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Clifford the Big Red Dog

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Clifford the Big Red Dog
File:Clifford The Big Red Dog.jpg
Clifford The Big Red Dog, as seen on the PBS Kids animated adaptation.
Created byNorman Bridwell (characters)
StarringJohn Ritter
Grey DeLisle
Cree Summer
Kel Mitchell
Cam Clarke
Earl Boen
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson
Ulises Cuadra
Gary LeRoi Gray
Nick Jameson
Phil LaMarr
Edie McClurg
Haunani Minn
Tony Plana
Katherine Soucie
Frank Welker
Brent Titcomb (1988 video tapes)
Alyson Court (1988 video tapes)
Country of origin Canada (1988 Video Series)
 United States (2000 Series)
No. of episodes65
Production
Running time22 minutes (11 minutes per segment) (approx. per episode)
Original release
NetworkPBS
ReleaseSeptember 4, 2000 –
February 25, 2003

Clifford The Big Red Dog is an enduring American children's book series first published in 1962. Written by Norman Bridwell, the series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company.

Clifford was the runt of the litter, and was chosen by a city child named Emily Elizabeth Howard as her birthday present. No one expected Clifford to grow, but Emily Elizabeth's love for her tiny red puppy changed Clifford 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.

Scholastic Studios produced a successful television adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from 2000 to 2003. It currently is rerun as part of Miss Lori and Hooper's lineup, as well as in other time-slots on some PBS affiliates. In 1988, A Canadian Animation Company, Nelvana produced a series of Clifford educational videos, and in the early 1990s, Warner Bros. released a Clifford video that mixes live action with animation.

Clifford The Big Red Dog was one of several PBS Kids shows designed to teach children a number of life lessons. Two 11-minute stories made up each half-hour cartoon. Usually one story featured Clifford and his canine friends, T-Bone and Cleo among them; the other story would focus on Emily Elizabeth and friends her age. One principle was kept religiously: the dogs talked only when humans were not present; otherwise, they only barked.

Veteran actor John Ritter voiced Clifford in all episodes, this was originally done by Brent Titcomb in the 1988 and the early 1990s. Generally speaking, his schedule dictated the production of Clifford The Big Red Dog. By the time the last of the 65 half-hour cartoons and the movie were completed, Ritter was back on ABC's prime-time schedule, starring in 8 Simple Rules. Ritter's death on September 11, 2003, came just days after PBS debuted Clifford's Puppy Days, a function of keeping Clifford's legacy going.

Foreign adaptations

Like most cartoons produced in the United States but exported to Britain, the series was revoiced using British actors and vice versa like most cartoons produced in Great Britain but exported to the USA are revoiced using American accents. On its telecasts on the BBC, the voice of Clifford was done by Tom Eastwood.

The Characters

The Pets

  • Clifford The Big Red Dog: Male red dog, based on a giant Vizsla. [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. Clifford's size is inconsistent -- he is often shown as being about 15' 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 is based on the imaginary friend of creator Norman Bridwell's wife. [2] Clifford's human is, of course, Emily Elizabeth, to whom he is devoted. Voiced by John Ritter.
  • Cleo: Female poodle. Energetic, selfish, troublemaker who sometimes doesn't tell the truth, but remains loyal to her friends. In make-believe games with Clifford and T-Bone, she portrays "the evil Fluffy-Face." One of Clifford's best friends. Her human is Mrs. Diller. Voiced by Cree Summer.
  • T-Bone: Male bulldog with a large appetite. He is often shy and cautious, but likes to pretend he is Super T-Bone, a caped hero. He is one of Clifford's best friends. His human is Sherriff Lewis. Voiced by Kel Mitchell.
  • Hamburger: T-Bone's old friend, who left the island just before Clifford arrived. Voiced by Kenan Thompson.
  • K.C: A three-legged dog trained to assist Mrs. Young (his human's mother). His human is Bruno. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • Mac (Macchiavelli): Greyhound with an inflated sense of his own importance, who shifts between aloofness and wanting to be part of Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo's circle of friends. Mac competes in dog shows. His human is Jetta. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • Mimi: Female spaniel who sometimes visits the island and who T-Bone has a crush on. Voiced by Tyisha Hampton.
  • Billy and Betty: Mischievous kittens. Voiced by Susan Blu (Billy) and Debi Derryberry (Betty)
  • Manny: An elderly schnauzer who appears in some episodes from time to time. Voiced by Frank Welker.
  • Artie: A dog who dares Clifford to do bad things but soon plays his way. Also an occasional visitor to the island. Voiced by Henry Winkler.

The Children

  • Emily Elizabeth Howard: Clifford's human friend. A friendly, curious, and helpful, eight-year-old girl. The best skater on the island, and also very good at soccer. Emily was named for creator Norman Bridwell's daughter and based on the imaginary adventures of Bridwell's wife.[3] Voiced by Grey DeLisle.
  • Charley: Emily Elizabeth's best friend and the best soccer player on the Birdwell Birds (the school soccer team). He lives on a houseboat with his father, who owns a restaurant. Voiced by Gary LeRoi Gray.
  • Jetta: Mac's human. Wealthy, self-centered, friend of Emily Elizabeth who is often oblivious to others' feelings. She is often shown leading parades and competing in talent shoes as a majorette. Often claims her accomplishments are bigger or better than others'. Her mother owns one of the island stores and seems somewhat oblivious to Jetta's behavior. She has an infant brother named Cosmo first seen in Baby Makes Four. Jetta is voiced by Katherine Soucie; Cosmo is voiced by Debi Derryberry.
  • Vaz: Somewhat clumsy, shy, and unlucky boy who is friends with Emily Elizabeth and Charley. Performs magic tricks for a talent show in Stage Struck. Voiced by Ulises Cuadra.
  • Dan: One of the children. Voiced by Susan Blu.
  • Mary: Child who is in a wheelchair. Wins first prize in a talent show for her singing and piano playing (Stage Struck). Voiced by Kath Soucie.

The Adults

  • Caroline and Mark Howard: Emily Elizabeth's parents. Caroline is voiced by Grey DeLisle; Mark by Cam Clarke.
  • Samuel: Charley's father and the Jamaican owner of Samuel's Fish and Chips. Voiced by Terrence 'T.C.' Carson.
  • Sheriff Lewis: T-Bone's human. The island's sheriff and the soccer coach. Voiced by Nick Jameson.
  • Deputy Brown: Hamburger's owner who left the island shortly before Clifford arrived.
  • Mrs. Diller: Cleo's human. She gets seasick in T-Bone, Dog About Town (Episode #23)
  • Horace and Violet Bleakman: The Howards' neighbors. Mr. Bleakman is often grumpy about the noise or mess Clifford inadvertently causes. Horace is voiced by Earl Boen; Violet by Edie McClurg.
  • Dr. Dihn: Birdwell Island's veterinarian. Voiced by Haunani Minn.
  • Fire Chief Campbell: The island's leading firefighter. Voiced by Terrence 'T.C.' Carson.
  • Ms. Carrington: The school teacher. Voiced by Grey DeLisle. She departs Birdwell Island in Wedding Bell Blues, to be replaced by Mrs. Grumbly (voiced by Carol Bach y Rita)
  • Mr. Kibble Groomer and pet shop owner.
  • Bruno Young: K.C.'s human. Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
  • Victor and Pedro Workers at the Birdwell Island dock.- Voiced by Tony Plana.
Clifford The Big Red Dog with Laura Bush and many children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, 2007.

Funding

Funding for Clifford The Big Red Dog is provided by

Video Games

Original Series

  • Clifford's Reading
  • Clifford's Thinking Games

Modern Series

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

See also

References

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

  1. ^ Dog Breed Advice - Hungarian Vizsla
  2. ^ Clifford the Big Red Dog - Don Markstein's Toonopedia
  3. ^ Clifford the Big Red Dog - Don Markstein's Toonopedia
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