Cynical 80s icon Garfield returns in licensing deal

LONDON – Garfield, the podgy orange cartoon cat that graced everything from car windscreens to duvet covers during the 1980s, is poised for a comeback.

Vivid Imaginations is on the verge of striking a deal to license the character for a range of soft toys and accessories from the character's rights owner, Jim Davis.

The toys become available next year and will tap in to publicity generated by a Garfield movie, scheduled for release in the US next June, with the UK to follow. It is being produced by Twentieth Century Fox with a cast that includes Jennifer Love Hewitt and Bill Murray as the voice of the cat.

A cartoon will also air on Turner Broadcasting's kids' channel Boomerang.

The relaunch coincides with the 25th anniversary of the character, who debuted in a US comic strip in 1978. Worldwide book sales have reached more than 130 million units.

Garfield's comeback marks a continuation in the trend of toy firms reviving lines, such as Hasbro's My Little Pony and Mattel's He-Man.

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