JON'S FAMILY
Jon's parents and brother live back on the farm and appear regularly in the strip. They also starred in 1987's "A Garfield Christmas Special." While Mom and Dad made their debut on February 13, 1980, Doc Boy didn't join the cast until May 17, 1983.
MOM
Jon's mom is a loving, hardworking farm wife who's very proud of her husband and sons. Much like Jim Davis's mother (on whom she's based!), Jon's mom is a wonderful cook who believes strongly in quality and quantity. The way she sees it, the two most important food groups are potatoes and pies. Is it any wonder that Garfield loves this woman?
DAD
As a farmer, Jon's dad is outstanding in his field. Patterned after Jim Davis's father, he's a down-to-earth guy (literally) in charge of the Arbuckle farm. Jon visits his folks regularly. This annoys Garfield, whose favorite farm activities are eating and leaving. You can take Dad out of the country, but you can't take the country out of Dad. When he visits Jon in the city (he did that once in 1988), Dad still gets up with the chickens. This, of course, doesn't sit well with Garfield, who would rather eat the chickens.
DOC BOY
Jon's only sibling, Doc Boy, lives on the Arbuckle farm with his parents. Like his city-slicker brother, Doc Boy leads a pretty boring life. But at least he only has to feed the hogs. Jon has to feed Garfield. Doc Boy was named after Jim Davis's own little brother, David "Doc" Davis, who has a website which sells Garfield memorabilia. Doc isn't nearly as goofy as his cartoon namesake; he's goofier.