Never has the cancellation of a children's show caused so much celebration than when PBS decided to take Caillou off the air last week. Despite being popular enough to remain on the air for 20 years, Caillou was widely hated, making it the official Nickelback of cartoons.
Caillou, which first premiered on PBS in 2000 and went into syndication in 2010, is an educational show about a little boy who is very curious about the world around him. He is known for having a strong, independent mind that doesn't care for the word "no." In almost ludicrous fashion, Caillou whines and will even throw a full-bloom temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way. His parents usually give in to his bad behavior, thus setting a horrible precedent for its pre-school demographic.
Caillou, certainly not one of PBS' most beloved characters, seems to show little regard for his parents' lenient authority, often calling the shots in the house in his whiny voice. His bad behavior even influences his baby sister, Rosie, who follows Caillou's precocious lead and acts as if she is entitled to anything she wants. Not only is Caillou considered bratty, but also plain mean to his sister. In one episode, he pinches his newborn sister's cheek until she cries, all because he is jealous of all the attention she is getting. After this incident, his father unbelievably does nothing to reprimand Caillou for hurting his sister.
Many parents refused to let their children watch a show that promoted such poor behavior, fearing that their kids would see that throwing a tantrum is an appropriate response to being upset. The dislike of Caillou is so widespread because his brattiness is not an isolated incident. There are signs of entitlement and whining in just about every episode, enough to where these can be called personality traits for Caillou. Even before its cancellation, the internet was chockfull of Youtube parodies and mixes about how spoiled the show's titular character is.
Despite the tantrums, Caillou managed to remain on the air for an astounding 20 years, simply because it was a solid educational program that got toddlers eager to explore the vast world around them. Caillou's other main trait was how fascinated he was with learning about everything, from the deserts of Egypt to the local carwash. Caillou's eager imagination made even the most ordinary activities seem new and colorful, which is a definite draw for young, growing minds.
The show was broken up into small digestible segments to hold a small attention span and featured a pleasant and intimate family that supported Caillou's learning. On the surface, Caillou seems like a benign educational show with a grandmotherly narrator, much like a brightly colored storybook a child would enjoy being read. It's only when parents listen to the whining that they see how the show is educating their kids in negative behavioral responses.
The end of Caillou brought a wave of relief over the internet, as parents voiced their long-standing opinions of the boy needing a major time-out. Caillou's fascination with learning about the world was only outpaced by his belief that the world was his for the taking -- a lesson kids had no business being exposed to.
0 Comments