Clifford the Big Red Dog

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Clifford the Big Red Dog is an eponymously titled American children's book series about an extremely large red dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell. The series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company[citation needed], and Clifford himself is Scholastic's official mascot.

Clifford was the runt of a litter of puppies and was chosen by a city child named Emily Elizabeth as her birthday present. No one expected him to grow, but Emily's love for her tiny red puppy changed him dramatically. Before long, he was over 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, forcing the Howard family to leave the city and move to the open spaces of Birdwell Island. He met friends there including, Cleo, Max, and T-Bone.

Contents

The characters [edit]

The White House 2003 Christmas decoration of Clifford the Big Red Dog
  • Clifford: a male red dog whose appearance, disposition, and behavior are based on a giant "all-around" dog.[1] Friendly, outgoing and helpful. He sometimes gets into trouble because of his size or is tempted into trouble by his friends and those he meets. His size, like giants in medieval legends, is inconsistent—he is often shown as being about 25 feet tall from paws to head, but can appear far larger: in one episode he removes the top of the lighthouse and swims out with it to guide the ferry through the fog to the dock. The character's name is based on the imaginary childhood friend of creator Norman Bridwell's wife.[2] His owner is Emily Elizabeth, to whom he is devoted. He has a mother, two brothers, and two sisters. His character was created when an editor at Harper & Row advised Bridwell to write a story to go along with one of his pictures. She picked out his sketch of a baby girl and a horse-sized bloodhound and casually said, "There might be a story in this," Bridwell remembers.[1]
  • Emily Elizabeth: Clifford's owner. A friendly, curious, and helpful eight year-old girl. She is frequently portrayed riding on his back. The best skater on the island, and also very good at soccer. She was named for creator Norman Bridwell's daughter and based on the imaginary adventures of Bridwell's wife.[2]

List of Books [edit]

Title Year Notes
Clifford and the Big Parade 1998
Clifford and the Big Storm 1995
Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors 1985
Clifford and the Halloween Parade 1999
Clifford at the Circus 1985
Clifford Barks! 2000
Clifford Counts 1 2 3 1998
Clifford Counts Bubbles 1992
Clifford Follows His Nose 1992
Clifford Gets a Job 1965
Clifford Goes to Dog School 2002
Clifford Goes to Hollywood 1980 Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford is a Star
Clifford Goes to Washington 2005
Clifford Grows Up 1999
Clifford I Love You 1994 Pop-Up
Clifford Keeps Cool 1998
Clifford Makes a Friend 1998
Clifford Makes the Team 2011
Clifford Takes a Trip 1966
Clifford the Champion 2009
Clifford the Firehouse Dog 1994
Clifford to the Rescue 2000
Clifford Visits the Hospital 2000
Clifford, the Big Red Dog 1963
Clifford, the Small Red Puppy 1972
Clifford, We Love You 1991
Clifford: Where is the Big Red Doggie? 1998
Clifford's ABC 1983
Clifford's Animal Sounds 1991
Clifford's Bathtime 1991
Clifford's Bedtime 1991
Clifford's Best Friend: A Story about Emily Elizabeth 1998
Clifford's Big Book of Things to Know 1999
Clifford's Big Red Reader 2001
Clifford's Birthday Party 1988
Clifford's Busy Week 2002
Clifford's Hanukkah 1984
Clifford's Class Trip 2003
Clifford's Day with Dad 2003
Clifford's Family 1984
Clifford's First Autumn 1997
Clifford's First Christmas 1994
Clifford's First Easter 1995
Clifford's First Halloween 1995
Clifford's First School Day 1999
Clifford's First Sleepover 2004
Clifford's First Snow Day 1998
Clifford's First Valentine's Day 1997
Clifford's Furry Friends 2001
Clifford's Good Deeds 1985
Clifford's Halloween 1966
Clifford's Happy Days: A Pop-Up Book 1990
Clifford's Happy Easter 1994
Clifford's Happy Mother's Day 2001
Clifford's Kitten 1984
Clifford's Manners 1987
Clifford's Neighborhood: Lots to Learn All Around Town 2002
Clifford's Noisy Day 1992
Clifford's Opposites 2000
Clifford's Pals 1985 Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford's Best Pals
Clifford's Peek-And-Seek Animal Riddles 1997
Clifford's Peekaboo 1991
Clifford's Puppy Days 1989
Clifford's Puppy Fun: A Lift-The-Flap Board Book With Stickers 2001
Clifford's Riddles 1974
Clifford's Schoolhouse 2000
Clifford's Sports Day 1996
Clifford's Spring Clean-Up 1997
Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit 1993
Clifford's Tricks 1969
Clifford's Valentines 2001
Clifford's Word Book 1990
Count on Clifford 1985
Oops, Clifford! 1998
Where is Clifford? 1989

Adaptations [edit]

Clifford The Big Red Dog with Laura Bush and many children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, 2007.

In 1988,Scholastic Studios, Mendelson-Melendez Productions, Nelvana, Wang Film Productions, and Family Home Entertainment released "Clifford's Fun With...", a videotape series with the theme song by Phillip Namanworth and Benjamin Goldstein. Brent Titcomb voiced Clifford, but sounded almost similar to Disney's Goofy. Lorimar Productions released the video "Clifford's Sing Along Adventure" around that same time. Warner Home Video rereleased it in the mid-1990s.

Film [edit]

In May 2012, it was reported that Universal Pictures & Illumination Entertainment, the companies behind Despicable Me and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, will make a live-action/animated feature film based on the book. Matt Lopez had been hired to write the script, while Chris Meledandri and Deborah Forte will produce the film.[3]

Television [edit]

Scholastic Studios produced a television adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from 2000 to 2003.

Video Games [edit]

Original Series

  • Clifford's Reading
  • Clifford's Thinking Games

Modern Series

  • Clifford's Learning Activities
  • Clifford's Music
  • Clifford's Phonics
  • Clifford's Big Puzzle Game (A Wendy's Kids' Meal DVD game, available for a limited time only)

See also [edit]

References [edit]

^ Media and Culture, 5th ed., Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin and Bettina Fabos.

  1. ^ a b barnesandnoble.com 
  2. ^ a b Clifford the Big Red Dog - Don Markstein's Toonopedia
  3. ^ Kit, Borys (May 8, 2012). "Illumination and Universal Adapting 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2012. 

External links [edit]