Odie Day

Odie Day celebrates the cartoon character, Odie, on the anniversary of the day he first appeared in the comic strip Garfield, in 1978. Today is also celebrated as his birthday. In the comic, he was brought to live with Jon Arbuckle and his cat, Garfield, by Jon's new roommate, Lyman. Lyman was eventually removed from the comic strip, and Odie became Jon's dog. Following the success of the comic strip, Odie appeared in two television series and various Garfield films.

A wirehaired dachshund-terrier mix, Odie was originally going to be named Spot, but creator Jim Davis changed his name after finding out it had previously been used in another comic strip. Odie is most known for having a very long tongue and for not being very smart. He is friends with Garfield, although "friends" is a term used loosely, as Garfield often plays pranks on him and calls him a moron. Odie rarely speaks or is seen with thought bubbles, and if he is seen saying or thinking something, the phrases identified with him aren't very complex. Every once in awhile he is portrayed as being smart, such as the time he read War and Peace in a smoking jacket while listening to Mozart, or the time he wittingly locked Jon and Garfield out of the car on a camping trip, ate all the snacks, and listened to music while they stood outside in the rain.

How to Observe Odie Day

Celebrate the day by reading Garfield comics. You could also watch a movie, such as Garfield: The Movie, or watch the television series The Garfield Show or Garfield and Friends.

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