Clifford the Big Red Dog (book series)

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series. The show is about a giant red dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963. It was written by Norman Bridwell. Clifford is Scholastic's official mascot.

 Characters 
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 Clifford: A 2-year-old male red dog whose appearance, disposition and behavior are based on a giant dog. 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 creator Norman Bridwell's wife, Norma Bridwell. Bridwell originally wanted to name the dog "Tiny". His wife persuaded him that "Clifford" was better. Clifford's pet owner is Emily Elizabeth. Clifford has a mother, two brothers, and two sisters, all 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.
 Emily Elizabeth: Clifford's owner and human friend, an 8-year-old girl. 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. 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 her out as a Christmas present.

 List of books 
TitleYearNotes1. Clifford, the Big Red Dog19632. Clifford Gets a Job19653. Clifford Takes a Trip19664. Clifford's Halloween19665. Clifford's Tricks19696. Clifford, the Small Red Puppy19727. Clifford's Riddles19748. Clifford's Good Deeds19759. Clifford at the Circus197710. Clifford Goes to Hollywood1980Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford is a Star11. Clifford's ABC198312. Clifford's Christmas198413. Clifford's Family198414. Clifford's Kitten198415. Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors198516. Clifford's Pals1985Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford's Best Pals17. Clifford's Manners198718. Count on Clifford198719. Clifford's Birthday Party198820. Clifford's Puppy Days198921. Where is Clifford?198922. Clifford's Happy Days: A Pop-Up Book1990Pop-up book23. Clifford's Word Book199024. Clifford, We Love You199125. Clifford's Animal Sounds199126. Clifford's Bathtime199127. Clifford's Bedtime199128. Clifford's Peekaboo199129. Clifford Counts Bubbles199230. Clifford Follows His Nose199231. Clifford's Happy Easter199232. Clifford's Noisy Day199233. Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit199334. Clifford, I Love You1994Pop-up book35. Clifford the Firehouse Dog199436. Clifford's First Christmas199437. Clifford and the Big Storm199538. Clifford's First Easter199539. Clifford's First Halloween199540. Clifford's Sports Day199641. Clifford's First Autumn199742. Clifford's Spring Clean-Up199743. Clifford's First Valentine's Day199744. Clifford's Peek-And-Seek Animal Riddles199745. Clifford and the Big Parade199846. Clifford Keeps Cool199847. Clifford Counts 1 2 3199848. Clifford Makes a Friend199849. Clifford: Where is the Big Red Doggie?199850. Clifford's First Snow Day199851. Oops, Clifford!199852. Clifford and the Halloween Parade199953. Clifford Grows Up199954. Clifford's Best Friend: A Story about Emily Elizabeth199955. Clifford's Big Book of Things to Know199956. Clifford's First School Day199957. Clifford Barks!200058. Clifford to the Rescue200059. Clifford Visits the Hospital200060. Clifford's Opposites200061. Clifford's Schoolhouse200062. Clifford's Big Red Reader200163. Clifford's Furry Friends200164. Clifford's Happy Mother's Day200165. Clifford's Puppy Fun: A Lift-The-Flap Board Book With Stickers200166. Clifford's Valentines200167. Clifford Runs to Story Time200168. Clifford's Busy Week200269. Clifford Goes to Dog School200270. Clifford's Neighborhood: Lots to Learn All Around Town200271. Clifford Loves Me!200372. Clifford's Class Trip200373. Clifford's Day with Dad200374. Clifford's First Sleepover200475. Clifford Goes to Washington200576. Clifford's Puppy Days: Christmas Angel200577. Clifford the Champion200978. Clifford Makes the Team201179. Clifford Goes to Kindergarten201580. Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah2015

 Adaptations 

 Videos 
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, Film Roman, Nelvana Limited, TMS Entertainment, Wang Film Productions, 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 

Scholastic Media produced a 65-episode adaptation shown on PBS Kids. It aired from September 1, 2000 to February 25, 2002. Clifford was voiced by John Ritter. Emily Elizabeth was voiced by Grey DeLisle. There was also a 39-episode prequel series that took place during Clifford's puppyhood. It aired from September 2003 to February 2006. Lara Jill Miller was the voice of Young Clifford. During that time, a movie released in theaters served as the show's finale. It was released in February 2004. No new episodes were released after John Ritter's death. In December 2019, a new series was released. It premiered on December 6, 2019 for Amazon Prime Video and December 7, 2019 on PBS Kids. Adam Sanders voices Clifford and Hannah Levinson voices Emily Elizabeth. 

Category:Books about dogs
Category:Clifford the Big Red Dog