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Clifford the Big Red Dog

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This article is about the children's book series. For the character in other media, see Clifford the Big Red Dog (disambiguation).

Clifford the Big Red Dog
AuthorNorman Bridwell
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren
PublisherScholastic
Published1963–present

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series about the adventures of a girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a giant, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell.[1] Clifford is Scholastic's official mascot.[2]

Concept and creation

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The character was inspired by author Norman Bridwell's childhood desire to own a dog the size of a horse.[3] In 1962, Bridwell included paintings of who would become Clifford the Big Red Dog (who was named ‘Tiny’ at the time) in a portfolio of children's literature illustrations. In the process of showcasing his portfolio for publishing houses, Susan Hirschman at Harper & Row suggested that Bridwell turn his drawings into a children's story. Bridwell then developed a story around the dog and his owner, which he would eventually submit to Scholastic. His wife suggested the name "Clifford" after her imaginary friend from her childhood, and Emily Elizabeth was named after Bridwell's daughter. The first book in the series was originally published by Scholastic in 1963.[4]

Characters

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  • Clifford is a male red dog whose appearance, disposition and behavior are based on a giant dog.[5] His size is inconsistent: While he is often shown being about 25 feet (7.5 m) tall from paws to head, Clifford can appear far larger. The character's name is based on the imaginary childhood friend of Norman Bridwell's wife, Norma Bridwell.[6] Bridwell originally wanted to name the dog "Tiny", but his wife persuaded him that "Clifford" was better.[7] Clifford's pet owner is Emily Elizabeth. Clifford has a mother, two brothers, and two sisters, all of whom are normal-sized dogs. Clifford was originally the runt of the litter, seemingly fated to be small and sick, but grew to an enormous size apparently due to Emily Elizabeth's love and care. Clifford's character was created when a Harper & Row editor advised Bridwell to write a story to go along with one of his pictures. Bridwell recalls she picked out his sketch of a baby girl with a horse-sized bloodhound, and casually said, "There might be a story in this" because there always was one.[5]
  • Emily Elizabeth is Clifford's owner and human friend, an 8-year-old girl.[7] She is frequently portrayed riding him like a horse. She was named for creator Norman Bridwell's daughter and based on the imaginary adventures of Bridwell's wife.[6] The TV series adaptation gives her a surname, Emily Elizabeth Howard, and changes the background, with her receiving Clifford as a surprise present on her 6th birthday instead of picking him out as a Christmas present.

List of books

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Norman Bridwell, creator and author of the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series, in 2011.
Title Year Notes
1. Clifford, the Big Red Dog 1963 The first ten Clifford books were given re-colored illustrations in 1985
2. Clifford Gets a Job 1965
3. Clifford Takes a Trip 1966
4. Clifford's Halloween 1966
5. Clifford's Tricks 1969
6. Clifford, the Small Red Puppy 1972
7. Clifford's Riddles 1974
8. Clifford's Good Deeds 1975
9. Clifford at the Circus 1977
10. Clifford Goes to Hollywood 1980 Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford is a Star
11. Clifford's ABC 1983
12. Clifford's Christmas 1984
13. Clifford's Family 1984
14. Clifford's Kitten 1984
15. Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors 1985
16. Clifford's Pals 1985 Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford's Best Pals
17. Clifford's Manners 1987
18. Count on Clifford 1987
19. Clifford's Birthday Party 1988
20. Clifford's Puppy Days 1989
21. Where is Clifford? 1989
22. Clifford's Happy Days: A Pop-Up Book 1990 Pop-up book
23. Clifford's Word Book 1990
24. Clifford, We Love You 1991
25. Clifford's Animal Sounds 1991
26. Clifford's Bathtime 1991
27. Clifford's Bedtime 1991
28. Clifford's Peekaboo 1991
29. Clifford Counts Bubbles 1992
30. Clifford Follows His Nose 1992
31. Clifford's Happy Easter 1992
32. Clifford's Noisy Day 1992
33. Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit 1993
34. Clifford, I Love You 1994 Pop-up book
35. Clifford the Firehouse Dog 1994
36. Clifford's First Christmas 1994
37. Clifford and the Big Storm 1995
38. Clifford's First Easter 1995
39. Clifford's First Halloween 1995
40. Clifford's Sports Day 1996
41. Clifford's First Autumn 1997
42. Clifford's Spring Clean-Up 1997
43. Clifford's First Valentine's Day 1997
44. Clifford's Peek-And-Seek Animal Riddles 1997
45. Clifford and the Big Parade 1998
46. Clifford Keeps Cool 1998
47. Clifford Counts 1 2 3 1998
48. Clifford Makes a Friend 1998
49. Clifford: Where is the Big Red Doggie? 1998
50. Clifford's First Snow Day 1998
51. Oops, Clifford! 1998
52. Clifford and the Halloween Parade 1999
53. Clifford Grows Up 1999
54. Clifford's Best Friend: A Story about Emily Elizabeth 1999
55. Clifford's Big Book of Things to Know 1999
56. Clifford's First School Day 1999
57. Clifford Barks! 2000
58. Clifford to the Rescue 2000
59. Clifford Visits the Hospital 2000
60. Clifford's Opposites 2000
61. Clifford's Schoolhouse 2000
62. Clifford's Big Red Reader 2001
63. Clifford's Furry Friends 2001
64. Clifford's Happy Mother's Day 2001
65. Clifford's Puppy Fun: A Lift-The-Flap Board Book With Stickers 2001
66. Clifford's Valentines 2001
67. Clifford Runs to Story Time 2001
68. Clifford and the Bath 2002
69. Clifford's Busy Week 2002
70. Clifford Goes to Dog School 2002
71. Clifford's Neighborhood: Lots to Learn All Around Town 2002
72. A Little Book About Red 2003 Phonics Reading Program
73. Cleo's Fudge Cakes 2003 Phonics Reading Program
74. Clifford and the Squirrel 2003 Phonics Reading Program
75. Clifford Loves Me! 2003
76. Clifford's Class Trip 2003
77. Clifford's Day with Dad 2003
78. Emily Elizabeth Can't Trade 2003 Phonics Reading Program
79. Get That Lunch Box 2003 Phonics Reading Program
80. Good Sports 2003 Phonics Reading Program
81. Jumping in Puddles 2003 Phonics Reading Program
82. Mac the Knight 2003 Phonics Reading Program
83. The Singing Birds' Show 2003 Phonics Reading Program
84. Spring is in the Air 2003 Phonics Reading Program
85. Clifford's First Sleepover 2004
86. Clifford Goes to Washington 2005
87. Clifford's Puppy Days: Christmas Angel 2005
88. Clifford the Champion 2009
89. Clifford Makes the Team 2011
90. Clifford Goes to Kindergarten 2015 Published posthumously[8]
91. Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah 2015 Published posthumously[8]

Adaptations

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Clifford The Big Red Dog mascot with Laura Bush and children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, 2007.
Clifford with then-congressman Tom Tancredo

Videos

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Karl-Lorimar Home Video released the video Clifford's Sing Along Adventure around 1986. Warner Home Video re-released it in the mid-1990s.

In 1988, Scholastic Studios, Nelvana Limited, and Family Home Entertainment released Clifford's Fun with..., a videotape series with a theme song composed by Phillip Namanworth and Benjamin Goldstein. The episodes on the release are: "The ABC Message Service", "Clifford's Birthday Surprise", "The Scavenger Hunt", "The Rhyme Cat Rescue", "Clifford Goes to Hollywood", and "The Pet Show". Musician Brent Titcomb was the voice of Clifford, and actress Alyson Court was the voice of Emily Elizabeth. In the late 1990s, a television station in Spain aired the direct-to-video series for a short period of time.

Television

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Further information: Clifford the Big Red Dog (2000 TV series), Clifford's Puppy Days, Clifford's Really Big Movie, and Clifford the Big Red Dog (2019 TV series)

Scholastic Media produced a 65-episode adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from September 2000 to February 2003. Clifford was voiced by John Ritter, and Emily Elizabeth was voiced by Grey DeLisle. There was also a 39-episode prequel series that took place during Clifford's puppyhood, which ran from September 2003 to February 2006, with Lara Jill Miller as the voice of young Clifford. During that time, a theatrical film was released in February 2004 and served as the series finale, as there were not any new episodes released after John Ritter's death. However, a new series was released on December 6, 2019 for Amazon Prime Video and December 7, 2019 on PBS Kids with Adam Sanders and Hannah Levinson as the new voices of Clifford and Emily Elizabeth respectively.[9][10] They are returning on CBC Kids and CBBC and TG4.

Film

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Main article: Clifford the Big Red Dog (film)

In May 2012, it was reported that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment would make a live-action/CGI animated feature film based on the book. Matt Lopez had been hired to write the script, while Chris Meledandri and Deborah Forte would produce the film.[11] In July 2013, it was reported that Illumination had dropped the project.[12] Two months later, it was reported that the film was still in development at Universal and that there were negotiations to have David Bowers direct the film.[13] Like the 2011 film Hop, Clifford the Big Red Dog will be animated while the other characters would have been live-action.[13] On August 1, 2014, Universal scheduled the film for a release on April 8, 2016.[14] In the beginning of 2015, another Universal film took over the film's release date, The Boss.[15] On June 30, 2016, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Paramount Pictures had picked up the rights for the film. According to the report, "Forte decided to take the material in a new direction," and "Universal let the option lapse." It was further announced that Justin Malen was hired to write the screenplay.[16] On September 25, 2017, it was announced that Walt Becker would direct the film, replacing Bowers.[17] The film is now produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Paramount Animation.[18] On February 27, 2019, Paramount set the film for a November 13, 2020 release, taking over the slot for the cancelled live-action/CGI Rugrats film.[19] The film features child actress Darby Camp as Emily Elizabeth and Jack Whitehall as a new character, Uncle Casey, in their starring roles with Tony Hale as Zac Tieran, the main villain of the film.[20][21] On August 28, 2020, the film release was pushed back to November 5, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] On November 25, 2020, a 20-second teaser trailer from the feature film was released.[23] Then, on May 26, 2021, the film was rescheduled to be released on September 17, 2021, but the film was pulled from the release schedule due to the rise of the Delta variant.[24] Although it was surprisingly screened at CinemaCon on August 26, 2021,[25] it was later announced that the film would be released theatrically and digitally on Paramount+ on November 10, 2021.[26]

Video games

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Book series (2000)

  • Clifford's Reading
  • Clifford's Thinking Games

2000s TV series

  • Clifford's Learning Activities (2001)
  • Clifford's Musical Memory Games (2002)
  • Clifford's Phonics (2003)
  • Clifford's Big Puzzle Game (Wendy's Kids' Meal DVD game)

References

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

  1. ^ LLC, The H.E.L.P.-I.N.G. Group. "The Center for Learning, Inc. - CFL Clifford Visits September 19, 2015". www.cflinc.net. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  2. ^ "Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell | Scholastic.com". Scholastic Teachers. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  3. ^ McKinney, Amy (2017-03-14). "Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Smithsonian". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  4. ^ Macpherson, Karen (2009-10-31). "Books | Kids books: How 'Clifford, the Big Red Dog' started | Seattle Times Newspaper". Seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2010-08-10.
  5. ^ a b Noble, Barnes &. "Clifford the Big Red Dog". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  6. ^ a b "Clifford the Big Red Dog – Don Markstein's Toonopedia". Toonopedia.com. 2004-02-20. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
  7. ^ a b Fashingbauer Cooper, Gael (December 17, 2014). "Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog, dies at 86". Today. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Weber, Bruce (December 16, 2014). "Norman Bridwell, Creator of 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Books, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Two additional Clifford books, "Clifford Goes to Kindergarten" and "Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah," are scheduled for publication by Scholastic in 2015.
  9. ^ "Clifford The Big Red Dog returns in reboot". Kidscreen. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  10. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (Jun 4, 2019). "Scholastic's New 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Launches in December". animationmagazine. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (May 8, 2012). "Illumination and Universal Adapting 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  12. ^ Debruge, Peter (July 17, 2013). "Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Lines Up Originals for Universal". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2013. At the same time, Illumination has scrapped several planned movie ideas. "Waldo" and a Tim Burton-helmed, stop-motion "The Addams Family" are dead. The company abandoned a Woody Woodpecker pic, and couldn't crack "Clifford the Big Red bull."
  13. ^ a b Shaw, Lucas (September 13, 2013). "David Bowers in Talks to Direct 'Clifford the Big Red Dog'; Illumination Drops Off (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Clifford the Big Red Dog Movie is Coming in 2016". ComingSoon.net. August 1, 2014. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  15. ^ McNary, Dave (January 5, 2015). "Melissa McCarthy's 'Michelle Darnelle' to Replace 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' for April 8, 2016". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  16. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 30, 2016). "'Clifford The Big Red Dog' Movie Unleashed At Paramount With Scribe Justin Malen". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  17. ^ "7 Days of Deals", The Hollywood Reporter, 27 September 2017, page 30.
  18. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 29, 2018). "Reel FX Rehires Jared Mass As Company Aims To Ramp Up Original Content Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  19. ^ McClintock, Pamela (27 February 2019). "'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Movie Lands November 2020 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  20. ^ Kit, Borys (May 28, 2019). "Jack Whitehall, 'Big Little Lies' Actress to Star in 'Clifford, the Big Red Dog' Adaption (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. ^ Musnicky, Sarah (November 25, 2020). "[News] CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG - Get a First Look". Nightmarish Conjurings.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 29, 2020). "'Scream' Relaunch Eyes 2022 Release, 'Snake Eyes' Rolls To 2021 & More – Paramount Release Date Changes". Deadline. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  23. ^ "Clifford the Big Red Dog Makes His Live Action Teaser Trailer Debut". LRM. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 28, 2021). "Marvel Movies Move Around In 2023 As Disney Makes Release Date Changes". Deadline Hollywood.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (August 26, 2021). "'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Showing Up At Paramount CinemaCon Presentation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  26. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 23, 2021). "'Clifford the Big Red Dog' Returns to Q4 Release Schedule, Will Go Day & Date In Theaters & On Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
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