Caillou

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Caillou
Caillou logo
Based onCaillou book series by Hélène Desputeaux [1][2]
Country of originCanada
Original languages
  • French
  • English
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes92 (list of episodes)
Production
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 15, 1997 (1997-09-15) –
October 3, 2010 (2010-10-03)

Caillou (French pronunciation: [kaˈju]) is a Canadian educational children's television series that was first shown on Télétoon and Teletoon, with its first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997; the show later moved to Treehouse TV, with its final episode being shown on that channel on October 3, 2010. The series is based on the books by Hélène Desputeaux.[1][2] It centers on a 4-year-old boy named Caillou who is fascinated by the world around him.

Plot

Caillou lives in a blue house at 17 Pine Street (as mentioned in the episode "Where I Live") with his mother, father, and his younger sister, Rosie. He has many adventures with his family and friends and uses his imagination in every episode.

Each episode in Seasons 1–3 has a theme and is divided into several short sections that mix animation, puppet skits, and video of kids in real-life situations. In Seasons 4–5, episodes are divided in 3 short sections; the puppet segment was dropped, along with the "Real Kids" version of the segment.

During the first season, many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother (who is also the show's narrator) introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story from a book. Since the second season, the narrator/grandmother is an unseen character.

Characters

The following lists every character in the show. There are 23 major characters and currently 66 minor characters, making a total of 89 characters.

Major characters

Caillou

Caillou (pebble or stone in French), nicknamed The Prince of Imagination,[3] is the title character of the show. Caillou was first voiced by Bryn McAuley from 1997 through 2000, then Jaclyn Linetsky in 2000 through 2003, and then, due to Linetsky's death, Annie Bovaird from 2003 through 2010. Caillou was first shown in the episode "Caillou Makes Cookies", which aired in 1997.

Caillou is an average, imaginative, bald four-year-old boy with a love for forms of transportive machinery such as rocket ships and airplanes. A dreamer, Caillou is prone to frequent dream sequences in some episodes, visualizing his daydreams and hopes, and many episodes chronicle his normal daily experiences with his parents, friends, and neighbours. Caillou particularly loves his stuffed dinosaur Rexy and teddy bear Teddy, along with his pet cat Gilbert, all of whom are depicted as puppets in segments featured in the earlier episodes.

Caillou's family

Caillou and his family from left to right: Rosie, Daddy, Caillou, Mommy
  • Mommy – Caillou's mother. She is a busy homemaker most of the time but is seen to work in an office too. Caillou occasionally helps his mom with various chores and she often takes time to involve Caillou and his friends in activities such as crafts and baking. She is predominantly dressed in a red blouse with yellow trim, blue headband, blue ankle-length pants and blue shoes with green soles. Voiced by Jennifer Seguin.
  • Daddy – Caillou's father. He and Caillou occasionally work on projects around the house. He wears a green sweater with a red trim, and blue pants. In the episode "Caillou The Chef" he says he once worked at a restaurant and made pizza.[4] He is voiced by Pat Fry.
  • Rosie (French name: Mousseline) – Caillou's lively younger sister who is a typical toddler. She always wants to take part in the same activities as Caillou. In later seasons of the series she becomes more talkative and independent. She wears a blue dress, red socks and blue Mary Jane shoes. Rosie sometimes fights with Caillou, but they still love each other. She appears to be the only family member with red hair. Rosie was first voiced by Brigid Tierney, then Jesse Vinet.
  • Grandma – Caillou's paternal grandmother. Grandma is a very active adult who loves the arts and the outdoors. She passes that love on to Caillou. Grandma often comes up with creative ideas to solve Caillou's problems. She and Caillou paint and go birdwatching together. Voiced by Pauline Little.
  • Grandpa – Caillou's paternal grandfather. He takes Caillou on adventures, often going on walks and riding the bus throughout the town where they reside. In "Caillou's Hiding Place", he showed Caillou a hidden area inside a tree in the backyard.[5] In the episode "Caillou Goes Camping", he and Caillou camp in the backyard. He is Daddy's father and loves to tell stories about Caillou’s Daddy when he was a little boy. He wears a blue shirt. Voiced by George Morris.

Caillou's friends and neighbours

  • Mr. Hinkle (French name: Monsieur Lajoie) – Caillou's neighbour, introduced in the 1998 episode "Caillou's Not Afraid Anymore". He has a gold tooth. In the episode "Farmer for the Day", it is said that his first name is Paul.
Caillou and his friends: (back) Clementine, Sarah – (front) Gilbert, Caillou, Leo, Rosie
  • Leo – Leo started out as a mean boy in the 1999 episode "Caillou Goes to Day Care", but quickly befriended Caillou in the same episode. They have been inseparable since. According to Caillou's Holiday Movie, Leo is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah. That was mentioned back in 1999 in the episode "Caillou Goes to Day Care".
  • Clementine – Clementine was the first to befriend Caillou in the 1999 episode "Caillou Goes to Day Care". She can get rather bossy sometimes, but all in all she is pretty understanding. She is voiced by Brigid Tierney.
  • Sarah – Caillou's friend who he first met in "Caillou Goes Round the Block". She is of Chinese heritage and celebrates Chinese New Year. She has a cousin in an episode where she invites Caillou to celebrate Chinese New Year. In another she invites him to school for "Bring Your Younger Siblings to School Day" because she has no siblings. Sarah has a pet cat named Olly and a dog named Murphy.
  • André – An orange-haired boy, André is introduced in the episode "Caillou's Big Friend" and usually wears red sandals. According to the song "Days of the Week" released on the Caillou music CD Caillou and Friends, Caillou plays with him every Saturday. André enjoys biking and soccer.
  • Julie – Caillou & Rosie's teenage babysitter. She is 15, has blonde hair, and enjoys playing with Caillou and Rosie.
  • Jason & Jeffrey – Identical twins who are of Puerto Rican descent. They both enjoy eating pizza. Initially, they wore identically coloured clothes. By Season 4, though, Jason started wearing a shirt with inverted colours, in order to tell them apart. They are both in Caillou's playschool class. The first episode they appeared in was "New House, New Neighbors"
  • Billy – Clementine's older brother. He is usually seen playing in a band with his friends or playing in sports.
  • Miss Martin – Caillou's preschool teacher. She has red hair and wears red overalls with a white long-sleeved blouse. According to the episode "A Surprise for Ms. Martin" her birthday is in June. Her first name is Ann; this was revealed in "Caillou Goes to Daycare".
  • Jonas – Daddy's friend from before he met Mommy. He lives on a ranch and has a horse named Lucky. Jonas appears in 4 episodes and in Caillou's Holiday Movie.
  • Emma – A girl in Caillou's playschool class who hates loud noises.[6] It is revealed in an episode that she has Type 1 Diabetes.[7]
  • Xavier – A boy in Caillou's playschool class who has brown hair and wears blue overalls. At his birthday party, Caillou broke a piñata.

The puppets

The puppet segments were used only on the PBS telecasts of Caillou from 2000 to 2003 as continuity to fill time usually taken up by commercial breaks during the original Teletoon broadcasts; later episodes on PBS did not include the puppet segment continuity.

  • Gilbert – Caillou's pet cat. He is the leader of the group. He has a greyish-blue body with black stripes and loathes dogs with a passion. He especially hates the bulldog in the neighbourhood. In the puppet segments of the program, Gilbert often composes odes.
  • Rexy – Caillou's toy dinosaur. Bluish in colour and speaks in a somewhat Hispanic accent, he is very playful. Rexy has the incapability to give a "good" hug. Rexy is noted for being rather pedantic. His speech impediment has been the scourge of his existence; he is often teased about it, and tends to react violently to any mention of it.
  • Teddy – An old teddy bear that once belonged to Caillou's daddy, and now belongs to Caillou, Teddy is reasonable, cute and brown. He is somewhat pessimistic, but all in all, he just needs a hug. Puppeteered by Frank Meschkuleit.
  • Deedee – A brown squirrel, she has a bushy tail, and is often seen playing with Rexy. Deedee first appeared as a baby squirrel when Rexy found on the ground lost from her family. Deedee lives in Caillou's backyard where most of the puppet segments take place. She was absent in Season 3. Puppeteered by Wendy Welch.

Minor characters

Other Guests and Appearances
Character Synopsis Appearances
Hot-Dog Man The Hot-Dog Man is a person who only appears in the episode "Caillou and Daddy", in which he serves Caillou and his Dad with hot-dogs and mustard for their lunch. He is also a wrestler. 1
Pierre Pierre is the head of Camp Brome. Pierre was featured in the episode "Caillou Goes Camping". 1
The Doctor Featuring in the episode "Caillou Visits the Doctor", she treats Caillou for an earache. 1
The Mailman The Mailman was first featured in the episode "A Letter for Mommy", and later appeared in "All in a Day's Work". 2
Olly Sarah's pet cat. He appears in the episodes "Gilbert Goes to Vet", "Chinese New Year", "Sarah Goes to China". His last appearance was in the 2006 episode "Where's Gilbert?", shown in Caillou the Detective. 5
Rover A dog that belongs to one of Grandma's friends. 2
Mr. Washington A Black Canadian bus driver who drove Caillou's dad to school many years ago. 1
Barbara An old friend of Caillou's mom. She is blind, and appears in the episode "Dogs with Jobs". 1
Maxwell Barbara's guide dog. He is a special dog and helps Barbara see where she is going. He appears in the episode "Dogs with Jobs". 1
Helen One of Caillou's parents friends, she owns a boat. 1
Carol A friend of Caillou's mommy with whom she went to high-school. She only appears in the episode "A House in the Sky". 1
Kevin Carol's son. He appears in the episode "A House in the Sky". 1
Robbie A boy who is deaf. He knows Sign language. 2
Allan A child who went to Caillou's playschool one day to join the class. He has Down's syndrome and a rather loud voice. 1
Frankie A boy who lives in the house Caillou's family helps build in the episode "Caillou's Building Adventure". 1
Sam Frankie's father. He appears in the episode "Caillou's Building Adventure". 1
Evelyn Robbie's mother. She only appears in the episode "Caillou and Robbie". 1
Bob A plumber who fixes the pipes under Caillou's house. In a season 3 episode, he fixes the sink. 2
Kristen Jonas' wife. She only appears in the episode "Caillou's First Wedding". 1
George Caillou's skating instructor who's really silly. He only appears in "Caillou's Skating Lesson". 1
George Grandpa's friend. He only appears in "Grandpa's Friend". He is older than Grandpa and teaches Caillou how to play croquet. He has the same voice as Mr. Haney from Arthur 1
Mary A life guard who appears in the Season 4 episode "Caillou and the Big Slide". 1
Erik A firefighter who rescues Gilbert from a tree. He is only seen in the episode "Caillou and the Fire Truck". 1
Stacy A firefighter, she is only seen the episode "Caillou and the Fire Truck", although she is in Caillou's Holiday Movie. 2
Sparky A Dalmatian at the fire station. He is seen in "Caillou and the Fire Truck" and "Caillou the Fire Fighter". 2
Emma Grandma's friend. She lives on a sheep farm. 1
Mary Emma's daughter. She shows Caillou around on the sheep farm. 1
Mr. Jenkins One of Grandma's friends. He is allergic to dogs and lives at the retirement home. He appears in the episode "A Helping Hand". 1
Mrs. Murphy One of Grandma's friends. She has a granddaughter named Amy. Her only appearance is in the episode "A Helping Hand". 1
Mrs. Wilson One of Grandma's friends. She appears both times Grandma visits the retirement home. 2
Zoey A zoo worker who shows Caillou different animals when he visits the zoo. She appears in the episode "Caillou Goes to the Zoo". 1
Bryce A photographer who takes a picture of Caillou and Rosie. 1
Henry The Zamboni driver at the skating rink. He only appears in the episode "Caillou's Skating Lesson". 1
Chinook A Husky who pulls a sled. She is seen when Caillou and his family go tobogganing. 1
Tom Chinook's owner. 1
Tammy A child who uses a wheel chair. She is seen when Caillou goes swimming. 1
Mr. Stanley The conductor on the train Caillou rides in the episode "Caillou's Train Trip". 1
Nancy Hinkle Mr. Hinkle's sister. She owns a farm and appears in the episodes "Farmer for the Day" and "The Mystery Carrots". 2
Santa Claus A Santa Claus in costume who appears in the episode "Holiday Magic". Rosie is afraid and not fond of him. 1
Vanessa A librarian. She appears all 3 times Caillou goes to the library. 3
Bravo the Great A magician who only appears in the episode "Caillou the Magician". 1
Jack Jr. A tow truck driver who tows Caillou's car and has his dad Jack Sr. to repair it. The episode he appears in is "Broken Car", due to "Sunday Brunch" 1
Jack Sr. A mechanic who works with his son Jack Jr.
Emma's Dad He appears in the episode "Captain Caillou". 1
Rafiel One of the skaters in Caillou skating class. She appears in the episode "Caillou's Skating Lesson". 1
Mrs. James The owner of a pumpkin patch at which Grandpa and Caillou pick pumpkins. She appears in the episode "Pumpkin Patch Kid". 1
Lee-Wun Sarah's cousin. She first appears in "Happy New Year!" celebrating Chinese New Year with Sarah and her family. Later, she joins Caillou's playschool class in the episode, "Deep Sea Caillou". She later makes cameos at the playschool. 7
Rocky A lost dog. He appeared in the episode "Caillou and the Lost Puppy". Caillou called him Scruffy because he didn't know his name. 1
Dr. Orange Gilbert's vet, He appears in the episode "Gilbert Goes to the Vet". He is also Olly's (Sarah's cat) vet. 1
Mara A child who was in Caillou's playschool class when they play games at the park. She appears in the episode "Playschool Games". 1
Buddy Leo's pet hamster. He appears in the episode "Leo's Hamster" and has white fur. 1
Goldie A goldfish. She appears in the episode "Clementine's New Pet". 1
The Captain A Captain of a ferry that Caillou's family ride on in the episode "Caillou's Road Trip". 1
Jim One of Caillou's friends he meets at the park. Jim appears in the episode "Caillou Makes a Friend". At first he didn't like Caillou, but soon became fast friends. 2
Bella A dog that Sarah walks in the episode "Caillou Walks Around the Block". 1
Wendy A child first seen in the episode "Caillou the Firefighter". She later makes cameos at Caillou's playschool. 7
Snowball Nancy's (Mr. Hinkle's sister) rabbit. Snowball appears in the episode "The Mystery Carrots". 1
The Policeman Seen in the episode "Caillou and the Police Officer". He gives someone a ticket for parking near a fire hydrant. 1
Lucky Jonus' horse. He appears in the episodes "Cowboy Caillou" and "Caillou's First Wedding". 2
Herman A goldfish that who appears in the episode "A Surprise for Ms. Martin". 1
Aunt Joan Leo's Aunt. She appears in the episode "Leo's Lost Dinosaur". 1
Melanie A child who appears in the episodes "Caillou the Spaceman" in season 2 and "Deep Sea Caillou" in Season 4. 2
Bernie A parrot who appears in the episode "Where's Gilbert". He can talk and says "Keep an eye out for Gilbert". 1
Dylan A brown dog that Billy walks. Dylan appears in the episode "Dogs with Jobs". 1
Fire Chief Appears in the episode "Caillou the Fire Fighter". He is the fire chief and teaches Caillou's playschool class about fires. 1
The Pilot Appears in the episode "Caillou Rides an Airplane". He shows Caillou the cockpit of the plane. 1
The Dentist Appears in the episode "Caillou Goes to the Dentist". 1
Whiskers A tiny white kitten Caillou finds. Whiskers appears in the episode "Kitty Conundrum". Caillou names Whiskers "Jolie". Samantha is Whisker's owner. 1

Episodes

Caillou consists of 5 seasons[8] of 92 half-hour episodes,[9] as well as the separate 90-minute children's film Caillou's Holiday Movie.[10]

Caillou series overview
Seasons Episodes Original airdates
Premiere Finale
1 17 September 15, 1997[11] July 5, 2000
2 16[12] September 4, 2000 July 2, 2002
3 13[13] November 15, 2002 October 7, 2003
4 20[14] April 3, 2006 September 23, 2008
5 26[8] September 11, 2010[15] October 3, 2010

Production

Caillou books have been made since 1989 by Chouette Publishing Inc.[16]

The series was originally broadcast in French in Canada, and the episodes were later translated into English, and re-runs in English began on PBS and PBS Kids Sprout in the United States. The original books were also in French. Caillou was designed primarily for toddlers. It was created by child developmental psychologists.

In 1997, 65 five-minute episodes of Caillou were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide, including the US, as mentioned above. In 2000 there were 40 thirty-minute episodes of the show, containing a mixture of the five-minute episodes plus new stories, songs, real kids segment and puppets. This was followed by another 16 thirty-minute episodes containing all-new stories in 2003. The film Caillou's Holiday Movie was released on October 7, 2003.

On April 3, 2006, a new set of 20 episodes finally premiered after a three-year hiatus. Caillou started attending preschool and there were new themes and a new opening. While the original episodes were made by a South Korean company, the producers animated the new episodes in-house using Adobe Flash. On November 14, 2012, PBS Kids announced a 4th season of Caillou of 26 episodes to premiere March 11, 2013.[17][18]

The year 2014 is celebrated as the franchise's 25th anniversary. For the 25th anniversary, a special DVD/book combo pack was released,[19] as well as a reissue of the holiday film Caillou's Holiday Movie featuring a special 25th anniversary logo on the cover artwork.[20]

Reception

On May 1, 2017, the National Post writer Tristin Hopper identified Caillou to be "quite possibly the world’s most universally reviled children’s program," noting "a stunning level of animosity for a series about the relatively uncontroversial daily life of a four-year-old boy."[21] Examples include several "I hate Caillou" pages made on Facebook, posts saying that Caillou is a ripoff of Charlie Brown, numerous parenting blogs criticizing the series, and petitions on Change.org for the show to stop airing.[21]

A common criticism towards the series is the whiny and temper-tantrum behavior of the titular character and the lack of consequences Caillou is given for it.[21] As Hopper explained, "This has understandably led to theories that this is an accurate portrayal of Canadian parenting and that Canada is raising a generation of psychopaths. Or that Caillou’s parents are so blasted on Canadian weed that they are unable to summon the presence of mind necessary to properly discipline their child."[21] He called the series "a toddler version of Sex and the City or Mad Men," criticizing its lack of educational value: "Unlike most children’s programming, Caillou makes almost no attempt to educate its young audience. There are no veiled math problems, spelling lessons or morality tales; it’s just calm, non-threatening, bright-coloured people navigating everyday tasks."[21]

A 2011 study conducted at the University of Virginia, published in the journal Pediatrics, tested the show's effect on preschool-aged children's attention spans and cognitive abilities. The study had three groups of four-year-olds each engaged in activities; one group watched Caillou, another watched SpongeBob SquarePants, and the third group drew pictures. After nine minutes, the children were tested on mental functions; those that watched Caillou had very similar results to the group that drew pictures, both of whom performed significantly better than the group that watched the SpongeBob episode.[22]

As Caillou appeared as a much younger child in the original line of children's books, he originally had no hair. When illustrators found that adding hair made him look unrecognizable, it was decided that Caillou would never have hair.[23][24]

Broadcast

Caillou first aired on Canada's French-language Télétoon channel on September 15, 1997, and was the first show aired on the English-language Teletoon when it launched on October 17, 1997.[11] Caillou made its United States debut on PBS Kids in September 2000.

Home video releases

The DVDs with puppets and Jaclyn Linetsky were compilations from 2003 through 2006, and one of them is in memory of Jaclyn herself. The new DVDs from 2006 through 2010, were from Paramount Home Entertainment. There was also an album issued in 2003 titled Caillou's Favorite Songs.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "At last, the 2005 Caillou agreement is made public". Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec. Retrieved on November 2, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Baillargeon, Stéphane (October 8, 2015). "L'entente secrète de 2005 dévoilée". Le Devoir. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  3. ^ "Caillou & Stars Red Trick-Or-Treat Bag". PBSkids.org. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Caillou is surrounded by stars on a personalized swag bag that's ready for Halloween treats. The Prince of Imagination is here to make it a Happy Halloween! {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Caillou Episode – "Caillou the Chef" (Season 4)
  5. ^ Caillou Episode – "Caillou's Hiding Place"
  6. ^ Caillou Episode – "Caillou's Marching Band"
  7. ^ webmaster. "Caillou – Caillou's Discoveries". KET. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Animation Portfolio: CAILLOU • Sea Monster". Seamonster.co.za. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved December 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "DHX Media – Distribution – Caillou – Catalogue – Pre-School". Distribution.dhxmedia.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "DHX Media – Distribution – Caillou's Holiday Movie – Catalogue – Pre-School". Distribution.dhxmedia.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b "CORPORATION CINAR CÉLÈBRE LE 5e ANNIVERSAIRE DE CAILLOU À LA TÉLÉVISION" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2003. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  12. ^ "Come Learn With Caillou! – Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  13. ^ "Caillou . Parents & Teachers . Episodes Descriptions . Season 3". Caillou.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "New Caillou" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  15. ^ "For the Kid Inside!". The Cookie Jar Company. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Caillou - Creation". Chouette Publishing. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  17. ^ "DHX Media sells fourth season of Caillou to PBS Kids". KidScreen.
  18. ^ "KET".
  19. ^ Zahn, James (September 4, 2014). "25th Anniversary of Caillou: CAILLOU's FAMILY FAVORITES DVD/Book Combo Pack due in October..." Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  20. ^ "Caillou's Holiday Movie - NCircle Entertainment". Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  21. ^ a b c d e Hopper, Tristin (May 1, 2017). "Tristin Hopper: Caillou is an aggressively bad show ruining the world’s children … and it’s all Canada’s fault". National Post. Postmedia Network. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  22. ^ Lillard, Angeline and Jennifer Peterson (2011). "The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive Function". Pediatrics. Retrieved September 12, 2011. peds.2010-1919; published ahead of print; doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1919 {{cite web}}: External link in |quote= (help)
  23. ^ Public Broadcasting Service. "FAQ". Caillou.
  24. ^ Chouette. "Why is Caillou bald?". Chouette. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  25. ^ "Caillou's Favorite Songs - Caillou - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2016.

External links

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