Paramount Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Garfield With New Exhibition in China

Paramount Global is celebrating the 45th anniversary of Jim Davis' iconic cat, Garfield. It was 45 years ago, in June 1978, when the inaugural Garfield comic was published. To mark the occasion, a remarkable exhibition is taking place in Haikou, south China's Hainan province.

The "Special Garfield Holiday, Let's Party Together" celebration takes place at Haikou Mixc Shopping Mall in Haikou, Hainan province. [Photo courtesy of Paramount Global]

From June 22 to Aug. 31, the "Special Garfield Holiday, Let's Party Together" celebration will take place at Haikou Mixc Shopping Mall in Haikou.

In July, an exhibition featuring Garfield-themed works by local toy artists will also be on display at Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong 2023, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in China's Hong Kong region.

These events in China are part of a global campaign. Garfield and Nickelodeon's social media accounts worldwide will showcase photos of Garfield's birthday celebration cakes and tributes, along with draw-Garfield clips by Jim Davis.

Additionally, more in-person and creative events are scheduled for the latter half of 2023 in several Asian countries and regions, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

For example, Paramount has commissioned talented artisanal bakers to craft special, unique Garfield birthday cakes. Guo Hong, a certified dessert professional and graduate of L'Ecole Ferrandi Paris, contributed to the celebrations with her own interpretation of a traditional longevity bun cake. She said she loves Garfield because he knows all about good food and has an easy-going attitude that we can all learn from.

Guo Hong, the owner of the specialty dessert boutique "Secret Sucre" in China, presents a traditional longevity bun cake for Garfield. [Photo courtesy of Paramount Global]

In Singapore, Susanne Ng, a renowned 3D chiffon cake artisan and best-selling cookbook author, crafted a special 3D Garfield birthday cake for the occasion. Meanwhile, Japan's skilled icing cookie artisan, Cookieboy, celebrated by creating exquisite edible art.

In addition, Paramount Consumer Products has produced a limited commemorative reprint of Jim Davis' initial compilation, Garfield at Large. There are only 300 copies available globally, each uniquely numbered and personally signed by Davis. The book, first published by Ballantine Books in February 1980, followed the success of the Garfield comic strips.

"It's incredible to see that after all this time, Garfield continues to be a big fat hairy deal! It's been 45 years since my first Garfield comic was published, and fans are still in love with him - sassy cattitude and all!" Davis said. "I suspect that the fact that there's a little Garfield in each of us has contributed to capturing hearts worldwide. No matter how this cat-next-door has influenced your life, it has been an honor to be a part of this global phenomenon."

Garfield has been a global phenomenon since his debut in 1978, appearing in movies, TV shows, stage performances, and merchandise. With a presence in 80 countries, his content has generated over $3 billion in retail sales. In 2019, Paramount Global acquired full ownership of Paws, Inc., which exclusively holds the rights to the Garfield franchise.

In 2024, Garfield will appear in cinemas worldwide in a computer-animated film. The movie will feature Chris Pratt voicing Garfield, accompanied by an impressive cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong and Yang Bowen.

More Nick: China Leisure Opens First FEC with Nickelodeon Playtime in Shenzhen!

Original source: China.org.cn.

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