I didn't know how much of Jim Davis' motivations were commercial ones. It seems very at odds with folks like Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson:
> For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers, and T-shirts would devalue the characters and their personalities.[1]
I'm curious: what led to Garfield's immense popularity as a syndicated comic? Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining?
> For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic. He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers, and T-shirts would devalue the characters and their personalities.[1]
I'm curious: what led to Garfield's immense popularity as a syndicated comic? Were there in fact legions of people who _did_ find it funny, or entertaining?
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[1] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Watterson#End_of_Calvin_a...