Clifford (character)

Clifford
Clifford the Big Red Dog character
The original 1963 cover of Clifford the Big Red Dog[1]
First appearance	Clifford the Big Red Dog (1963, Book Debut)
Portrayed by	John Ritter (2000–2004) Brent Titcomb (1988) Lara Jill Miller (Clifford's Puppy Days) TBA (2019-present, reboot series)
Information
Species	Dog
Gender	Male

Clifford is the main protagonist of the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series, written by Norman Bridwell, and originally published in 1963,^[2] and the television series of the same name,^[3] which is based upon it, and ran from 2000-2003.^[4]

Character profile

Clifford is a giant, friendly red dog who is owned by a young girl named Emily Elizabeth. The book of his debut, as narrated by his owner, detailed Clifford's versatility, great helpfulness, and his friendship with his friends, albeit as the books progressed they detailed his many experiences with Emily Elizabeth and adventures (such as gaining temporary celebrity status in one book) and the endless benefits presented by Clifford's unusual size and gentleness, or the occasional disadvantages at some points. Clifford's infancy is occasionally mentioned and depicted in a few books, in which he appears as a regular-sized, small puppy, albeit it has been mentioned that he later grew to tremendous proportions.

Albeit in the series of picture books, Clifford is depicted as a regular, semi-humanized dog aside from his size, in the animated series adapted from the books, he is gifted with extra anthropomorphism, and capabilities of speech when conversing with other dogs. Several other characters were introduced for purposes in the series only, particularly Clifford's canine companions and their owners, most notably his two best friends; a flamboyant, stylish lavender purple poodle named Cleo (voiced by Cree Summer) and pudgy yellow bull terrier named T-Bone (voiced by Kel Mitchell). Other characters include a prideful sky blue greyhound named Mac and K.C., a three-legged beagle (both voiced by Cam Clarke). As opposed to detailing Clifford's experiences with humans or describing his escapades from a human's viewpoint, the episodes of the television program further explore Clifford's own viewpoint (as well as those of his canine acquaintances) and educational morals learned through their experiences, with the help of the capabilities presented by their ability to speak and conversations together. After this series ended its run, a new series was spun off entitled Clifford's Puppy Days, chronicling Clifford's youth as a tiny puppy before his family's relocation to Bridwell Island, the setting of the original animated program. Here, new characters are presented that appeared neither in the original storybooks nor the other series, such as Emily Elizabeth's neighbors and local animals and pets acquainted with Clifford during his babyhood. Such characters include Jorge, a Spanish dachshund owned by Emily's friend Nina (played by Masiela Lusha), Daffodil, a pink pet rabbit owned by Clifford's family, Norville, a bird (voiced by Henry Winkler), among others.

References