Clifford the Big Red Dog
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50 free Clifford the Big Red Dog trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Clifford the Big Red Dog has been knocking over fences and winning fans since 1963. What began as one painting of a girl and her enormous pet became a shelf of picture books, several animated series and two feature films, and generations of children have learned to read with him. This quiz covers the whole franchise: how the books came to be, Emily Elizabeth and her friends and neighbours, the dogs Clifford plays with, the voices behind the cartoons, the prequel about his puppy days, and the animated and live-action films. It is pitched for families and fans of any age. If you grew up with the books or the cartoon you should breeze through the early questions, while the later ones dig into casting and behind-the-scenes details.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which name did the author first choose for Clifford the Big Red Dog, before being talked out of it?
Tiny
Tiny was his first pick for the enormous dog. The original paintings date from 1962, a year before the first book came out.
Q 02The author of Clifford the Big Red Dog borrowed the name from the imaginary childhood friend of which person?
His wife
His wife had an imaginary friend called Clifford as a child, and she persuaded him that the name suited the giant dog better.
Q 03Clifford the Big Red Dog is the official mascot of which children's publisher, known for its school book fairs?
Scholastic
Scholastic published the first Clifford book in 1963, after other publishers had turned its creator's artwork down, and has published him ever since.
Q 04Which Three's Company star voiced Clifford in the 2000 TV series and in Clifford's Really Big Movie?
John Ritter
John Ritter earned four Daytime Emmy nominations as Clifford. He died in September 2003, and the 2004 film was dedicated to his memory.
Q 05Which of Clifford's best friends in the 2000 TV series is a hyperactive purple poodle owned by Mrs. Diller?
Cleo
Cleo spends most days out with Clifford rather than at home, and she strongly disliked baths until an episode devoted to changing her mind.
Q 06Which timid yellow bulldog, sensitive to loud noises, is one of Clifford's best friends in the 2000 TV series?
T-Bone
T-Bone belongs to the local sheriff but spends his days with Clifford, and he has a soft spot for a visiting poodle named Mimi.
Q 07In the Clifford the Big Red Dog books, what made the small red puppy grow to his giant size?
His owner's love
His owner's love did it: Emily Elizabeth cared for the sickly pup so much that he soon outgrew the family home.
Q 08Which American children's block, also home to Arthur, first aired the animated Clifford the Big Red Dog series in 2000?
PBS Kids
PBS Kids aired 65 episodes up to 2003, and reruns of the show stayed on its schedule until October 2022.
Q 09Which author and illustrator created Clifford the Big Red Dog in 1963 after publishers rejected his art portfolio?
Norman Bridwell
Norman Bridwell wrote the first story over a single weekend, after an editor told him his paintings would not sell without one.
Q 10Emily Elizabeth, the girl who owns Clifford the Big Red Dog, was named after which relative of the author?
His daughter
His daughter is the real Emily Elizabeth, a small child when he dreamed up Clifford to help pay the family's bills.
Q 11The portfolio painting that became Clifford the Big Red Dog showed a little girl with a giant dog of which breed?
Bloodhound
Bloodhound was the breed in the sample painting, which an editor singled out as the one picture that might hold a story.
Q 12As a boy, the creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog wished for a dog as big as which animal?
A horse
A horse was the size he had in mind, big enough to ride around on. Clifford ended up nearer the size of a house.
Q 13Before his growth spurt, Clifford the Big Red Dog held which position among the puppies in his litter?
The runt
The runt of the litter, Clifford seemed fated to stay small and sick. His mother, two brothers and two sisters are all normal-sized dogs.
Q 21What sets K.C., a beagle friend of Clifford in the 2000 TV series, apart from the other dogs?
Walks on three legs
He walks on three legs and is counted among Clifford's best friends. K.C. later becomes an assistance dog for an elderly woman.
Q 22Which neighbour of Emily Elizabeth in the 2000 Clifford TV series has a strong on-and-off dislike of dogs?
Mr. Bleakman
Mr. Bleakman, first name Horace, complains about Clifford often, though Mrs. Bleakman was the first neighbour to introduce herself.
Q 23Between the main tales of the 2000 Clifford TV series, Emily Elizabeth reads stories about which spotted puppy?
Speckle
Q 14Which Massachusetts island, the author's home for decades, inspired the setting of the 2000 Clifford TV series?
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard was the author's home from 1969, and he had spent his honeymoon there back in 1958.
Q 15Which surname, shared with the author's in-laws, did the TV adaptations give Clifford's owner Emily Elizabeth?
Howard
Howard arrived with the 2000 TV series, which also named her parents Caroline and Mark.
Q 16One of the last two Clifford books, finished shortly before the author died in 2014, celebrates which holiday?
Hanukkah
Hanukkah was the theme of a Clifford book scheduled for October 2015, following Clifford Goes to Kindergarten that May.
Q 17Besides Clifford the Big Red Dog, which 1965 picture book by the same author grew into a six-book series?
The Witch Next Door
The Witch Next Door was thrown together the night before a meeting with his editor, yet became one of his most popular books.
Q 18In the 2000 Clifford TV series, Emily Elizabeth's family left an apartment in which city before moving to an island?
New York
New York proved too cramped: Emily Elizabeth's mother decided a small apartment was no place for a dog of Clifford's size.
Q 19Mac, the snobby blue greyhound owned by Jetta in Clifford the Big Red Dog, has a name short for what?
Machiavelli
Machiavelli is the full name, revealed in only a few episodes. Much like his owner, he tends to be snobby towards his friends.
Q 20Charley, a friend of Emily Elizabeth in the 2000 Clifford TV series, lives with his father in which unusual home?
A houseboat
A houseboat is home for Charley and his father Samuel, who runs the fish and chips restaurant down on the pier.
Speckle is a yellow and brown puppy whose friends include a blue panda cub, a raccoon and a duck.
Q 24Which Good Burger star voiced the timid yellow bulldog who befriends Clifford in the 2000 TV series?
Kel Mitchell
Kel Mitchell, a Nickelodeon regular through the 1990s, reprised the role in the 2004 feature film.
Q 25Which voice actress, also Daphne in Scooby-Doo, played Emily Elizabeth in the 2000 Clifford the Big Red Dog series?
Grey DeLisle
Grey DeLisle also voiced Emily Elizabeth's mother, and returned for the prequel series and the 2004 film.
Q 26Which A Different World actress voiced the purple poodle who is Clifford's friend in the 2000 TV series?
Cree Summer
Cree Summer played both the poodle and the poodle's owner, Mrs. Diller, and came back for the 2004 film.
Q 27Which Malcolm in the Middle star voiced a Chihuahua sharing his first name in the 2000 Clifford TV series?
Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz played Frankie the Chihuahua while his sitcom was on air, one of several celebrity guest voices on the show.
Q 28Which Happy Days star won a Daytime Emmy for voicing Norville the bird in Clifford's Puppy Days?
Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler was nominated twice for the role and won in 2005, playing a bird who lives all on his own.
Q 29In Clifford's Puppy Days, what is the name of Emily Elizabeth's pet rabbit, treated as the puppy's big sister?
Daffodil
Daffodil is a Holland Lop whose fur changed mid-series, from pink in the first half to white in the second.
Q 30In Clifford's Puppy Days, the puppy's friend Jorge, owned by a girl named Nina, is which breed of dog?
Dachshund
Dachshund Jorge was renamed George for British viewers, when the series was redubbed with UK voice actors.