Create with Garfield: Comic Creation on a Floppy
Can't Draw? No Problem!
What do you get when you cross Colorforms, home computers, and the world's most popular lasagna-eating cat? You get Create with Garfield, the 1986 computer program by Ahead Designs for Apple II, IBM PC, and Commodore 64 computers.
The mid-1980s were an interesting time for computer software. Customers and programmers alike were constantly experimenting with different styles of software. Sometimes new programs were so popular they defined enter genres -- games like Rogue, which led to the term “roguelikes” which is still used today. On the other end of the spectrum were unique and occasionally bizarre offerings that didn’t inspire genres, but inspired creativity.
While it seems like a Garfield platform game could have written itself, the first two Garfield titles to be released on home computers were Garfield, Eat Your Words and Garfield Double Dares, two "edutainment" titles published by Random House in 1985. In the mid-80s there wasn't a kid in America who wouldn't have purchased a Mario-style game in which Garfield ate lasagna and ran away from Odie... but instead, we got Create with Garfield.
Despite being referred to as one, Create with Garfield isn't a game in the traditional sense. There's no score, no time limit, and no way to win or lose. With Create with Garfield, kids could create a "scene" featuring Garfield — essentially a digital version of a Colorform.
To create their masterpieces, users first selected a background and then apply some "stick-ons" consisting of a variety of props and characters. The program included eight backgrounds like "beach" or "winter cabin" to choose from (nine, if you include "plain white"). Once a background was chosen, users could then select their stick-ons. There's no way to see all the stick-ons at once; they must be cycled through, one at a time. Once selected, the stick-ons can be placed wherever they are needed within the scene. Users can't create their own stick-ons, but all the major characters along with lots of props are available.
The final step involved dropping text onto your scene. The program included tons of pre-rendered word props and thought bubbles, or you could add your own text to a blank one.
Once your masterpiece was complete, users could either save or print their final designs.
One year after its debut. a Deluxe Edition of Create with Garfield was released which included even more stick-ons (around 200) and some minor software improvements. I doubt anyone who owned the original upgraded to the deluxe version, but those who hadn't yet purchased the program got a slightly better version.
Where Create with Garfield really came alive was with its slideshow feature, an option that would show multiple user-created scenes one after another, essentially allowing users to create their own comic strip featuring multiple scenes. For kids like me who had funny ideas for Garfield strips but lacked the talent to draw them on paper, Create with Garfield was the perfect tool.
Create with Garfield was the second program by Ahead Designs using this same format. The first was called Teddy Bear-rels of Fun, which used the exact same engine but included different backgrounds and stick-ons. The programs are so similar that the data disks can be swapped, allowing those who owned both programs to add teddy bears to their Garfield creations and vice versa. It's a shame that Ahead Designs wasn't able to acquire more licenses and sell even more editions of the program. Then again maybe I'm the only one yearning for a Garfield-Transformers-Ghostbusters mashup.
Through the magic of emulation, you can still create your own Garfield comics using Create with Garfield to this day. Many emulators even allow you to print directly to a PDF, allowing you to send your best Garfield creations to your friends to this day. I think I might just do that... after I nap, first.
