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Garbage Ape is a character who has appeared in the Heathcliff comic strip from 2008 to the present day.

Personality[]

The Garbage Ape appears at night, and is usually depicted either carrying or knocking over garbage cans. The neighborhood cats adore him, likely because he provides garbage for them to dine upon. His exact origins and goals are never stated in the comic.

Appearance[]

The Garbage Ape is a bipedal ape, reminiscent of a gorilla or Sasquatch, who appears in the night, usually swaggering down the street with a garbage can in each hand. The Garbage Ape also seems to have access to a number of vehicles, most notably a World War I era tank similar to a Renault FT [1], a personalized AT-AT walker [2], and a blimp [3]. Heathcliff and other cats adore the Garbage Ape and greet his arrival with joy. He has a rarely seen sidekick known as Trash Chimp [4][5].

In addition to carrying garbage, the Ape also occasionally pursues other activities, such as distributing "Ape-Ade" [6], dressing up for various holidays [7][8][9], playing the drums at holiday parties [10], and even starring in a movie [11]. When the Ape is needed, he can be summoned by "The Garbage Ape Signal"[12].

Purpose[]

The Garbage Ape's exact purpose has been much debated. It is only known for sure that he transports garbage from place to place, and that alley cats adore and even revere him.

The mystery shrouding the Ape has led some to suggest fantastical theories regarding his goals. A previous version of this very article suggested that he was a "supernatural entity obsessed with the slow decay of mankind" [13]. Another hypothesis is that the Heathcliff comic series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which mutated, super-intelligent animals, chief among them the benevolent Garbage Ape, rule the world. The Ape spreads garbage as a way of reminding the humans that the animals are the ones in charge [14].

Perhaps more likely is that the Garbage Ape is simply part of the city's waste management program, in charge of either bringing garbage out to the curb or of taking it away to the landfill. This is supported by the ape's apparent dedication to duty regardless of the weather [2], though human trash collectors do also exist in the Heathcliff universe [15].

Heathcliff

The Ape's character entry from the official Heathcliff website seems to suggest he may be a figment of the imagination.

Alternatively, it may be the case that rather than working as a trash collector, the Ape actually works in opposition to waste management, delivering full cans of garbage into the neighborhood from elsewhere, perhaps for the benefit of the cats [16][17][18]. He has also been known to knock full cans of trash over [19], which would make the garbage easier for cats to access. Heathcliff himself has been known to exhibit this behavior as well [20].

Finally, there exists the possibility that trash collection is performed by humans, and that trashcans are simply knocked over by the wind, but that Heathcliff, to whom the system is a mystery, has instead imagined a magnanimous Ape who appears and performs these tasks. In that case, the Ape is a figment of Heathcliff's imagination or exists otherwise outside of full physical manifestation, comparable to Santa Claus or even a deity. This theory is not well supported by the Ape's first appearance (see below), nor by the fact that humans are aware enough of the Ape to have made a carousel animal in his likeness [21]. Nevertheless, the official Heathcliff website contradicts these incidents and states that the ape has never been seen by humans, and may not even be real [22].

First appearance[]

The Garbage Ape's first appearance [23] may be a little known strip from March 23, 2008, a Sunday strip for Easter. Introduced as the "Garbage Night Ape", the Garbage Ape is drawn in a substantially different style than the one that is used in later strips. The strip indicates that while Heathcliff is unmoved by the Easter Bunny's delivery of eggs, he is more excited by the "Garbage Night Ape's" delivery of full trash cans, a presumably weekly occurrence. The fact that Iggy refers to the Ape by name, and that both Iggy and Mr. Nutmeg are shown watching the ape go by, would seem to indicate that the ape is a corporeal being that exists in reality, and that his simple purpose is to deliver garbage in much the same way that the Easter Bunny (which also seems to exist in the Heathcliff universe) delivers candy. Of course, while this strip indicates the physical reality of the Ape, the existence of the Garbage Ape Genie[24] and Garbage Ape Moon [25] also indicate that the Ape is in at least some respects a supernatural entity.

References[]

List of characters
Comics
HeathcliffIggy NutmegMr. NutmegMrs. NutmegSonjaSpikeMuggsy FaberMarcyWillyPopMilkmanMr. SchultzRudyMugCrazy ShirleyFangEddieSmokeyWinkyGarbage ApeJimmy
Heathcliff and Dingbat
DingbatSpareribNobodyClemDigbyGrubs the DogcatcherOfficer CaseyChief Dogcatcher
One-time characters
Chief DogcatcherTonyJodiKitty CatalinaMountain LionEvilla the WitchNestoraTootsBully CatsSuper CatButchDirector
Heathcliff and Marmaduke
Marmaduke • Phil Winslow • Mr. Post • Mr. Snyder • Barbie Winslow • Dottie Winslow • Billy Winslow
One-time characters
AlligatorBulldogs • The Catnapper • Giant Mouse • Aunite KSweetums • Cat Spy • Dr. X • Spike's friends • Metal Heathcliff
Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats
Main characters
Riff-RaffCleoHectorWordsworth W. WordsworthMungo McMungoLeftyKnucklesRaulLeroyBush
One-time characters
PussiniChaunceyGeldorfBrunoCaesarLouieJuniorMayor BogwellMusclesString BeanTracerLulubelleOrvilleHarry the Cat GenieClaude the DisguiserHerbieGrowloMervyn McMuttJonathon Bixby Morrison IIIBullFeral Island CatsRankMoeBoFloMortonRoxieOrville (Harem Cat)Pecks BeefcakeEl GatoHenryTammyDixieJakeMartinRenfieldDeeJayEggbertDr. MousetusOtto and PanzerLindsaySiamese TwinsMr. WoodleyCorporal BruiserBoom Boom PussiniBeach Bunny KittensTigerPierreMuffy DuparRiff-Raff's MomLuluBiff BicepsGym Girl CatsEliseGoonGranny McMungoMingo McMungo
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