I was a PBS kid: Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, Bill Nye, Wishbone, and others were staples for myself and my siblings. By the time this Clifford series appeared, featuring the voice of the late and sadly missed John Ritter as the titular crimson canine, I was on the upper end of its target demographic. Nonetheless, it was a fun diversion when nothing else was on and a nice reminder of the picture books I had devoured when I was slightly younger (not to mention a tangential link to the large, red Irish setter that was my beloved childhood pet and, for a time, probably my greatest friend).
As educational TV for pre-adolescents goes, "Clifford" was probably above average as an engaging device to teach emotional and social intelligence. The episode "Fair Weather Friends" sticks in my mind purely because of a small, clever moment that has nothing to do with the main plot thread or themes of the show, but which I nonetheless find unaccountably amusing.
Because protagonist Clifford and his friends are stand-ins for the young viewers, they spend much of their free time playing schoolyard games and doing the stuff kids do. In this instance, T-Bone and Mac, being regular-sized dogs, defeat Clifford at tag by exploiting his size against him.
It's a tiny moment, a gag used to open the storyline and then promptly forgotten. Most viewers probably wouldn't think twice of it. It's sublime, though, both because of its intrinsic whimsy and because it does reflect the ways in which children, while still learning empathy and social consciousness, will often look for ways to one-up each other: "you may be the biggest, but I'm quicker!" The anarchic spirit of exploration allows them to perform these little maneuvers on one another and, very often, bounce right back to being the most earnest of friends immediately afterward.
Clifford, being the gentle giant, consistently the warmest of the dog characters, and the epitome of the laid back "good guy", takes all of this ribbing in his immense stride. However, it is a neat reversal to witness our hero taken momentarily off balance, as he loses command of the situation at the paws of the devious duo.
One gets a vague glimmer, from Clifford's silent response, that it's not the first or last time for this sort of thing. Although Clifford's good nature never flags, the sensitive viewer may get to experience a moment of unexpected empathy in considering that Clifford's size, which is at first glance an obvious asset (it's what makes him so cool, right?), can turn into a disadvantage in situations that are quite commonplace yet puckishly unpredictable.
Of course, the whimsy is helped by his companions as a dual personification of the trickster. There's absolutely no malevolence in T-Bone and Mac, but they can't resist the occasional opportunity to get under Clifford's paws. What makes him a hero is how unfazed he is by their wily japes: he has a seemingly boundless capacity for seeing the good in other people (and dogs), perhaps because he picks up the reflection of his own compassion and generosity.
Then again, it is just a children's show about talking dogs, one of whom is roughly the size of a house. Maybe I'm getting carried away and reading too much into a moment of blind whimsy. Yet insofar as the core of the story must be the bond between these dogs, I don't think the creators are insulting their young viewers' intellect. They know that characters are a foundation of narrative and the way to kids' hearts and minds.
The relationships presented between our canine hero and his colorful companions are multi-layered enough to ring true, sufficiently bold and funny to to engage young ones, and intriguing enough to warrant occasional revisiting even from the (relatively) more mature intellect.
As educational TV for pre-adolescents goes, "Clifford" was probably above average as an engaging device to teach emotional and social intelligence. The episode "Fair Weather Friends" sticks in my mind purely because of a small, clever moment that has nothing to do with the main plot thread or themes of the show, but which I nonetheless find unaccountably amusing.
Because protagonist Clifford and his friends are stand-ins for the young viewers, they spend much of their free time playing schoolyard games and doing the stuff kids do. In this instance, T-Bone and Mac, being regular-sized dogs, defeat Clifford at tag by exploiting his size against him.
It's a tiny moment, a gag used to open the storyline and then promptly forgotten. Most viewers probably wouldn't think twice of it. It's sublime, though, both because of its intrinsic whimsy and because it does reflect the ways in which children, while still learning empathy and social consciousness, will often look for ways to one-up each other: "you may be the biggest, but I'm quicker!" The anarchic spirit of exploration allows them to perform these little maneuvers on one another and, very often, bounce right back to being the most earnest of friends immediately afterward.
Clifford, being the gentle giant, consistently the warmest of the dog characters, and the epitome of the laid back "good guy", takes all of this ribbing in his immense stride. However, it is a neat reversal to witness our hero taken momentarily off balance, as he loses command of the situation at the paws of the devious duo.
One gets a vague glimmer, from Clifford's silent response, that it's not the first or last time for this sort of thing. Although Clifford's good nature never flags, the sensitive viewer may get to experience a moment of unexpected empathy in considering that Clifford's size, which is at first glance an obvious asset (it's what makes him so cool, right?), can turn into a disadvantage in situations that are quite commonplace yet puckishly unpredictable.
Of course, the whimsy is helped by his companions as a dual personification of the trickster. There's absolutely no malevolence in T-Bone and Mac, but they can't resist the occasional opportunity to get under Clifford's paws. What makes him a hero is how unfazed he is by their wily japes: he has a seemingly boundless capacity for seeing the good in other people (and dogs), perhaps because he picks up the reflection of his own compassion and generosity.
Then again, it is just a children's show about talking dogs, one of whom is roughly the size of a house. Maybe I'm getting carried away and reading too much into a moment of blind whimsy. Yet insofar as the core of the story must be the bond between these dogs, I don't think the creators are insulting their young viewers' intellect. They know that characters are a foundation of narrative and the way to kids' hearts and minds.
The relationships presented between our canine hero and his colorful companions are multi-layered enough to ring true, sufficiently bold and funny to to engage young ones, and intriguing enough to warrant occasional revisiting even from the (relatively) more mature intellect.