Creepy Cartoons: Garfield's Halloween Adventure

Every holiday season, I like to look back at a classic cartoon of yesteryear.  Some part of me feels like it's not really the holiday season until I watch a particular movie or cartoon special, and nothing makes me feel like I've gone back to my childhood more than watching a classic cartoon special.  Each year, I write about a holiday television special in a series that I call "A Cartoon Christmas."  

Last year, I covered "A Flintstones Christmas" from 1977, which you can check out HERE. 

I thought I'd expand that series this year into "Creepy Cartoons" for the Halloween season.  The toons aren't that creepy, but it goes with the Halloween theme, and I like alliteration.  Besides, it's my website, so I make the rules.  

Since I covered Garfield's Thanksgiving a few years back (click HERE for that), perhaps I'll start a "Cartoon Cornucopia" for Thanksgiving?  Well, we'll see.

Back to the holiday currently at hand, there are many incredible Halloween cartoons from the past to choose from.  This year, I've selected one that scared the pants off of me as a little kid when I first saw it, likely at 4 or 5 in 1988 or '89.  

Garfield's Halloween Adventure! 

I've discovered I wasn't alone in being scared silly.  AVClub.com has a long article about how the special, specifically the final scenes, was terrifying for most children.  

Originally titled Garfield in Disguise when it debuted on television in 1985, the special was renamed to Garfield's Halloween Adventure the following year.  The Garfield in Disguise title was still used for the book adaptation released simultaneously, although, in later reprints, the name was switched to match the animated special.  

I had several of those books as a kid and always kept the stack of them on the bookshelf built into my bed's headboard because I liked to read all the holiday ones repeatedly.  If you're interested in reading about any other Garfield television specials, you can read the brief synopsis I wrote about my 5 Favorite Specials HERE.  

We're here to talk specifically about Garfield's Halloween Adventure today, so let's get started!

Garfield Television Specials now on TUBI

I know this blog is about the days of YesterYear, but, I couldn't resist letting you all know about this development in retro television happening right now!  Free streaming service Tubi has announced they will be streaming all 12 of the original Garfield TV Specials!

FOR FREE!

Prior to the popular Saturday morning animated series Garfield and Friends, Jim Davis brought Garfield into your home through 12 animated specials from 1982 to 1991.  Each special was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program with four of the twelve winning in the category.

A Cartoon Christmas: My Top 5 Christmas Cartoons

Nothing is more endearing (or enduring) as a Christmas cartoon.  I know it's sacrilege but I really don't like the "iconic" Christmas specials Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Maybe they were before my time, but, I just never dug those.  I think the claymation creeped me out and I hated the elves... but no holiday spawns more television specials to choose from than Christmas.

I know this may be just another "Top 5" article, but, I feel like those types of articles give me the ability to mention a bunch of different topics that may spark a memory or emotion in you (and myself!) as we all take a road trip down our memory highway into yesteryear.

Garfield's Thanksgiving

As a young child my family would make the annual trek from our home just north of New York City to Syracuse to visit my Aunt and Uncle and their large family of 7 children.  I remember not really enjoying the long drive, the cold weather, and the loud crowd of nearly 50 people (most of whom I didn't even know) at Thanksgiving Dinner.  We stopped making the trip when I was 7 or 8 and to be honest I was so young I don't remember much about the trips we did make... but I do remember one important event.  On our last trip one of my many cousins allowed me to take home a book I had picked up from his bedroom to read while the adults talked.

It was Garfield's Thanksgiving.