| Clifford the Big Red Dog | |
|---|---|
 Clifford the Big Red Dog, as seen on the PBS Kids animated adaptation. |
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| 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 Alanna Ubach Nick Jameson Phil LaMarr Edie McClurg Haunani Minn Tony Plana Rob Paulsen Frank Welker Brent Titcomb (1988 video tapes) Alyson Court (1988 video tapes) |
| Country of origin |  Canada (1988 Video Series) United States (2000 Series) |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Nelvana (VHS Tape series) Scholastic Corporation (Both Series) |
| Running time | 22 minutes (11 minutes per segment) (approx. per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | PBS Kids (USA) Treehouse TV (Canada) |
| Original run | September 4, 2000 – February 25, 2003 |
Clifford the Big Red Dog is an enduring American children's book series first published in 1963. 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 (7.6 m) 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 is currently in re-runs as part of Miss Lori and Hooper's lineup, as well as in other time-slots on some PBS affiliates. In 1988, A Canadian Animation Company, Nelvana produced a series of Clifford educational videos, and in the early 1990s, Warner Bros. released a Clifford video that mixes live action with animation.
Clifford The Big Red Dog was one of many 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 are anthromorphic, but talked only when humans were not present; otherwise, they only barked.
Veteran actor John Ritter voiced Clifford in all episodes, this was originally done by Brent Titcomb in the 1988 and the early 1990s. 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 September 11, 2003, came just days after PBS debuted Clifford's Puppy Days, a function of keeping Clifford's legacy going.
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Foreign adaptations
Like most cartoons produced in the United States but exported to Britain, the series was revoiced using British actors and vice versa like most cartoons produced in Great Britain but exported to the USA are revoiced using American accents. On its telecasts on the BBC, the voice of Clifford was done by Stephanie Gonzalez. In October 2009 the italian local television network Antenna Tre Nord Est aired a revoiced version using Venetian dialect with educational purpose.
The characters
The animals
- Clifford: Male red dog, whose appearance, disposition, and behavior are based on a giant Vizsla.[1][2][3] Friendly, outgoing and helpful. He sometimes gets into trouble because of his size or is tempted into trouble by his friends and those he meets. Clifford's size, like giants in medieval legends, is inconsistent -- he is often shown as being about 15' 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 is based on the imaginary friend of creator Norman Bridwell's wife. [4] Clifford's human is, of course, Emily Elizabeth, to whom he is devoted. Voiced by the late John Ritter.
- Cleo: Female poodle. Energetic, selfish, puts herself "out there"troublemaker who sometimes doesn't tell the truth, but remains loyal to her friends. She can sometimes say "Have I ever steered you wrong?". In make-believe games with Clifford and T-Bone, she portrays "the evil Fluffy-Face." One of Clifford's best friends. Her human is Mrs. Diller. Voiced by Cree Summer.
- T-Bone: Male bulldog with a large appetite. He is often shy and cautious, but likes to pretend he is Super T-Bone, a caped hero. He is one of Clifford's best friends. His human is Sherriff Lewis. Voiced by Kel Mitchell.
- Hamburger: T-Bone's old friend, who left the island just before Clifford arrived. Voiced by Kenan Thompson.
- K.C: A three-legged dog trained to assist Mrs. Young (his human's mother). His human is Bruno. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
- Machiavelli "Mac": Greyhound with an inflated sense of his own importance, who shifts between aloofness and wanting to be part of Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo's circle of friends. Mac competes in dog shows. His human is Jetta. Voiced by Cam Clarke.
- Mimi: Female spaniel who sometimes visits the island and 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.
- Artie: A dog who dares Clifford to do bad things but soon plays his way. Also an occasional visitor to the island. Voiced by Henry Winkler.
The children
- Emily Elizabeth Howard: Clifford's human friend. A friendly, curious, and helpful eight year-old girl. The best skater on the island, and also very good at soccer. Emily was named for creator Norman Bridwell's daughter and based on the imaginary adventures of Bridwell's wife.[4] Voiced by Grey DeLisle.
- Charley: Emily Elizabeth's 9-year-old Jamaican best friend and the best soccer player on the Birdwell Birds (the school soccer team). He lives on a houseboat with his father, who owns a restaurant. Voiced by Alanna Ubach.
- Jetta: Mac's human. Wealthy, self-centered, friend of Emily Elizabeth who is often oblivious to others' feelings. She is often shown leading parades and competing in talent shoes as a majorette. She often claims her accomplishments are bigger or better than others', and is also very skeptical of others' plans, and when it turns out that they prove her wrong, she gets shocked. Her mother owns one of the island stores and seems somewhat oblivious to Jetta's behavior. She has an infant brother named Cosmo first seen in Baby Makes Four. Jetta is voiced by Kath Soucie; Cosmo is voiced by Debi Derryberry.
- Vaz: A very clumsy, shy, and unlucky boy who is friends with Emily Elizabeth and Charley. 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.
- Deputy Brown: Hamburger's owner who left the island shortly before Clifford arrived.
- Mrs. Diller: Cleo's human. She gets seasick in T-Bone, Dog About Town (Episode #23)
- Horace and Violet Bleakman: The Howards' neighbors. Mr. Bleakman is often grumpy about the noise or mess Clifford inadvertently causes. He can sometimes call Clifford a "King Sized Canine". He has a niece named Courtney Amber, a pop star (voiced by Susanna Hoffs). In 'The Dog Park' he hates dogs but mostly Clifford. So he put up a no dogs allowed sign which makes everyone sad. Violet tells Horace that no one is in the park because of him.So Horace changes the rule. 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. Debbie 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. Melissa Disney.
Episodes
Funding
- Ready To Learn Television Cooperate Agreement (2000-2003)
- United States Department of Education (2000-2003)
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2000-present)
- "Viewers Like You" (2000-present)
- Kix cereal (2000-2002)
- Milton Bradley (2002)
- Chuck E. Cheese's (2001-present)
- Lipton Noodle Soup (2002-2005)
- Danimals Yogurt (2003-2007)
- Rainforest Cafe (2009-present)
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, only available for a limited time)
See also
References
^ Media and Culture, 5th ed., Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin and Bettina Fabos.
- ^ Dog DNA, http://www.dog-dna.com/breeds/Vizsla.php, retrieved 2009-07-10
- ^ 10Facts.com, http://www.10facts.com/article/Home/Pets/Dogs/Vizsla.html, retrieved 2009-07-10
- ^ Reference.com, http://www.reference.com/browse/Viszla, retrieved 2009-07-10
- ^ a b Clifford the Big Red Dog - Don Markstein's Toonopedia
External links
- Official site of book series
- Official site of television series
- Clifford the Big Red Dog at TV.com
- Good article about Clifford's creation
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