![]() Cover of Clifford the Big Red Dog (1963) | |
Author | Norman Bridwell |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Genre | Children |
Publisher | Scholastic |
Published | 1963–2015 |
Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series and media franchise focusing on the adventures of an 8-year-old blonde-haired girl named Emily Elizabeth and her titular pet: a gigantic, love-filled, red-furred dog named Clifford. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell. [1] There are 91 books in the series, with the final two released posthumously after Bridwell's death in 2014. [2] The premise has been adapted into animation, video games, stage productions, and live-action, [2] with Clifford the Big Red Dog the most recent as of 2025. Clifford is the official mascot of Scholastic Corporation. [3]
The character was inspired by author Norman Bridwell's childhood desire to own a dog the size of a horse. [4] In 1962, Bridwell included paintings of what would become Clifford the Big Red Dog (who was named ‘Tiny’ at the time) in a portfolio of children's literature illustrations. In the process of showcasing his portfolio for publishing houses, Susan Hirschman at Harper & Row suggested Bridwell turned his drawings into a children's story. Bridwell then developed a story around the dog and his owner, which he would eventually submit to Scholastic. His wife suggested the name "Clifford" after her imaginary friend from her childhood, and Emily Elizabeth was named after Bridwell's daughter. The first book in the series was originally published by Scholastic in 1963. [5]
Title | Year | Notes |
---|---|---|
1. Clifford, the Big Red Dog | 1963 | The first ten Clifford books were given re-colored illustrations in 1985[ citation needed ] |
2. Clifford Gets a Job | 1965 | |
3. Clifford Takes a Trip | 1966 | |
4. Clifford's Halloween | 1966 | |
5. Clifford's Tricks | 1969 | |
6. Clifford, the Small Red Puppy | 1972 | |
7. Clifford's Riddles | 1974 | |
8. Clifford's Good Deeds | 1975 | |
9. Clifford at the Circus | 1977 | |
10. Clifford Goes to Hollywood | 1980 | Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford Is a Star |
11. Clifford's ABC | 1983 | |
12. Clifford's Christmas | 1984 | |
13. Clifford's Family | 1984 | |
14. Clifford's Kitten | 1984 | |
15. Clifford and the Grouchy Neighbors | 1985 | |
16. Clifford's Pals | 1985 | Reissued in 2010 under the title: Clifford's Best Pals |
17. Clifford's Manners | 1987 | |
18. Count on Clifford | 1987 | |
19. Clifford's Birthday Party | 1988 | |
20. Clifford's Puppy Days | 1989 | |
21. Where Is Clifford? | 1989 | |
22. Clifford's Happy Days: A Pop-Up Book | 1990 | Pop-up book |
23. Clifford's Word Book | 1990 | |
24. Clifford, We Love You | 1991 | |
25. Clifford's Animal Sounds | 1991 | |
26. Clifford's Bathtime | 1991 | |
27. Clifford's Bedtime | 1991 | |
28. Clifford's Peekaboo | 1991 | |
29. Clifford Counts Bubbles | 1992 | |
30. Clifford Follows His Nose | 1992 | |
31. Clifford's Happy Easter | 1992 | |
32. Clifford's Noisy Day | 1992 | |
33. Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit | 1993 | |
34. Clifford, I Love You | 1994 | Pop-up book |
35. Clifford the Firehouse Dog | 1994 | |
36. Clifford's First Christmas | 1994 | |
37. Clifford and the Big Storm | 1995 | |
38. Clifford's First Easter | 1995 | |
39. Clifford's First Halloween | 1995 | |
40. Clifford's Sports Day | 1996 | |
41. Clifford's First Autumn | 1997 | |
42. Clifford's Spring Clean-Up | 1997 | |
43. Clifford's First Valentine's Day | 1997 | |
44. Clifford's Peek-And-Seek Animal Riddles | 1997 | |
45. Clifford and the Big Parade | 1998 | |
46. Clifford Keeps Cool | 1998 | |
47. Clifford Counts 1 2 3 | 1998 | |
48. Clifford Makes a Friend | 1998 | |
49. Clifford: Where Is the Big Red Doggie? | 1998 | |
50. Clifford's First Snow Day | 1998 | |
51. Oops, Clifford! | 1998 | |
52. Clifford and the Halloween Parade | 1999 | |
53. Clifford Grows Up | 1999 | |
54. Clifford's Best Friend: A Story about Emily Elizabeth | 1999 | |
55. Clifford's Big Book of Things to Know | 1999 | |
56. Clifford's First School Day | 1999 | |
57. Clifford Barks! | 2000 | |
58. Clifford to the Rescue | 2000 | |
59. Clifford Visits the Hospital | 2000 | |
60. Clifford's Opposites | 2000 | |
61. Clifford's Schoolhouse | 2000 | |
62. Clifford's Big Red Reader | 2001 | |
63. Clifford's Furry Friends | 2001 | |
64. Clifford's Happy Mother's Day | 2001 | |
65. Clifford's Puppy Fun: A Lift-the-Flap Board Book with Stickers | 2001 | |
66. Clifford's Valentines | 2001 | |
67. Clifford Runs to Story Time | 2001 | |
68. Clifford and the Bath | 2002 | |
69. Clifford's Busy Week | 2002 | |
70. Clifford Goes to Dog School | 2002 | |
71. Clifford's Neighborhood: Lots to Learn All Around Town | 2002 | |
72. Clifford the Weather Dog | 2002 | |
73. A Little Book About Red | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
74. Cleo's Fudge Cakes | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
75. Clifford and the Squirrel | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
76. Clifford Loves Me! | 2003 | |
77. Clifford's Class Trip | 2003 | |
78. Clifford's Day with Dad | 2003 | |
79. Emily Elizabeth Can't Trade | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
80. Get That Lunch Box | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
81. Good Sports | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
82. Jumping in Puddles | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
83. Mac the Knight | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
84. The Singing Birds' Show | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
85. Spring Is in the Air | 2003 | Phonics Reading Program |
86. Clifford's First Sleepover | 2004 | |
87. Clifford Goes to Washington | 2005 | |
88. Clifford's Puppy Days: Christmas Angel | 2005 | |
89. Clifford the Champion | 2009 | |
90. Clifford Makes the Team | 2011 | |
91. Clifford Goes to Kindergarten | 2015 | Published posthumously [9] |
92. Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah | 2015 | Published posthumously [9] |
Karl-Lorimar Home Video released the video Clifford's Sing Along Adventure in 1986, starring Arthur Howard and theatrical actress Jan Neuberger. Warner Home Video re-released it in the mid-1990s.
In July 1988, Scholastic Studios, Nelvana Limited, and Family Home Entertainment released Clifford's Fun with... , [c] an educational direct-to-video animated series. Six episodes were produced, focusing on fundamental concepts learned by young children: "The ABC Message Service" (letters), "Clifford's Birthday Surprise" (numbers), "The Scavenger Hunt" (shapes and colors), "The Rhyme Cat Rescue" (rhyming), "Clifford Goes to Hollywood" (sounds), and "The Pet Show" (opposites). Musician Brent Titcomb was the voice of Clifford, and actress Alyson Court was the voice of Emily Elizabeth.
Scholastic Media produced a 65-episode adaptation shown on PBS Kids, which aired from September 2000 to February 2003. Clifford was voiced by John Ritter, and Emily Elizabeth was voiced by Grey DeLisle. There was also a 39-episode prequel series that took place during Clifford's puppyhood, broadcast in the same period three years later, with Lara Jill Miller as the voice of young Clifford. During that time, a theatrical film was released in February 2004 and served as the series finale, as there were not any new episodes released after John Ritter's death. However, a new series was released on December 6, 2019 for Amazon Prime Video and December 7, 2019 on PBS Kids with Adam Sanders and Hannah Levinson as the new voices of Clifford and Emily Elizabeth respectively. [10] [11] They are returning on CBC Kids and CBBC and TG4.
In May 2012, it was reported that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment would make a live-action/CGI 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. [12] In July 2013, it was reported that Illumination had dropped the project. [13] Two months later, it was reported that the film was still in development at Universal and that there were negotiations to have David Bowers direct the film. [14]
On August 1, 2014, Universal scheduled the film for a release on April 8, 2016, [15] later to be delayed and its release date given to The Boss . [16] On June 30, 2016, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Paramount Pictures had picked up the rights for the film and the Universal iteration cancelled. According to the report, "Forte decided to take the material in a new direction," and "Universal let the option lapse." It was further announced that Justin Malen was hired to write the screenplay. [17]
On September 25, 2017, it was announced that Walt Becker would direct the revived project, replacing Bowers. [18] The Paramount iteration, which would eventually turn into the finalized film, was produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Paramount Animation. [19]
On February 27, 2019, Paramount announced the film for a November 13, 2020 release, taking over the slot for the cancelled live-action/CGI Rugrats film. [20] The film features child actress Darby Camp as Emily Elizabeth and Jack Whitehall as a new character, Uncle Casey, in their starring roles with Tony Hale as Zac Tieran, the main villain of the film. [21] [22] On August 28, 2020, the film release was pushed back to November 5, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, [23] with a 20-second teaser trailer released in November that year. [24] The film was subsequently rescheduled to be released on September 17, 2021, but was again delayed due to concerns regarding the rise of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. [25] The film premiered as a part of Paramount's Upcoming Slate Presentation at CinemaCon on August 26, 2021; [26] it was later announced that the film would be released theatrically and digitally on Paramount+ on November 10, 2021. [27]
Book series (2000)
2000s TV series
Two additional Clifford books, "Clifford Goes to Kindergarten" and "Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah," are scheduled for publication by Scholastic in 2015.
At the same time, Illumination has scrapped several 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 bull."