# Garfield question : Is Nermal a boy or girl? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015 "2008-05-29T15:08:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/1 "2008-05-29T15:08:12Z")
Bit of debate here in the office about terminally cute \*\*Nermal \*\* from the Garfield cartoon (I know… I’m as embarrassed as I should be about this). I’ve always thought Nermal was a little cute boy kitten, but several coworkers think it’s a girl. In the old cartoon TV series, it was voiced by a girl… but in the movie, Nermal was an adult siamese voiced by a guy. Anyone here on my side? Has this ever been answered? ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/2 "2008-05-29T15:15:52Z")
I always thought Nermal was a girl. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/3 "2008-05-29T15:17:24Z")
I always thought Nermal was a boy. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/4 "2008-05-29T15:23:11Z")
Nermal’s a boy. With eyelashes\*. He’s quite effeminate, though, isn’t he? I think it’s part of his “cute” schtick. Boys aren’t “cute” in general unless they have girly characteristics, otherwise they’d be “macho”, or something. ETA: Garfield was totally my kinda humour when I was under 6 years old. I remember very clearly Garfield referring to Nermal as a he on many occasions, which is the only reason I say it with any amount of certainty. See below for why it stood out to me. - - This really threw my perception of reality off balance at four years old; I differentiated between the sexes with the strong belief that only girls had eyelashes, while boys did not. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/5 "2008-05-29T15:27:09Z")
I always thought Nermal was a girl but I’m pretty sure pronoun use in the comic itself makes Nermal out to be a boy. [Check it.](http://www.garfield.com/about/character.html) Nermal’s a boy. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/6 "2008-05-29T15:28:26Z")
Yeah, he always struck me as the cat equivalent of one of those Victorian boys with fancy clothes and long golden locks and a gigantic lollipop whose parents never let them outside to play. If that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/7 "2008-05-29T15:28:47Z")
[Wiki says Nermal is a boy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nermal#Nermal). ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/8 "2008-05-29T15:35:13Z")
[QUOTE=Gadarene] Yeah, he always struck me as the cat equivalent of one of those Victorian boys with fancy clothes and long golden locks and a gigantic lollipop whose parents never let them outside to play. If that makes sense. [/QUOTE] I believe that’s called the Little Lord Fauntleroy getup. And I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/9 "2008-05-29T16:42:59Z")
[QUOTE=shy guy] I always thought Nermal was a girl. [/QUOTE] So did I. This belief was justified when I heard the voice of Nermal on _Garfield and Friends_. It was now confirmed when I checked Wikipedia and found the [voice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desir%C3%A9e_Goyette) of Nirmal is a girl. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/10 "2008-05-29T16:48:15Z")
I came in here to express my thoughts on how stupid a question that was and to state that Nermal is _obviously_ a girl. I’ll be over here eating my pie. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/11 "2008-05-29T17:37:08Z")
Nermal is a boy’s name. The reason why I know this is because a former coworker named her son that. She was from India and was not familiar with Garfield. She was highly offended when someone told her. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/12 "2008-05-29T17:40:18Z")
My favourite Garfield: [garfield minus garfield: Archive](http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/archive) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/13 "2008-05-29T17:40:26Z")
On Nermal’s [second appearance](http://www.garfield.com/comics/comics_archives_strip.html?1979-ga790904) in the strip, Garfield refers to Nermal as “he”. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/14 "2008-05-29T17:45:41Z")
Mainly I think Garfield is the most consistently, abominably unfunny mainstream cartoon; I can’t understand why anyone cares about it enough to ask a question. Evidence points to the runt being a male. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/15 "2008-05-29T18:03:20Z")
[QUOTE=Malthus] My favourite Garfield: [garfield minus garfield: Archive](http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/archive) [/QUOTE] Uh, which one? There are dozens. I always thought Nermal was a cossetted boy cat. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/16 "2008-05-29T18:05:00Z")
[QUOTE=Inner Stickler] [Check it.](http://www.garfield.com/about/character.html) Nermal’s a boy. [/QUOTE] This is the definitive response, since it comes from the official Garfield Web site. I like the final paragraph of the Nermal text: [QUOTE=Character Profile] Trivia: On the Garfield tv show, Nermal’s voice was done by a female, leading to fan confusion over whether he was a boy or girl kitten." [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/17 "2008-05-29T18:10:22Z")
[QUOTE=Knorf] Mainly I think Garfield is the most consistently, abominably unfunny mainstream cartoon; I can’t understand why anyone cares about it enough to ask a question. [/QUOTE] That’s harsh- there are dozens of mainstream comics equally unfunny as Garfield, but with less kid appeal- Broom Hilda, Beetle Bailey, Marmaduke,Hi and Lois, Momma,etc.. Id like to see someone argue that any of these is more funny than the others,with examples of it’s “more funnyness” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/18 "2008-05-29T19:59:03Z")
[QUOTE=Kozmik] So did I. This belief was justified when I heard the voice of Nermal on _Garfield and Friends_. It was now confirmed when I checked Wikipedia and found the [voice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desir%C3%A9e_Goyette) of Nirmal is a girl. [/QUOTE] So are the voices of Bart Simpson, Ralph Wiggim, Todd Flanders, Database, Kerney and Nelsen Muntz—all voiced by [Nancy Cartwright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Cartwright_(actress)) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/19 "2008-05-29T20:08:14Z")
[QUOTE=Gadarene] I always thought Nermal was a boy. [/QUOTE] Boy, from my memory. ETA: asked and answered ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015/20 "2008-05-29T20:14:39Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Uh, which one? There are dozens. I always thought Nermal was a cossetted boy cat. [/QUOTE] It is sort of a collective, cumulative effect. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garfield-question-is-nermal-a-boy-or-girl/451015.md?page=2)