Sad news reached us today at Scholastic. It's with heavy hearts that we report the passing of Norman Bridwell, author/illustrator of the Clifford the Big Red Dog® series. Those of us who had a chance to meet Norman remember him as a warm and generous person. His beloved character Clifford is ubiquitous in our offices—his friendly visage greets employees every morning as they enter our headquarters. And when people mention Scholastic, most immediately think of Clifford.
Today we're honoring his incredible life and legacy.
Bridwell created the character of Clifford in 1963 and went on to write and illustrate more than 150 titles, all published by Scholastic, that now boast 129 million books in print in 13 languages. In 2000, everyone’s favorite BIG red dog made his television debut on PBS Kids and the animated series quickly became one of the network’s biggest children’s hits.
“Norman Bridwell’s books about Clifford, childhood’s most loveable dog, could only have been written by a gentle man with a great sense of humor,” said Dick Robinson, our Chairman, President and CEO. “Norman personified the values that we as parents and educators hope to communicate to our children – kindness, compassion, helpfulness, gratitude – through the Clifford stories which have been loved for more than fifty years.”
You can learn more about Norman's life and career on our media room, and by watching our 50th anniversary video about Norman Bridwell and Clifford the Big Red Dog.
He will be greatly missed!
