Clifford the Big Red Dog
 | |
| Author | Norman Bridwell |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children |
| Publisher | Scholastic Books |
| Published | 1963–present |
Clifford the Big Red Dog is an eponymously titled American children's book series about a big red dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell (1928–2014). The series helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company, 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 that big, but Emily's love for her tiny red puppy changed him dramatically. Before long, he had grown larger than the house, forcing the Howard family to leave the city and move to the open spaces of Birdwell Island. He met friends there, including Cleo, Mac, and T-Bone.
Characters
- Clifford: a male red dog whose appearance, disposition, and behavior are based on a giant "all-around" dog.[1] Clifford is shy, gentle, friendly, loyal, lovable, clumsy, well-meaning 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] He originally wanted to name him "Tiny", but his wife persuaded him otherwise.[3] 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[3] girl. She is frequently portrayed riding on his bareback. She is the best skater on the island, and is 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] 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
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clifford, the Big Red Dog | 1963 | |
| Clifford Gets a Job | 1965 | |
| Clifford Takes a Trip | 1966 | |
| Clifford's Halloween | 1966 | |
| Clifford's Tricks | 1969 | |
| Clifford, the Small Red Puppy | 1972 | |
| Clifford's Riddles | 1974 | |
| Clifford's Good Deeds | 1975 | |
| Clifford at the Circus | 1977 | |
| Clifford Goes to Hollywood | 1980 | Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford is a Star |
| Clifford's ABC | 1983 | |
| Clifford's Christmas | 1984 | |
| Clifford's Family | 1984 | |
| Clifford's Kitten | 1984 | |
| Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors | 1985 | |
| Clifford's Pals | 1985 | Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford's Best Pals |
| Clifford's Manners | 1987 | |
| Count on Clifford | 1987 | |
| Clifford's Birthday Party | 1988 | |
| Clifford's Puppy Days | 1989 | |
| Where is Clifford? | 1989 | |
| Clifford's Happy Days: A Pop-Up Book | 1990 | |
| Clifford's Word Book | 1990 | |
| Clifford, We Love You | 1991 | |
| Clifford's Animal Sounds | 1991 | |
| Clifford's Bathtime | 1991 | |
| Clifford's Bedtime | 1991 | |
| Clifford's Peekaboo | 1991 | |
| Clifford Counts Bubbles | 1992 | |
| Clifford Follows His Nose | 1992 | |
| Clifford's Happy Easter | 1992 | |
| Clifford's Noisy Day | 1992 | |
| Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit | 1993 | |
| Clifford I Love You | 1994 | Pop-Up |
| Clifford the Firehouse Dog | 1994 | |
| Clifford's First Christmas | 1994 | |
| Clifford and the Big Storm | 1995 | |
| Clifford's First Easter | 1995 | |
| Clifford's First Halloween | 1995 | |
| Clifford's Sports Day | 1996 | |
| Clifford's First Autumn | 1997 | |
| Clifford's Spring Clean-Up | 1997 | |
| Clifford's First Valentine's Day | 1997 | |
| Clifford's Peek-And-Seek Animal Riddles | 1997 | |
| Clifford and the Big Parade | 1998 | |
| Clifford Counts 1 2 3 | 1998 | |
| Clifford Makes a Friend | 1998 | |
| Clifford: Where is the Big Red Doggie? | 1998 | |
| Clifford's First Snow Day | 1998 | |
| Oops, Clifford! | 1998 | |
| Clifford and the Halloween Parade | 1999 | |
| Clifford Grows Up | 1999 | |
| Clifford Keeps Cool | 1999 | |
| Clifford's Best Friend: A Story about Emily Elizabeth | 1999 | |
| Clifford's Big Book of Things to Know | 1999 | |
| Clifford's First School Day | 1999 | |
| Clifford Barks! | 2000 | |
| Clifford to the Rescue | 2000 | |
| Clifford Visits the Hospital | 2000 | |
| Clifford's Opposites | 2000 | |
| Clifford's Schoolhouse | 2000 | |
| Clifford's Big Red Reader | 2001 | |
| Clifford's Furry Friends | 2001 | |
| Clifford's Happy Mother's Day | 2001 | |
| Clifford's Puppy Fun: A Lift-The-Flap Board Book With Stickers | 2001 | |
| Clifford's Valentines | 2001 | |
| Clifford Runs to Story Time | 2001 | |
| Clifford's Busy Week | 2002 | |
| Clifford Goes to Dog School | 2002 | |
| Clifford's Neighborhood: Lots to Learn All Around Town | 2002 | |
| Clifford Loves Me! | 2003 | |
| Clifford's Class Trip | 2003 | |
| Clifford's Day with Dad | 2003 | |
| Clifford's First Sleepover | 2004 | |
| Clifford Goes to Washington | 2005 | |
| Clifford's Puppy Days: Christmas Angel | 2005 | |
| Clifford the Champion | 2009 | |
| Clifford Makes the Team | 2011 | |
| Clifford Goes to Kindergarten | 2015 | [4] |
| Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah | 2015 | [4] |
Adaptations
Videos
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 and Emily Elizabeth was voiced by Alyson Court. Lorimar Productions released the video "Clifford's Sing Along Adventure" around the same time. Warner Home Video re-released it in the mid-1990s.
Television
Scholastic Studios produced a 65-episode television adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from September 2000 to February 2003. Clifford was voiced by actor, John Ritter, and Emily Elizabeth was voiced by Grey DeLisle. There was also a 39-episode prequel series that ran September 2003 to October 2004. During that time, a 76-minute film was released February 2004.
Live-action/animated film adaptation
In May 2012, it was reported that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment would 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 would produce the film.[5] In July 2013, it was reported that Illumination Entertainment had dropped the project.[6] Two months later, it was reported that the film was still in development at Universal Pictures and that David Bowers was in talks to direct the film.[7] Like the 2011 film Hop, the titular dog character will be animated while the other characters will be live-action.[7] On August 1, 2014, Universal Pictures scheduled the film for a release on April 8, 2016.[8] In the beginning of 2015, the film's release date was taken over by another Universal film, Michelle Darnell.[9]
Video games
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
References
^ Media and Culture, 5th ed., Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin and Bettina Fabos.
- 1 2 barnesandnoble.com
- 1 2 "Clifford the Big Red Dog – Don Markstein's Toonopedia". Toonopedia.com. 2004-02-20. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
- 1 2 Fashingbauer Cooper, Gael (December 17, 2014). "Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog, dies at 86". Today. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (May 8, 2012). "Illumination and Universal Adapting 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
- ↑ 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 a number of 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 Dog.”
- 1 2 Shaw, Lucas (September 13, 2013). "David Bowers in Talks to Direct ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’; Illumination Drops Off (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ "The Clifford the Big Red Dog Movie is Coming in 2016". ComingSoon.net. August 1, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
- ↑ 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.