America's most famous cat has teamed up with America's premier provider of
fresh-fruit flower baskets.
Incredibly Edible Delites, a nation-wide chain of franchises that turns fresh
fruit into edible "flower" bouquets, has signed a licensing agreement with Paws,
Inc., the company that oversees all business affairs for Garfield the cat.
The agreement allows Incredibly Edible Delites to offer a variety of Garfield
products with its distinctive fruit-flower bouquets.
"Garfield is beloved by millions, and we're thrilled that we're able to offer
his products to our customers," says Ellen Davis, co-owner of Incredibly Edible
Delites, home of the FruitFlowers(tm) bouquet. "Everyone loves Garfield and everyone
loves our fruit bouquets - it's the perfect combination."
To create their bouquets, Incredibly Edible Delites cuts up melons, pineapples,
strawberries and grapes and shapes them into "flowers." Pineapples become daisies,
strawberries become tulips and honeydews become leaves. The fruit can be put
together into more than a dozen different designs, ranging from a large, spring-like
bouquet to a dozen "roses." The company offers a line of Garfield-themed products,
including a fruit bouquet that comes in a ceramic Garfield container.
"We know Garfield loves daisies, so we offer arrangements with extra pineapple
daisies," says Susan Ellman, co-owner of Incredibly Edible Delites. "We're also
adding lots of marshmallows, both big and small, to make Garfield especially
happy.
"This is our first licensing agreement with an outside company, and I think
we picked a winner," continues Ellman. "We've worked very closely with the people
at Paws to come up with a lively, fun-loving Garfield line."
"Incredibly Edible Delites has a fabulous array of delicious treats - enough
to keep even Garfield happy for a long time to come," says Garfield cartoonist
Jim Davis. "We're very pleased to be in business with them, collaborating on
products that are sure to make the customer happy."
Launched in suburban Philadelphia, Incredibly Edible Delites has sold more
than one million fruit baskets since 1984. Each year, the company's 35 franchises
turn out more than 125,000 baskets collectively, using nearly four million strawberries,
150,000 pineapples, 500,000 melons and countless millions of grapes. The company
can be found online at http://www.fruitflowers.com.
Garfield, the lasagna-loving and cynical fat cat, is the brainchild of cartoonist
Jim Davis. The tubby tabby and his cartoonist celebrated the strip's 25th year
in syndication in 2003, having debuted on June 19, 1978 in just 41 U.S. newspapers.
Today, Garfield is the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, appearing
in more than 2,600 newspapers, with an estimated 263 million readers.
Paws, Inc., was founded in 1981 to handle the creative end of the Garfield
licensing business. Today, Paws is the sole owner of all copyrights and trademarks
for the Garfield property, and controls not only the creative angle of the fat
cat's flourishing empire, but also the licensing, marketing, and brand management
of Garfield and the Garfield characters.
