April 1, 2004 – Pawtown, Internet (ScoopSignal) — Long before Google’s Gmail dominated inboxes, a free email service called “G-Mail” was making the rounds on the internet—brought to you by none other than Garfield the cat.
Launched in the late 1990s by the official Garfield website, G-Mail gave comic fans the chance to get their own “@gmail.garfield.com” address, complete with custom paw-print graphics. “I just want email that doesn’t eat my lasagna,” a Garfield spokesperson once joked. “Or my important messages.”
When Google announced the launch of “Gmail” in April 2004, users noticed the name wasn’t entirely original—some even thought the press release was an April Fool’s prank at first, given the date and Garfield’s penchant for internet gags.
The surprise? The two G-Mails coexisted briefly, until Google quietly struck a deal for the “gmail.com” domain in regions where Garfield’s G-Mail was registered. Fans of the comic strip lost access to their feline-themed inboxes, but Garfield’s love for naps—and lasagna—remained untouched.
If you think that’s odd, remember: In 1993, the White House email address still ended with “.bitnet.”