Clifford (character)

Clifford is a protagonist of the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series, written by Norman Bridwell, and originally published in 1963,^[1] and the television series of the same name,^[2] which is based upon it, and ran from 2000-2003.^[3]

Character profile

Clifford is depicted as being a giant, friendly red dog owned by a young girl named Emily Elizabeth. The book of his debut, as narrated by his owner, detailed Clifford's versatility, great helpfulness, and his friendship with his pet, albeit as the books progressed they detailed his many experiences with Emily Elizabeth and adventures (such as gaining temporary celebrity status in one book) and the endless benefits presented by Clifford's unusual size and gentleness, or the occasional disadvantages at some points. Clifford's infancy is occasionally mentioned and depicted in a few books, in which he appears as a regular-sized, small puppy, albeit it has been mentioned that he later grew to tremendous proportions.

Albeit in the series of picture books, Clifford is depicted as a regular, semi-humanized dog aside from his size, in the animated series adapted from the books, he is gifted with extra anthropomorphism, and capabilities of speech when conversing with other dogs. Several other characters were introduced for purposes in the series only, particularly Clifford's canine companions and their owners, most notably his two best friends; a flamboyant, stylish lavender purple poodle named Cleo (voiced by Cree Summer) and pudgy yellow bull terrier named T-Bone (voiced by Kel Mitchell). Other characters include a prideful sky blue greyhound named Mac and K.C., a three-legged beagle (played by Cam Clarke). As opposed to detailing Clifford's experiences with humans or describing her escapades from a human's viewpoint, the episodes of the television program further explore Clifford's own viewpoint (as well as those of his canine acquaintances) and educational morals learned through their experiences, with the help of the capabilities presented by their ability to speak and conversations together. After this series ended its run, a new series was spun off entitled 'Clifford's Puppy Days', chronicling Clifford's youth as a tiny puppy before his family's relocation to Bridwell Island, the setting of the original animated program. Here, new characters are presented that appeared neither in the original storybooks nor the other series, such as Emily Elizabeth's neighbors and local animals and pets acquainted with Clifford during his babyhood. Such characters include Jorge, a Spanish dachshund owned by Emily Elizabeth's friend Nina (played by Masiela Lusha), Daffodil, a pink pet rabbit owned by Clifford's family, Norville, a bird (voiced by Henry Winkler), among others.

References

1. ↑ 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. 
2. ↑ "Clifford the Big Red Dog on". Tv.com. 2007-07-26. Retrieved 2010-08-10. 
3. ↑ "Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Internet Movie Data Base". Imdb.com. Retrieved 14 August 2010.