in name spelled out in the stars.
- Another Christmas strip, which could be seen as an allegory of Jon's life:Jon: One thing I'll never understand, Garfield. In spite of all the chaos, the ugly tree, and the old decorations... everything turns out perfectly.
- "Still, it's nice to be remembered."
- This strip, where Garfield gives Pooky to Jon to make him feel better. You know it's going to be heartwarming when Garfield is willing to share Pooky with anyone, however briefly.
- Just LOOK at that grin. And the knowing smile of the older woman sitting just behind them.
- Garfield offering a chick who thinks Garfield is his father a piece of Lasagna and this is coming from the guy who regularly refuses to share his food with anybody.
- Jon getting Liz a custom, engraved stethoscope for Christmas 2009 without any help. Even Garfield had to give Jon credit for this moment of heartwarming and awesomeness.Garfield: I gotta give him this one.
- Another moment that was good enough to impress Garfield was the 4/24/2015 comic. Liz comes in wearing a different shirt than normal, and asks Jon if he notices anything different, to which he responds "You're even more beautiful today than you were yesterday?" She smiles with joy and the last panel is Jon looking triumphant with a big kiss mark on his face.Garfield: Okay, today I gotta give you one, Arbuckle.
- A relatively minor moment, but it's still Odie being a very loving pooch, despite all the abuse Garfield's ever given him. And Garfield simply puts up with it, even if he doesn't like Odie being so close.
- As usual, Garfield goes to kick Odie off the table, but this time he misses his mark and ends up falling on his face. Odie, seeing Garfield's pained reaction, happily jumps off the table as if Garfield had kicked him anyway.
- Garfield sure is full of himself, but that doesn't mean he has no soft spot for Arlene.
- There was a strip (09/07/2008) that had Liz cancelling on one of Jon's dates due to an emergency at the vet clinic and Jon letting her know he understood before hanging up and turning to Garfield and admitting that "Saturday Night with no date was kinda like old times." It may not be heartwarming at first, but think about it like this: Jon's finally found a steady relationship and it's helped him to the point where he can joke about what a dork he was before.
- Although when a similar incident happened on the 11/11/12 strip, Jon wasn't as whimsical about the situation.
- The June 29th, 2003 comic has Garfield enjoying lying in the grass. For a change, there's no sarcastic punchline or misfortune for anybody — it's just Garfield enjoying the lawn all day and then marveling at it.
- This February 7th, 2016 strip is quite similar to the above-mentioned enjoying-the-grass, with Garfield happily making a snowman, then going back inside to enjoy chocolate.
- This February 7th, 2016 strip
- Liz realizes Jon's "mistletoe" is actually a leaf of romaine lettuce but declares it close enough and kisses him.
- Liz reflecting about her tabby cat when she was a child and telling Garfield that she's happy to have a cat back into her life. Garfield's response is what sells it:Garfield: If Jon doesn't marry you, I will.
- Garfield comforts the old, outdated landline.
- Always be sincere.
- The house mice are let back in for Christmas.
- For once, something good happens to Jon.
- Jon and Liz recreate their first meeting together.
- Garfield's date tactics do work.
- Garfield reassures Liz she isn't fat.
- On a rainy day, Garfield imagines himself running through a sunlit field of flowers with 4 Arlenes. Nice to know he DOES care for her somewhat.
- Another example he DOES care is this strip from 1995. Garfield, for no reason than because he wanted to, tries to pluck a flower for Arlene... and despite the wacky (lack of) logic, he manages to give it to her.
- Near the end of the 2004 live-action movie, right before Jon punches Happy Chapman in the face, he tells him, "This is for stealing my dog and my cat!", meaning that he still cares about Garfield! Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Awesome since Jon is usually portrayed as an awkward Butt-Monkey and fearlessly gives Chapman a nasty piece of his mind.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda outed himself as big Garfield fan. So, Jim Davis sent him Garfield dressed as Hamilton (if LMM's tweet isn't enough, the Periscope feed shows how moved he was!), and Garfield's Twitter both answered him once on Twitter and asked other fans to help LMM's homeland - he was deeply touched. Miranda has since been assigned to write the foreword of a Garfield book.
- Odie hugs Garfield from behind by surprise and Garfield's thoughts are, "Oh no! I'm being hugged!" He starts shaking his fist with, "I feel...!" then lowers it and gets a huge grin on his face, "Pretty good, actually."
- Jon and Liz finally say those three little words.
- "But nothing is more important than holding someone you love. Check that -- reciprocation is nice too."
- There was a brief arc in March 1987 where Jon ended up going on a blind date with an enormously fat, gluttonous woman called Bertha. Despite being unattractive and often quite boorish and embarrassing for Jon to be with, Bertha is a pleasant enough woman who instantly wins over Garfield when she compliments his weight, and Jon does his best to treat her nicely. While the date would end up being a one-time thing, it was a rare instance of a woman ending a date with Jon by declaring she'd "had a wonderful time" and giving him an affectionate hug.note
- Bertha even made a brief cameo appearance in 2003 (after having lost 200 pounds and becoming nearly unrecognisable) where she cheerfully greeted Jon at the supermarket, and said that it was good to see him again.
- The one possible way to improve a sunbeam: share it.
- In December 1984, starting with this strip gave us an arc where Garfield reunited with his mother, who's seen still living in the ruins of the Italian restaurant her son was born in. While Garfield had to leave when it became clear he couldn't live as a stray cat like her, it's clear the mother and son still love each other and there's a strip that came almost 10 years later that implies they still keep in touch with each other after their previous reunion.
- The March 23, 2003 strip has Jon wake up to see Garfield sleeping on his head and Odie sleeping on his chest. He simply smiles and goes back to sleeping.
- The December 20, 2020 strip has Garfield give Odie a hug, who then hugs Jon, who proceeds to hug Liz.Garfield: Let's hear it for regifting.
- Never underestimate the power of a hug.
- The 2021 Christmas Day strip.Jon: What were your favorite gifts, guys?
Odie: (holding a bone) Urf!
Garfield: My squeaky mouse!
Liz: My candle!
Jon: Mine is being here with you. (cue Group Hug) - Both Heartwarming and Funny is one Sunday strip where Jon is preparing for a blind date and wonders if she'll be rustic, suave, or sporty so he dons a cowboy hat, suit jacket, and basketball shorts.Jon: She's here! How do I look?
Garfield: Perfect!
Date: [enters wearing the same getup as Jon and holding a tennis racket] I'm Gwen! You're cute!
Jon: Really?
Garfield: God made two of 'em! - The strip from March 27, 2022.◊ There's something very sweet about Garfield and Odie deciding to sleep together, not to mention their faces when they hear Jon coming home, even if they were expecting treats.
- The October 21, 2022 strip has a very endearing moment between Garfield and Arlene.Arlene: There you are! How wonderful of you to show up!
Garfield: Arlene, is that sarcasm? (they embrace) I've never felt closer to you. - Another sweet moment between Jon and Liz happens in the November 18, 2022 strip.Jon: Do you like tough guys, Liz?
Liz: Would I be here if I did? - The November 26, 2022 strip celebrates the birthday of the late Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, by having Jon read to Garfield and Odie the story of a boy who loved comic strips enough to make one of his own when he grew up and said comic strip remaining beloved to this day. We even see Snoopy enter the scene with a cake.
- The Valentine's Day 2023 strip has Arlene ask Garfield for a hug. She's not pleased when Garfield hugs himself, but he assures her that she is next.
- The [1] strip's title panel has Jon pulling Garfield in a wagon and Garfield is pulling Pooky in his own wagon.
- Valentine's Day, 2014 is simply adorable. While out to dinner with Jon, Liz comments that Garfield must've been cute as a kitten, and Jon confirms he was, and asks if she wants to see photos. Not on his phone—Jon carries Garfield's kitten pictures around in his wallet, like a dad carrying around his kids' baby pics. Liz is so charmed by this she lunges at Jon to make out with him, leading to Jon coming home, Covered in Kisses and clearly a very happy man. Happy Valentine's Day, Arbuckle!
- This strip starts off with Garfield dismissing dogs to the audience using Odie as an example, and then it ends with Garfield saying that dogs "are the best friends you could ever hope to have" while hugging Odie. Truly a rare moment to behold.
- This strip has Garfield delivering presents to the Big, Vicious Dog (a container of three tennis balls), Liz (a bouquet of roses), Squeak (a slice of cheese), Arlene (a scratching post), Jon (a tie with a Christmas Tree on it) and Odie (a bone) with Garfield saying "Everyone needs a Secret Santa" in the final panel to the reader.
- The Christmas 2023 strip has Jon, Garfield, Odie and Liz in front of their laptop to take a picture, then we see Jon's mom and dad doing the same thing and then the final panel is pictures of Jon's mom and dad, Jon, Garfield, Odie and Liz, Doc Boy, Arlene, Squeak and a spider and Nermal. Even better is the narration, along with the fact that it was released on a Monday (which Garfield normally hates because of bad things that happen to him):''The holidays are all about family being together. One way or another. Merry Christmas!"
