Jonathan Q. "Jon" Arbuckle is a character from the Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis. He has also appeared in the animated television series Garfield and Friends and two live-action feature films.
A nerdy and clumsy man, Jon is the owner of Garfield and Odie. He converses with Garfield and is often the butt of his jokes. In the animated Garfield and Friends, he was frequently portrayed as being incredibly gullible when faced with unscrupulous salesmen and rather dumb in general.
Background
Jon's birthday is July 28, 1951 (the same month and day as that of Jim Davis). Jon tells Garfield that he is 29 years old in a December 23, 1980 strip (he makes a joke that he would be 30, but he was sick a year).
In the animated show Garfield and Friends, we learn that Jon has an Italian ancestor whose name was Tony Arbuccli. Some episodes of the show suggested that Jon and his pets live in Muncie, Indiana, which is also where Jim Davis lives. Jon wears contact lenses, his favorite music style is polka, and he plays the accordion. Some of his "fun" ways to cure boredom are buying new socks, clipping his toenails, or playing "Guess the Burp" with Garfield[3]. Jon often yells "GARFIELD!!!!" (which is his catch phrase) when he is annoyed with his furry pal, which is a parody of Dave Seville yelling "AAAAAAAALLLLLLVVVVIIINNNN!!!" from Alvin and the Chipmunks, but Alvin yells "OK!" while Garfield is never seen in the panel Jon yells out his name.
Jon was raised on a farm and occasionally visits his mother, father, and brother Doc Boy.
Jon acquired Odie when Lyman, an old friend of his (and Odie's original owner) moved in with him and Garfield. After a few years, Lyman disappeared from the strip, never to be heard from again. In Garfield's, "Twenty Years and Still Kicking" book to honor Garfields' twentieth year, they make parodies of how Lyman left such as, "Had lunch with Jimmy Hoffa and then...".
Jon was voted #1 on "The Most Depressed Comic Book Characters" on the Best Week Ever blog.
Dating
Jon is bad at dating, even though he believes himself to be a smooth-talking ladies' man. He has even been classified in his High School Yearbook as "Most likely to date a kitchen appliance", given that no one else will remain on a date with him. He is usually rejected when trying to get dates with women, perhaps because of his ridiculous pick-up lines, his loud and flashy outfits, or his habit of extolling the virtues of stamp collecting. He has resorted to many desperate measures in getting a date; begging, pleading, crying, and threats to his personal health are quite common while he is talking on the phone. His biggest crush is on Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield and Odie's vet, who has gone out with him (unsuccessfully) a few times. Three of Jon's very rare dating successes were in TV specials: with Owooda in Garfield in Paradise, with Mona in Garfield Gets a Life, and with Bertha (A highly obese woman who Garfield shows affection towards just because of her love of food) in the 15th book (Garfield Worldwide). Bertha later (In book #42 Garfield Pigs Out) goes on a diet and loses 200 pounds.
In the comic strips, Jon finally got a date with his other long-time crush, Ellen (who was suffering from amnesia and forgot who Jon was). During their date, he saw Liz at the same restaurant with another man. Jon told Liz about his feelings for her, and she admitted she cared for Jon also. As of September 2008, they remain a couple.
Career
Jon's profession is never made entirely clear. Jon somehow manages to make enough money to keep Garfield well fed, which is an amazing feat by itself. He also seems to make enough money to buy new furniture, plants and have repairs done to the house after Garfield or Odie cause mayhem. In the earlier strips, he makes his living as a cartoonist, but since then readers haven't seen him at work. The TV series Garfield and Friends does show him several times as a cartoonist. The current strips aren't clear about whether Jon is still a cartoonist, as one strip suggested he now works for an insurance company (Whether he was fired or not from his previous job is unclear). However in Garfield Rolls On, Jon does go to a cartoonist convention. It has been hinted on several episodes that Jon might be an accountant.
Dieting
Jon frequently complains about Garfield's weight. When he does, it can continue for a whole week and angers Garfield. Jon can be very moody about Garfield's weight and will sometimes put the cat on a diet. During these diets, Garfield is subjected to eating vegetables, and usually ends up cheating.
Origins
The name Jon Arbuckle came from a 1950's radio commercial for Yuban coffee.
Other media
The comic changes dramatically when one removes the thought bubbles.
"Garfield" changes from being a comic about a sassy, corpulent feline, and becomes a compelling picture of a lonely, pathetic, delusional man who talks to his pets. Consider that Jon, according to Garfield canon, cannot hear his cat's thoughts. This is the world as he sees it. This is his story.
- Similarly, Garfield Minus Garfield removes all the other characters completely and simply features Jon talking to himself.
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