After running on PBS for over two decades, Caillou, the animated cartoon of the bald kid, got canceled. The long-running cartoon featured a boy named Caillou, a 4-year-old exploring everything around him while learning lessons through his daily adventures alongside his buddies and close family.
Additionally, the cancelation of this Canadian animated cartoon that ran on PBS since September 1997 had parents’ opinions divided over the termination of the program. Apparently, Caillou was quite the object of debate and division between parents that thought the little boy and his antics had a negative impact as a role model for the younguns.
Deemed by its critics as “bratty” and “whiny,” parents are teachers were concerned about Caillou’s behavior. Was Caillou a bad influence on kids? Is this just another social-justice crusade gone wrong? Or was Caillou really teaching kids valuable lessons in each episode? These questions are up for grabs, but one thing is for sure, there won’t be any more new episodes.
A Brief History of Caillou
When it comes to the discussion of “who is the most hated cartoon character on the planet?” many people could point their fingers at Scrappy-Doo, or become a debate because of the subjectivities that come with liking or disliking a character. Some could point to negative character traits like behavior, mean-spiritedness, obnoxiousness, or whatever.
But more recently, the answer came around to a consensus around Caillou, a Canadian cartoon based upon a series of books published by Les Editions Chouette, developed by Hélène Desputeaux and Christine L’Heureux the late 1980s that eventually became the animated cartoon at the center of this controversy.
Back then, kids’ books had animals as the main characters, but the creators wanted someone that kids could relate to. The result turned out to be Caillou, a bald toddler. The book series became a success —it sold over 15 million copies—and the same studio that developed “Arthur” picked it up for an animated series.
Caillou Canceled On PBS Kids
Nothing lasts forever; Caillou, the long-time cartoon featuring the bald boy who learned valuable life lessons with his adventures, stopped airing on PBS Kids, despite having its final episode aired over a decade ago. That’s right, and it’s not like Caillou has had any new content lately! It was a constant rerun, which meant that lots of kids had been watching Caillou for quite a long time!
If we take a look at how PBS Kids handled Caillou being lifted off the airwaves, it felt less like a goodbye and more like setting up the public for a funeral: With tweets explaining to parents what to do when their kids’ favorite show goes away, to images of Caillou saying hasta la vista, the entire thing was quite a weird spectacle.
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Why Was Caillou So Divisive?
There are two sides to every story. On one side, we have the kids, the main audience of this Canadian cartoon, who love to watch his adventures. On the other side of the story, we have…well… almost everybody else: Parents, teachers, kids who grew up and now look back, and those who aren’t fans of the show. And there’s a simple reason for that: Caillou wasn’t a likable character.
Was Caillou A Bully?
Caillou was seen as selfish and imposing —a bully— who acted his own way, not caring about how his attitude made everybody else feel. In many episodes, we see him throwing tantrums, forcing his dad, mom, and siblings to do things for him against their will, and having the same bad attitude with friends. Hell, we even see him pinching a baby to make him cry.
Was Caillou A Bad Example For Kids?
Caillou was constantly angry and frustrated. And while many episodes tried to show children to learn from Caillou’s mistakes, over the years, with the story arc development of this cartoon character, we actually never see Caillou learning anything from past mistakes. Moreover, Caillou had no real connection to the real world either!
In the real world, being a bully has consequences. And for Caillou, it was like he was in a bubble. In fact, there were many banned episodes that never aired because Caillou’s demeanor was unacceptable! It’s no wonder why so many people were not fond of Caillou’s behavior and why some even refused to watch the show altogether.
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