MUNCIE, Ind. -- May 4, 2004 -- Jim Davis, creator of the GARFIELD comic strip and president of Paws, Inc., Garfield's licensing studio in Muncie, Indiana, announced a new agreement with Ty Inc., creators of the wildly popular Beanie Babies(R) line. Ty will immortalize Garfield and his friends with a series of plush Beanie Babies modeled after the characters that star in the upcoming Garfield: The Movie (Twentieth Century Fox). This exclusive Beanie Baby series will be sold in gift and specialty stores in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand beginning in June. A listing of Ty Authorized retailers may be found on www.ty.com.
The movie features both live animals and a computer generated Garfield. The Ty Beanie Baby series will include lifelike characters from the movie, Odie, Nermal, Arlene, Luca (a dog), and Louis (a mouse), as well as a realistic Garfield, based on the CGI image used in the film. The movie, which opens in theaters nationwide on June 11, is adapted from the syndicated cartoon strip penned by Davis. Bill Murray provides the voice of Garfield, and Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Stephen Tobolowsky star. The film is directed by Peter Hewitt, produced by John Davis, and written by Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow.
"I've always been a huge fan of Beanie Babies. They're beautifully made and you can't help but smile when you see and hold them. It's an honor to be part of the Ty family," said Davis.
Founded in 1986 by Ty Warner, creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies(R), Ty is the leader in plush toys. In addition to Beanie Babies(R), the company's product line includes: Teenie Beanie Boppers(R), Beanie Boppers(R), Punkies(R), Pluffies(R), Ty Classic(R) and Beanie Buddies(R). The red Ty Heart Logo(R), recognized around the world, can be found on all Ty products available at finer specialty gift retailers. Visit Ty on the Internet at www.ty.com.
GARFIELD, the lasagna-loving and cynical fat cat, is the brainchild of cartoonist Jim Davis, a native of Indiana. The tubby tabby and his cartoonist celebrated the strip's 25th year in syndication in 2003, having debuted on June 19, 1978, in just 41 U.S. newspapers. Today, GARFIELD is the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate, appearing in 2,570 newspapers, with an estimated 263 million readers. Visit Garfield on the Internet at www.garfield.com.
