Lost And Foundling

Odie plays hide and seek with Garfield (who instead takes a long nap) and he hides in an empty crate which is picked up by a garbage man. When Odie escapes from the garbage truck, he winds up with a little girl named Becky who wanted a dog but her father does not allow dogs so Becky disguises Odie as one of her dolls. After overhearing Becky talk about her reason for wanting a dog (needing somebody to play with because her father is often away on business), her father has realized that it's more important to spend time with Becky. Becky's father offers to get her a new dog and Odie is returned home where Garfield unknowingly finds him.

Garfield, Jon, Odie

Following in the footsteps of Peanuts, Jim Davis' Garfield began as a syndicated newspaper comic strip (1978) before moving on to primetime TV specials and then to a Saturday morning series.

Garfield was an overweight, exceedingly lazy tabby cat who usually became enthusiastic only over the promise of lasagna. He also took great pleasure in irking his dopey owner Jon, vacant-minded dog Odie, and Nermal, the impossibly cute kitten.

Garfield's sarcastic commentary, expressed through thought bubbles in the paper, were here done via voiceover. Lorenzo Music, previously Carlton the Doorman on the sitcom Rhoda, supplied the cat's superbly deadpan voice.

The "And Friends" portion of the show centered on the characters from another Davis comic strip, the underrated U.S. Acres. Taking place on a farm, the segments featured a menagerie of highly colorful personalities: the leader, Orson, a kindly pig who was often the brunt of the jokes; Sheldon, a baby chicken who refused to hatch all the way, and so remained with all but his legs in the shell; Booker, his brother, who did make it out; Wade, a nervous duck who persistently wore an inflatable tube around his waist; and Roy, the wisecracking rooster.

The show enjoyed a successful seven-year run on CBS, and Garfield continues to be one of the most popular strips in the funny pages.