Paws, Inc., doing business as Paws, Incorporated, is an American comic studio and production company founded by American cartoonist Jim Davis in 1981[1] to support the Garfield comic strips and its licensing. The company is located inside Paramount Global's headquarters building in New York City. It was originally located in Muncie, Indiana, relocated in 1989 from Davis' own farm when he was a boy.[2]
 | |
| Paws Incorporated | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1981, in Muncie, Indiana |
| Founder | Jim Davis |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Jim Davis (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Brands | |
| Owner | Jim Davis (1981–2019) |
| Parent | Nickelodeon Group (2019–present) |
In 1994, the company purchased all rights to the classic Garfield comic strips from 1978 to 1993 from United Feature Syndicate, although United still holds the original black-and-white daily strips and original color Sunday strips. The full-color daily strips and recolored Sunday strips are copyrighted to Paws as they are considered a different product. The strip is currently distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication (formerly Universal Press Syndicate and Universal Uclick), while rights for the strip remain with Paws, Inc. By 2015, the company employed almost fifty artists and administrators.[3]
In 2019, Davis sold Paws, Inc. to Paramount Global including global merchandising and existing licensees. The deal put Paws under Paramout's Nickelodeon banner (which itself is part of its Kids & Family division).[4] The deal excluded the rights to the live-action Garfield films from 2004 to 2006, which are still owned by 20th Century Studios,[4] as well as the animated film The Garfield Movie, which is owned and distributed by Sony Pictures under its Columbia Pictures label.[5] Although Paws, Inc. is now effectively located in Manhattan, Davis still continue to draw the comic strips in Indiana for newspapers and Andrews McMeel Syndication.[6]
Filmography
Television specials
| Work | Original release | Studio | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here Comes Garfield | 1982 | Bill Melendez Productions Lee Mendelson Film Productions United Media Productions | CBS |
| Garfield on the Town | 1983 | ||
| Garfield in the Rough | 1984 | Film Roman United Media Productions | |
| Garfield's Halloween Adventure | 1985 | ||
| Garfield in Paradise | 1986 | ||
| Garfield Goes Hollywood | 1987 | ||
| A Garfield Christmas | |||
| Happy Birthday, Garfield | 1988 | ||
| Garfield: His 9 Lives | |||
| Garfield's Babes and Bullets | 1989 | ||
| Garfield's Thanksgiving | |||
| Garfield's Feline Fantasies | 1990 | ||
| Garfield Gets a Life | 1991 |
Television series
| Work | Original release | Studio | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield and Friends | 1988–1994 | United Media Productions (seasons 1–6) Lee Mendelson Film Productions (seasons 2–7) Film Roman | CBS |
| The Garfield Show | 2008–2016 | Dargaud Media | France 3 (France) Cartoon Network (United States, seasons 1–3) Boomerang (United States, seasons 4–5) |
| Garfield Originals | 2019–2020 | France 3 | |
| Untitled Garfield television series | TBA | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | Nickelodeon |
Feature films
| Work | Original release | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield: The Movie | 2004 | 20th Century Fox Davis Entertainment | Live-action/CGI hybrid, theatrical feature |
| Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties | 2006 | 20th Century Fox Davis Entertainment Dune Entertainment Major Studio Partners Ingenious Film Partners | |
| Garfield Gets Real | 2007 | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Davis Entertainment The Animation Picture Company | Fully computer-animated, direct-to-video feature |
| Garfield's Fun Fest | 2008 | ||
| Garfield's Pet Force | 2009 | ||
| The Garfield Movie[5][7][8] | 2024 | Columbia Pictures Alcon Entertainment DNEG Animation One Cool Group Wayfarer Studios Stage 6 Films John Cohen Productions Andrews McMeel Entertainment | Fully computer-animated, theatrical feature |