Clifford the Big Red Dog

Clifford the Big Red Dog is an enduring American children's book series. Written by Norman Bridwell, they helped establish Scholastic Books as a premier publishing company.

Related Topics:
Children's book - Norman Bridwell - Scholastic Books

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Clifford was the runt of the litter, and was chosen by city kid Emily Elizabeth Howard as her birthday present. No one expected Clifford to grow, but Emily Elizabeth's love for her 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 (an anagram of author Norman Bridwell).

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Scholastic Studios produced a successful television adaptation shown on PBS, aired from 2000 to 2003.

Related Topics:
Scholastic Studios - Television - PBS - 2000 - 2003

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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 only talked when people were not around.

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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 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. The version shown the UK featured voices of British actors.

Related Topics:
John Ritter - 8 Simple Rules - September 11 - 2003 - Clifford's Puppy Days

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