Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an American children's book series and media franchise focusing on the adventures of 8-year-old Emily Elizabeth and her titular, gigantic, love-filled, red-furred pet dog. It was first published in 1963 and was written by Norman Bridwell. There are 91 books in the series, with the final two released posthumously after Bridwell's death in 2014. The premise has been adapted into animation, video games, stage productions, and live-action, with the 2021 film being the most recent as of 2026. Clifford is the official mascot of Scholastic Corporation.

Concept and creation The character was inspired by author Norman Bridwell's childhood desire to own a dog the size of a horse. In 1962, Bridwell included paintings of what would become Clifford the Big Red Dog (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.

Characters

Clifford is a male red dog whose appearance, disposition and behavior are based on that of a giant dog. The depiction of Clifford's size is inconsistent. The character's name is based on the imaginary childhood friend of Norman Bridwell's wife, Norma Bridwell. Bridwell originally wanted to name the dog "Tiny", but 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 of whom are 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 is an 8-year-old girl with blond hair. She is Clifford's owner and human friend, frequently portrayed riding him like a horse. She was named after 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 him out as a Christmas present.

List of books

Title Year Notes 1. Clifford, the Big Red Dog 1963 The first ten Clifford books were given re-colored illustrations in 1985. The original book is in the public domain in the United States as its copyright was not renewed. However, Clifford's name and some likenesses are still trademarked by Norman Bridwell's estate. The trademark on Emily expired in 2022. 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 Bath2002 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 Red2003Phonics Reading Program74. Cleo's Fudge Cakes2003Phonics Reading Program75. Clifford and the Squirrel2003Phonics 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 Trade2003Phonics Reading Program80. Get That Lunch Box2003Phonics Reading Program81. Good Sports 2003Phonics Reading Program82. Jumping in Puddles2003Phonics Reading Program83. Mac the Knight2003Phonics Reading Program84. The Singing Birds' Show2003Phonics Reading Program85. Spring Is in the Air2003Phonics 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 92. Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah 2015 Published posthumously

Adaptations

Videos 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..., 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.

Television

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 from September 2003 to February 2006, with Lara Jill Miller as the voice of young Clifford.

A new series was released on December 6, 2019, for Amazon Prime Video and the next day on PBS Kids. Produced by 9 Story Media Group and Brown Bag Films, it stars Adam Sanders and Hannah Levinson as the new voices of Clifford and Emily Elizabeth, respectively. It aired on CBC Kids in Canada, and Sky Kids in the United Kingdom. On May 6, 2026, another Clifford series was revealed, with 9 Story and Brown Bag Films returning to produce the series. It is set to air on PBS Kids in 2027.

Films

2004 film

During the 2000 series' run, a theatrical film was released in February 2004, serving as the series finale, as there were no new episodes released after John Ritter's death the year prior.

Unproduced Universal-Illumination version 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. In July 2013, it was reported that Illumination had dropped the project. 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.

On August 1, 2014, Universal scheduled the film for a release on April 8, 2016, later to be delayed and its release date given to The Boss. 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.

On September 25, 2017, it was announced that Walt Becker would direct the revived project, replacing Bowers."7 Days of Deals", The Hollywood Reporter, 27 September 2017, page 30. The Paramount iteration, which would eventually turn into the finalized film, was produced by Scholastic Entertainment and Paramount Animation.

2021 Paramount film

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. 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. On August 28, 2020, the film release was pushed back to November 5, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 20-second teaser trailer released in November that year. 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. The film premiered as a part of Paramount's Upcoming Slate Presentation at CinemaCon on August 26, 2021; the film later released theatrically and digitally on Paramount+ on November 10, 2021.

Video games

Book series (2000) Clifford's Reading Clifford's Thinking Games

2000s TV series

Clifford's Learning Activities (2001) Clifford's Musical Memory Games (2002) Clifford's Phonics (2003) Clifford's Big Puzzle Game (Wendy's Kids' Meal DVD game)

Stage musical

On March 19, 2026, it was announced that TheaterWorksUSA was optioned the rights by Scholastic to make a stage musical adaptation, called Clifford the Big Red Dog: The Musical. The score and lyrics are composed by Sam Tsui and Casey Breves, the book is written by Matt Hoverman, puppetry is directed by Ash Winkfield, and Laura Brandel is the director and choreographer. A preview tour began in May 2026, beginning with The Kupferberg Center of the Arts in Queens, New York on May 19.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

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