| 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 Kath Soucie Frank Welker Brent Titcomb (1980s video tapes) Alyson Court (1980s video tapes) |
| Country of origin |  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, 2000 – February 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 kid named Emily Elizabeth Howard as her birthday present. No one expected Clifford to grow, but Emily Elizabeth's love for her Red Dog 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. Prior to that, 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 |
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.
Voice actors and The Characters
- John Ritter - Clifford The Big Red Dog
- Grey DeLisle - Emily Elizabeth Howard, Soccer Team Announcer, Ad Announcer
- Cree Summer - Cleo
- Kel Mitchell - T-Bone
- Cam Clarke - Machiavelli, Mr. Mark Howard, Ad Announcer, K.C.
- Earl Boen - Mr. Horace Bleakman, Ned Graham, James Carty
- Terrence 'T.C.' Carson - Samuel (Charley's Father)
- Ulises Cuadra - Vaz
- Gary LeRoi Gray - Charley
- Nick Jameson - Sheriff Lewis
- Phil LaMarr - Al the Brown Dog, Announcer Man on End
- Edie McClurg - Mrs. Violet Bleakman
- Haunani Minn - Dr. Dihn
- Tony Plana - Victor & Pedro
- Kath Soucie - Jetta, Jetta's Mother, Vaz's Mother, Mrs. Caroline Howard, Vendor Lady
- Frank Welker - Boomer, Gordo & Rex
- Brent Titcomb - Clifford The Big Red Dog (1980s video tapes)
- Alyson Court - Emily Elizabeth Howard (1980s video tapes)
Funding
Funding for Clifford The Big Red Dog is provided by
- Ready To Learn (2000-2004)
- United States Department of Education (2000-2004)
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting (2000-2004)
- Contributions to your PBS stations from Viewers Like You (2000-2004)
- Kix cereal (2000-2003)
- Milton Bradley board games (2002)
- Chuck E. Cheese's (2001-Present)
- Lipton Noodle Soup (2003-2004)
- Danimals Yogurt (2000-2005)
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)
See also
References
^ Media and Culture, 5th ed., Richard Campbell, Christopher R. Martin and Bettina Fabos.
