Clifford the Big Red Dog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clifford The Big Red Dog

Clifford The Big Red Dog, as seen on the PBS Kids animated adaptation.
Format Animated television series
Created by Norman Bridwell (characters)
Starring John 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 (1980s video tapes)
Alyson Court (1980s video tapes)
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
No. of episodes 65
Production
Running time 22 minutes (11 minutes per segment) (approx. per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel PBS
Original run September 4, 2000February 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 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 still reruns currently as part of Miss Lori and Hooper's lineup, as well as in other time-slots on some PBS affiliates. In 1988, Nelvana produced a series of Clifford educational videos, and in the early 90s, 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 and devoted family man John Ritter was the voice of Clifford. 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 the set of 8 Simple Rules on September 11, 2003, came just days after PBS debuted Clifford's Puppy Days, a function of keeping Clifford's legacy going.

Contents

[edit] Foreign adaptations

Like most cartoons produced in the United States but exported to Britain, the series was revoiced using British actors. On its telecasts on the BBC, the voice of Clifford was done by Tom Eastwood.

[edit] The Characters

The Pets

  • Clifford The Big Red Dog: Male red dog, based on a giant Vizsla. [1] Friendly, outgoing and helpful. Sometimes gets into trouble because of his size. The character is based by the imaginary friend of creator Norman Bridwell's wife. [2] Voiced by John Ritter.
  • Cleo: Female poodle. Energetic, selfish, troublemaker who sometimes doesn't tell the truth. One of Clifford's best friends. Voiced by Cree Summer.
  • T-Bone: Male bulldog with a large appetite. He is often shy and cautious. He is one of Clifford's best friends. Voiced by Kel Mitchell.
  • K.C: A three-legged dog trained to assist Mrs. Young (his human's mother). Voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • Mac (Machiavelli): Greyhound with an inflated sense of his own importance. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
  • Mimi: Female spaniel 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.

The Children

  • Emily Elizabeth Howard: Clifford's human friend. A friendly, curious, and helpful, eight-year-old girl. The best skater on the island. 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. Voiced by Gary LeRoi Gray.
  • Jetta: Mac's human. Wealthy, self-centered, friend of Emily Elizabeth who is often oblivious to others' feelings. Often claims her accomplishments are bigger or better than others'. 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. 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.
  • Mrs. Diller: Cleo's human.
  • 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.
Clifford The Big Red Dog with Laura Bush and many children at the White House Easter Egg Roll, 2007.

[edit] Funding

Funding for Clifford The Big Red Dog is provided by

[edit] 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)

[edit] See also

[edit] 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

[edit] External links