Posted in: CBS, Heritage Sponsored, TV | Tagged: garfield, heritage, heritage auctions, Jim Davis, sponsored

Garfield Goes Noir in This Production Cel Now On Auction

Published Wed, 26 Jan 2022 12:18:16 -0600

In my time reporting on Heritage Auctions, I've seen and even covered a good amount of Garfield listings. I have some affection for both the cartoon and the newspaper strip, enjoying it as both a kid and now a cat-loving adult. I have to say, though, today's Garfield auction is by far the coolest. A noir-inspired production cel depicts Garfield as the hilariously named "Sam Spayed" with cool, greyscale shading that really sells the old school crime vibe. The feline detective sips at his coffee, leaning back in his study, looking like he's seen it all. You can now check out this incredible animation production cel over at Heritage Auctions.

Garfield's Babes and Bullets Garfield as Sam Spayed Production Cel. Credit: Heritage

Let's take a look at the complete listing.

Garfield's Babes and Bullets Garfield as Sam Spayed Production Cel (Film Roman, 1989).

"How was I supposed to solve a murder when my only clue was a cup of java?" Private investigator Sam Spayed discovers that the victim of the murder he is trying to solve had a small, broken piece of a coffee mug with him when the body was found. Using this, he deduces that the coffee likely had something to do with the murder. And all of this stemmed from Sam spilling his coffee on himself! In this Emmy-winning special, Garfield's Babes and Bullets, Garfield imagines that he is film noir detective Sam Spayed.

The listing goes on to get to the specifics:

This fantastic image comes from about the 1:39 mark of the special. This original, hand-painted production cel features an image of the monochromatic detective that measures about 9.5" x 7" on a 12 field cel. The cel is marked in its lower right corner with 16, and it has been placed atop a color print background for presentation. What a great close-up of the brooding feline investigator!

The condition of this Garfield piece from the Jim Davis Collection is marked as "Very Good," with a note citing minor handling and edge wear. Garfield cans can head over to Heritage Auctions right here to bid on this item. Best of luck!