HIGH LIFE A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Garfield Regarded as the Coolest Cat in Cartoon Shows

It’s Saturday morning, and in houses across the country, cartoon shows radiate from television sets.

Hot Topics wonders: “Who is your favorite cartoon character and why?”

“Yogi Bear, because, like me, he always wants food.”

Colleen McGuiness, 15,

freshman, Bethel Baptist

“Garfield is my hero. I watch every Saturday morning special. I also have over 50 Garfield stuffed animals.”

Jeff Pulfer, 16,

sophomore, Bethel Baptist

“Gumby, because he is green and bendable.”

Jennie Pawlack, 15,

sophomore, Brea-Olinda

“Bugs Bunny is my idol because he makes people laugh.”

Colleen Harris, 14,

freshman, Brea-Olinda

“Tweety Bird, because he’s small and smart . . . just like me.”

Eugene Tsai, 17,

senior, Cypress

“Calvin of ‘Calvin & Hobbes,’ because of his innocent imagination.”

Catherine Warren, 17,

senior, Cypress

“Dennis the Menace, because he represents the typical kid--bratty, mischievous and innocent.”

Yvonne Hsu, 14,

freshman, Esperanza

“Odie (dog on Garfield) because he’s stupid and is still happy.”

Kris Opbroek, 17,

junior, Esperanza

“Slimey, because he always aggravates the Ghostbusters and makes them mess up.”

Jason Werner, 17,

senior, Estancia

“Batman, because he’s human and has special skills, not powers.”

Tuong Do, 14,

freshman, Estancia

“Jokey Smurf, because he has a good sense of humor and a great laugh.”

Bryan Carey, 18,

senior, Fullerton

“Shroeder from ‘Peanuts,’ because he is a musical genius.”

Brent Schindele, 17,

senior, Fullerton

“Road Runner, because he always plays tricks on people.”

Kevin Obergfell, 18,

senior, Irvine

“Winnie the Pooh, because he lives in a quiet place and has a lot of caring and loving friends.”

Veronica Villalon, 16,

junior, Irvine

“Snoopy, because he just sleeps, eats, plays baseball with Charlie Brown and takes life as it comes.”

Amy Barr, 14,

freshman, Irvine

“Garfield, because he doesn’t work, sleeps instead of paying taxes, and eats. He lives the perfect life.”

Bob Wood, 16,

sophomore, Irvine

“Opus in ‘Bloom County,’ because he has a cool nose and doesn’t have any serious worries.”

Jim Eichsteadt, 15,

sophomore, Irvine

“Batman, because he can beat foes that give Superman a hard time. Batman is a normal man who can overcome the odds with his ingenuity and cunning.”

Gregg Suzukawa, 18,

senior, Laguna Hills

“Scooby Doo, because he’s the only dog that talks and can solve problems with food.”

David Bochenek, 17,

senior, Laguna Hills

“Fred Flintstone, because I admire any man who can stop a moving car with his bare feet.”

Huy Tran, 18,

senior, Laguna Hills

“Garfield, because he’s the perfect cat: cute, funny and huggable.”

Wendy Reed, 16,

junior, Laguna Hills

“Minnie Mouse, because she wears cute clothes.”

Vicky Parente, 17,

junior, Laguna Hills

“Mickey Mouse, because he is full of energy and provides cheer to people everywhere.”

Annie Yeh, 17,

junior, Marina

“Garfield, because he goes through human life experiences.”

Angela Harkins, 16,

sophomore, Marina

“Chilly Willy the little penguin, because I feel so sorry for him. I used to like Garfield until they made him talk, and he has a dorky voice.”

Dawn Ritter, 17,

junior, Orange

“Goofy is awesome. His cartoons are the funniest.”

Scott Scheer, 16,

junior, Orange

“Rick Hunter of ‘Robotech.’ The cartoon is realistic, almost like a soap opera.”

Quan Nguyen, 16,

junior, Orange

“Fred Flintstone, because he can drive a car with no gears and no gas, which means no money to spend on it.”

Ana Maria Lobano, 18,

senior, Rosary

“Road Runner, because he always has energy and he never gets tired, and I wish I was like that.”

Donna George, 16,

junior, Rosary

“Bugs Bunny, because I like how he always outsmarts his adversaries.”

David Serrato, 16,

junior, Santa Ana

“Snoopy, because he loves life and wants you to love life also.”

Kelly Sewell, 17, junior,

Southern California Christian

“Garfield, because we both hate the same things: Mondays and mornings.”

Stephanie LaSoya, 16, junior,

Southern California Christian

“Mickey Mouse, because he’s the essence of all cartoons.”

Richard Nguyen, 17,

junior, Trabuco Hills

“Garfield, because he’s intelligent and always uses logic to get himself out of tight spots.”

Todd Bradford, 17,

junior, Trabuco Hills

“Speedy Gonzales, because he is awesome and always so fast.”

Joel Martin, 18,

senior, Tustin

“Droopy, because he is so original.”

Bryan Klawitter, 18,

senior, Tustin

“Judy Jetson, because she’s the way I want to be in the 21st Century.”

Amy Williams, 16,

junior, Villa Park

“Betty Boop, because she’s such a cute and funny little airhead.”

Judy Park, 17,

junior, Western

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

What’s the most creative excuse you’ve ever used for not turning in a homework assignment?

Hot Topic responses gathered by Angela Conner, Roxane Dyrud, Melanie Fowler, Stephanie Jeffers, Jenny Kaplan, Lynda Kim, Stacey Kimsey, Kyra Kirkwood, Joo Young Lee, Steve Lee, Jason Loeb, Monica Neal, Heather Orey, Hai Pham, Gabriel Saldivar, Kimberly Snow, Jana Swail and Ed White.

DR, GABRIEL SALDIVAR