Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Exhibit Summary
Visitor Experience
Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog™ is a
2,500 square foot exhibit that transports visitors to
the world of Clifford, Emily Elizabeth and all of the
residents of Birdwell Island. Like tourists visiting
Birdwell Island, visitors will start their journey to the
exhibit aboard the Birdwell Island ferry, complete
with seagull sounds and clanking ship bells.
Children take the captain’s seat and steer the
ship’s wheel as visitors disembark and enter the world of Clifford and Emily Elizabeth.
The exhibit content and environments are drawn from places
found on Birdwell Island and consist of eleven main places: 1)
Exhibit Entry, 2) Birdwell Island Ferry, 3) Samuel’s Fish and Chips
Shack, 4) Musical Marina, 5) T-Bone’s Beach Fun, 6) Clifford and
his doghouse, 7) Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater, 8) Howard’s
Home, 9) Cleo’s Backyard, 10) Birdwell Island Post Office, 11)
Birdwell Island Library, and Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective.
All of the exhibit “sites” are environments
based on locations found on the PBS
Kids Clifford The Big Red Dog television
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Exhibit Overview
series and should be recognizable to visitors familiar with the television show.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Audience, Goals, and Design
Audience
Clifford is targeted to children ages two to eight years old and their caregivers. Particular
attention will be paid to children visiting in school and community groups. The activities
throughout the exhibit will maintain enough flexibility to accommodate both individual and group
interactions. Activities will be designed to offer safe and inviting experiences for the youngest
visitors while offering challenges for older children. Adult caregivers will be addressed
specifically through text and graphics, which highlight the exhibit’s educational messages and
Clifford’s Big Ideas.
Goals and Messages
The goal of this exhibit is to provide museum visitors with a greater understanding of the
social and emotional challenges children face every day. This goal will be met through
the following objectives:
1. Create immersive exhibit environments where visitors become part of Clifford’s
world.
2. Provide opportunities for museum visitors to practice developmentally
appropriate challenges through playful exhibit interactives.
3. Foster pro-social skills and feelings of success by creating open-ended and selfcorrecting activities throughout the exhibit.
4. Promote adult/child dialogue about Clifford’s Big Ideas – 10 simple, tangible, life
lessons designed to help young children navigate their world.
Clifford’s Big Ideas include:
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Exhibit Overview
Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind,
Believe in Yourself, Be a Good Friend, and Help Others.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Design Overview
As visitors pass by the Lighthouse and enter Birdwell Island, they discover the world of Clifford,
Emily Elizabeth, and the people and places of Birdwell Island. The design draws specifically
from existing art that has been created for Clifford The Big Red Dog television show, and
incorporates as much diversity of textures and materials as possible. A group of easily
identifiable structures found on the television show give the impression of the community on
Birdwell Island to children and adults as they move through the gallery. Appropriately scaled,
light-hearted images of Birdwell Island residents are stationed in doorways and at their work
places furthering the perception of being on Birdwell Island.
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Exhibit Overview
The exhibit’s 11 themed areas are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7) Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater
8) Howard’s Home
9) Cleo’s Backyard
10) Birdwell Island Post Office
11) Birdwell Island Library and the
Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective
Exhibit Entry
Birdwell Island Ferry
Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack
Musical Marina
T-Bone’s Beach Fun
Clifford and his doghouse
The structures comprising each of the main areas are designed to be free standing and
adaptable to layout in a variety of gallery configurations. In larger galleries, more circulation and
play space can be added around the components. Large, scenic-painted wall panels can be
installed between buildings to enhance the immersive feel of the exhibit. These can be omitted
in galleries with insufficient wall space.
Construction Materials and Techniques

Sculptural exhibit elements (select building interiors and landscaping elements) are
constructed of steel and wood substructures covered with carved foam and over-coated
with rigid urethane.

Building facades are constructed from wood panels and scenic painted based on
existing artwork.

Hand-painted surfaces are clear-coated to protect finishes.

Cam locks are used to join main wall components for ease of installation.

Scotchprint™ graphics and images used in conjunction with painted finishes and handpainted murals give a dramatic, warm, theatrical quality to exhibit components and
props.

Props and costumes are made of a wide range of natural and synthetic materials.

Easy-on, easy-off techniques are employed in all child-sized costumes.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Cast of Characters
The following characters are found throughout the exhibit, visually greeting visitors as they enter
various sites in the exhibit. The characters will be sized in proportion to the final size of Clifford.
Direction for correct scale will be taken from the Style Guide.

Victor and Pedro greet visitors on the Birdwell Island Ferry.

Samuel and Charlie invite visitors into the Fish and Chips Shack on the pier.

Mary encourages visitors to try their hand making music.

Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, Charley, Jetta, Cleo, T-Bone, and Mac all share the stage with
visitors in the theater.

Emily Elizabeth welcomes visitors to Clifford’s doghouse.

Mr. and Mrs. Howard greet visitors as they wander into the backyard.

Cleo plays with visitors in Cleo’s backyard.

Mr. Carson invites visitors to help him sort the mail at the Birdwell Island Post Office.

Jetta and Ms. Lee greet visitors in the Birdwell Island Library and Norman Bridwell Art
Retrospective.
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Exhibit Overview
Exhibit Walkthrough
Component Descriptions
Area 1.0
Exhibit Entry
Visitor Experience
The lighthouse leads the way for visitors to
enter the exhibit.
Description
A large, round column is painted to mimic
the lighthouses found on Birdwell Island.
The lighthouse welcomes visitors to the
exhibit, credits Scholastic Entertainment
and Minnesota Children's Museum, and
carries any exhibit sponsor information.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 2.0
Birdwell Island Ferry
Visitor Experience
As visitors enter the exhibit, they pass by the lighthouse and climb aboard the Birdwell Island
ferry. The pilot’s house looms large on the ferry, and visitors try their hands at steering the ferry
as passengers hear ocean noises and the arrival to Birdwell Island is announced. The
pilothouse will accommodate two visitors, and is wheelchair accessible.
Description
The ferry is a three-dimensional structure that
incorporates natural material into the design.
In the pilothouse, the ship’s wheel, gauges
and ferry horn all incorporate authentic
materials. Characters Victor and Pedro are
positioned inside the pilothouse, inviting
visitors to take over the wheel. Buttons in the
pilothouse activate the arrival announcement,
and seagull and other ocean noises are
activated by a motion-sensor as visitors step
onto the ferry. Seating is arranged around the
deck for passengers, and can comfortably
accommodate up to 8 adults.
2.1
Birdwell Island Map
This map is an overall view of Birdwell Island, and
introduces visitors to the geographic elements of an island:
a tract of land that is surrounded by water (but smaller than
a continent). The community on Birdwell Island is
enlarged and highlighted. The perspective of the map is
one that puts exhibit visitors into the shoes of Birdwell
Island tourists. Sites found in the exhibit are highlighted on
the map.
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Exhibit Overview
Area 3.0
Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack
Visitor Experience
The pier on Birdwell Island is alive with the sounds
from Samuel’s restaurant! Samuel greets visitors at
the entrance, and a window at the counter opens up
to the pier where visitors sit on stools and place
their orders. As visitors step inside the restaurant,
they step into the shoes of restaurant workers by
cooking, cleaning, serving food, and restocking
shelves. A cash register, order pads, and a menu
join together to fill out the environment and help
promote early literacy and early math skills.
Description
Samuel’s Restaurant uses painted wood decking and incorporates scenic painting around the
component to immerse the visitor in the experience. The interior of the restaurant incorporates
a view out the back window (scenic painting based on existing artwork), a stove, counters, and
a cash register. Props are used extensively to create an authentic atmosphere for dramatic
play.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 4.0
Musical Marina
Visitor Experience
As visitors make their way along the pier, they are
greeted by Mary and invited to try out various
musical instruments. In this kid-sized music station,
visitors find Clifford’s giant Xylobone, festive
maracas, and an assortment of drums. The drums
represent drums from around the world, and
introduce visitors to cross-cultural music-making.
Visitors are encouraged to make music through
open-ended play.
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Exhibit Overview
Area 5.0
T-Bone’s Beach Fun
Visitor Experience
No island is complete without a beach!
The character of T-Bone looks over the
corner of a large, bone-shaped sand box
and welcomes visitors to the beach. A
permanent sculpted sand castle rests in
the middle of the sand box. The sand
castle is actually a three-dimensional
puzzle that visitors can take apart and put
together. Underneath the three base
pieces of the castle puzzle are
“treasures” (a shiny medal, a sea shell,
etc.) embedded into the bottom of the
sand box. Several shells of various
shapes and sizes sit in the bottom (or
floor) of the sandbox. When visitors lift
the shells they find more treasures
embedded underneath. A treasure chest
stands near the side of the sand box, filled with plastic fish that can be connected together by
the youngest visitors.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 6.0
Clifford The Big Red Dog and his Doghouse
Visitor Experience
Clifford, his doghouse, and Emily Elizabeth all are right at home in this backyard! As visitors
make their way into the exhibit gallery, a giant Clifford welcomes them into the exhibit. Emily
Elizabeth is seated on Clifford’s paw, inviting visitors to sit next to her.
Description
A giant Clifford takes center stage in this backyard! Standing nine feet tall, Clifford greets
visitors as they make their way into
the exhibit. Because Clifford is
always ready to play, visitors can
slide down Clifford’s tail, just like
they see Emily Elizabeth do on the
television show. And, as every dog
owner knows, having a pet also
brings responsibility. Visitors are
encouraged to try their hand at
keeping Clifford’s dog bowl full by
loading dog food into his bowl with
a conveyor belt.
6.1 Clifford slide
Sliding down Clifford’s tail is a big
part of being friends with Clifford.
Clifford’s tail also doubles as a
small slide, inviting visitors to have
fun just like they see the kids do on
the television show. Visitors
access the slide by climbing short
bone-shaped steps (two in all) and
slide down a red, fiberglass slide.
The top of the slide itself is 36” off
the ground.
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Exhibit Overview
6.2 Bone conveyor belt and Clifford’s dog bowl
Visitors are encouraged to try to keep Clifford’s
bowl full by loading dog food into his bowl with a
conveyor belt.
.
6.3
Clifford’s Doghouse
Stepping into Clifford’s Doghouse is like stepping
into a world of arts and letters. A ready supply of
paper, crayons, pencils and scissors invite visitors
to sit down at the picnic table and create a picture,
an invitation or a letter. Visitors can bring home
their creations, display them on the side of the
doghouse, or mail them to Island residents at the
Post Office.
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dog
Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 7.0 Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater
Visitor Experience
Visitors enter the world of Clifford and his dog pals by
stepping in front of an animated screen that displays
images from Clifford The Big Red Dog™ television
show. Visitors choose from a number of video clips
presented at a kiosk, don their costumes, and step on
stage to join in the fun. Seating is arranged in front of
the stage for other visitors to participate as audience
members.
Description
A backyard environment surrounds the theater, complete with scenic painted fences and trees.
The theater itself includes real theater curtains, overhead lights, and a stage. The costumes
hang on hooks to the left of the stage, and the scene kiosk is to the right of the stage for visitors
to chose the backdrop. The benches for the audience are shaped like bones.
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Exhibit Overview
Area 8.0 Howards’ Home
Visitor Experience
The Howards’ Home is an important part of this backyard. Visitors can help out Emily
Elizabeth’s family by doing some hands-on yard care. The garage holds all sorts of lawn tools
and watering cans all ready to spiff up the yard. The porch of the house has a flower box where
visitors can plant or pick flowers and “water” them if necessary.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 9.0
Cleo’s Backyard
Visitor Experience
Cleo welcomes our youngest visitors to
her backyard—a small tot play land.
Based on the items found in Cleo’s yard,
the exhibit components encourage largemuscle development and appropriate risktaking. For young children, crawling
through a tunnel involves not only muscles
and coordination, but also the belief that a
trusted adult will be on the other side to
greet them (even though he or she is out
of sight for a short time).
Description
A three-dimensional Cleo inhabits this backyard. There is a crawl-through tunnel that is made
for kids but big enough for adults. A large tree serves as a landmark in this exhibit area and is
painted to look like Cleo’s tree. The backyard is distinguished from other exhibit areas by its
soft flooring and short sections of “stone” wall, which surround the backyard. The walls double
as seating for adult visitors.
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Exhibit Overview
9.1 Busy Wall Activities
These three activities are imbedded into
the wall around “Cleo’s Backyard.” The
backyard is distinguished from other
exhibit areas by its soft flooring and short
sections of “stone” wall that surrounds the
backyard. The wall is made of carved
foam and doubles as seating for adult
visitors.
1. Where’s Clifford?
Visitors turn a crank to make
Clifford pop in and out of his doghouse.
2. Who’s in here?
T-Bone’s doghouse (slight relief) is built into the wall and an image of T-Bone is looking
over the roof. The door to the doghouse opens (with hinges) to reveal a mirror so that
visitors can see themselves.
3. Where can you find me?
Visitors turn two tumblers filled with sound-makers (bells and dried beans). Visitors try
to match the face with the place they are found in the exhibit. Each tumbler includes
three images: Emily Elizabeth, Charley, and Mary on one; and Clifford’s doghouse,
Samuel’s Fish and Chips Shack, and the Backyard Theater on the other.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Area 10.0
Birdwell Island Post Office
Visitor Experience
Mr. Carson welcomes visitors to the post office, where creating mail for residents on Birdwell
Island is only half the funactually mailing letters and pictures is the other half! The Birdwell
Island mailbox (modified to allow the mail to slide out of the bottom) is stationed outside the post
office, ready to collect all of our visitors’ creations. In order to prompt visitors to distribute letters
to individual mailboxes around the other sites in the exhibit, several letters will be pre-addressed
to island residents. Visitors will also be able to deliver their own letters and pictures to these
mailboxes.
Description
This three-dimensional building comes complete with a
mailbox outside the post office (for mailing and
distributing letters) and mail slots inside the post office
(for sorting mail for all the residents).
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Exhibit Overview
Area 11.0 Birdwell Island Library and the Norman Bridwell Art Retrospective
Visitor Experience
This library includes a cozy book nook
with a bone shaped bench and
bookshelves filled with Clifford stories.
For the youngest visitors, the library offers
opportunities to become acquainted with
books and Clifford stories while older
children and adults share their love of
reading. Visitors to the library can also
play an interactive Clifford game and view
video clips of an interview with Norman
Bridwell talking about his work. The
library also houses the Norman Bridwell
Art Retrospective. As visitors browse
through the art gallery, they gain an inside
look at the character and story development of Clifford The Big Red Dog and Mr. Bridwell’s
creative process over the past 40 years.
Description
The facade of the library mirrors the library ship facade on the television show. The interior
includes two computer stations, a seat shaped like a dog bowl resting on the floor, a boneshaped bench and a small bookshelf. The dog bowl seating can comfortably accommodate one
adult and one child, or several small children.
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
Experience Development Matrix
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Exhibit Overview
Exhibit Text
Clifford’s Dog Bowl
Be Responsible
Feeding a pet just the right amount is an important job. When children take care of pets
they see how animals depend on thema big step in responsibility.
Samuel’s Restaurant
Work Together
Running the restaurant is a big job that takes teamwork. When children work together
to get a job done, they learn to appreciate one another’s contributions.
Interior Doghouse
Be Kind
Creating special pictures and letters for loved ones can brighten a person’s day. When
you make another person feel better you are being kind.
Cleo’s Backyard
Be a Good Friend
Learning to share toys can be as challenging as learning to crawl! Friends respect one
another and try to make one another feel good.
5. Musical Marina
Share
Making music together on the Pier means working together and taking turns.
Encouraging your child to make sure everyone gets a chance to play the instruments is
at the heart of sharing.
6. Sand box
Play Fair
Playing together in a small space works best when everyone plays fairly. When you
help your children treat others fairly, like sharing the toys, you are showing them how to
be a good friend.
7. Library/Art Show
Believe in Yourself
Trying something new, such as playing a computer game or learning to draw, builds
confidence. Offer support to your children, and watch them grow!
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Adventures with Clifford The Big Red Dog
8. Ferry Boat
Help Others
Showing people how to get around Birdwell Island is a great way to lend a hand.
Helping others in everyday situations makes a child feel good.
9. Post Office
Have Respect
Working together to deliver the mail around Birdwell Island is a great way to show
respect for other children’s contributions. Showing respect to your friends can start by
acknowledging their help.
10. Emily Elizabeth’s Backyard Theater
Be Truthful
Making the most of your big imagination is just fine in this theater! When children grasp
the difference between imagination and honesty, they are on their way to understanding
the value of telling the truth and becoming trustworthy.
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