Garfield was started just so Jim Davis could sell toys.
Family Circus, I would classify it as a cartoon that brings comfort and routine. Every day was basically a repeat of last week’s comic because he would rotate themes regularly, without having to do much work. Which is nice, for him. I think it’s target audience were those who can relate to the antics of children.
I tended towards philosophical comics like Farside, Bloomsfield, and Opus and Pogo and such. My humour tends to border along the lines of honesty and real world without pretension.
Having grown up in a large family with kids close together in age, I really appreciated Family Circus.