Dear Caillou, What’s Your Deal?
A part of the reason I was excited to learn that I was going to become a father was because I knew that I finally had a reason to watch cartoons without being ridiculed by my wife.
I liked shows like Family Guy and South Park so the transition should have been an easy one. How much different could cartoons get anyway?
I knew about Barney and The Wiggles already and was fine with them but nothing could have prepared me for the first time I watched Caillou with my son.
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a rainy day and my son had woken up extra early, I’m guessing because it was Daddy’s day to get up with him. I flicked on the TV, which is auto set to go straight to the Treehouse Channel, and there he was. This funny looking 4 year old with no hair and a catchy theme song.
From the moment he opened his mouth and revealed that nasally whine, I knew him and I were going to have a compatibility issue. My son liked him though so we kept on watching.
Episode after episode, I was forced to listen to Caillou whine about everything from brushing his teeth to wanting a cookie, while his parents did nothing but provide half-assed attempts to get him to learn his manners.
I don’t completely blame the parents though. I mean, my kid is almost 4 and he understands why he can’t have a cookie right before dinner. If he were to throw a fit about it, he would get a timeout and an explanation afterwards.
Caillou’s biggest issue seems to be a lack of discipline but that’s expected when you are being raised by parents who seem to be stuck in the 60’s. Think about it, they are clearly high a majority of the time. They never get frustrated, never fight, never raise their voices even. Caillou is living the dream in that household.
Around the time I found myself starting to yell at the parents to do something, anything to shut him up, I realized that my kid was picking up this behaviour and adapting it as his own. The last time any of us watched Caillou, was the day my son came into the kitchen and said to my wife, “Give me a cookie!!”, which was a particularly disturbing scene where the Mom inevitably gives in and pays up.
Caillou, you’re on the banned show list, along with Teletubbies and that one where Ernie & Bert fly around in the magic bed??? Seriously, what is that show? I’m pretty sure in the theme song, Bert says “This is kind of kinky”?!
Back on topic. Dear Caillou, until you can get through two consecutive episodes without have a giant whining temper tantrum, my family will be boycotting your show.
Dear Caillou’s parents, grow some balls and punish the kid. He’s running all over you and you just stand there like imbeciles. You’re a cartoon, you can do whatever you want. Please, I’m begging you to do something. I don’t spank my kids but there’s always exceptions to the rule and cartoons seem to be a pretty good exception. Get Er Dun!
What show’s are on your banned list? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Cheers!
I hear ya cluckin’ big chicken! Not only is Calliou annoying, but I think it’s amazingly boring. Ruby and Max isn’t much better. What ever happened to Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry?
Don`t even get me started on Ruby and Max! If you`re going to write a show where the parents are somehow absent from the child`s lives, don`t include a grand mother?!?! Now we know the parents are either dead or a$$holes.
don’t even get me started on max and ruby. she’s a a heifer and someone needs to work with him on his vocabulary – i’ve never heard anything but one word sentences from him.
ps. caillou is gonna get his @ss kicked if his parents don’t step it up and nip that whining and tantrum display in the bud.
Plus, how long can he be 4 years old for?? Cmon man!
LOL my son’s favourite show is Caillou and I feel it gives him a bad example of how to talk and act! Caillou drives me NUTSo!
My son was into it too but I’ve tried to get him excited about other things. I like Imagination Movers and Fresh Beat Band but I’m assuming that’s the musician in me, LOL.
Our daughter is also banned from watching. She also picked up rude behavior. Not really sure why it’s still on the air.
I’m serious, I haven’t seen two episodes in a row without a temper tantrum.
Caillou is one of the first reason with what’s wrong with todays kids. They watched for so long that even parents picked up behaviours from Caillou’s parents.
That means real life household where nobody raise their voice when a child do something bad. Just a calm explanation that won’t change the child behavior and will throw a tantrum again and again.
And it doesn’t get better when they get older, they start assuming that they are entitled to everything, even in school so they don’t work their ass of to learn anything.
Result : lazy kids with no patience…
My son is not even 18 months old yet so he hasnt’t watch a lot of TV yet. I haven’t entered the Caillou phase yet and will most definitly try my best to skip it. However, I can say that a couple kids at his daycare have watched it just by looking at how they act with other people.
LOL! Whenever I hear the theme song start, I run pounce on the remote like a lion and try to change it to anything. I really can’t stand him at all, hahaha.
I have never liked this show. My now 14 year old LOVED it when he was little, and now my youngest has discovered it. He will be 2 in a few weeks and will actually have a tempertantrum screaming “Caillou Caillou” until I put it on for him. Caillou is just a whiny little brat IMO so I have NO clue as to what the kids see in this show! Don’t even get me STARTED on teletubbies! OMG all that show did was teach children to speak gibberish!
The worst though is that awful Yo Gabba Gabba. That guy creeps me out. Seriously, is he’s creepy.
Caillou did that to your 2 year old!! You need to find a way to explain to a toddler that Caillou got canceled and hope you never get caught, LOL.
As for Yo Gabba Gabba, my 2 year old daught loves Brobee but none of the other characters so we put it on every now and then for her. I agree though that the show in general is weird and a little creepy.
They did have one of my favorite bands (The KIllers) on the other day, so that kept my interest at least.
Good Luck with banishing Caillou!!
Yo Gabba Gabba is definitely a show made for kids to watch with their parents. It is a huge cult hit!
Yep, he is banned from our house too! Even my dad says turn him over quick 🙂 Glad we are all in the same boat!
I have to say that I don’t like Caillou but both my kids love him… I don’t allow them to watch him in english but they do watch him in french ( not as whiny ).
Looks like the French are onto something. My son loves him too, if he hears the song playing, I have no answer for him but to let him watch.
LOL I was just having this conversation with someone, my little guy is too little for it, but I have made a note to add it to the “blocked” list on the cable box.
That is a sound choice, LOL.
Wow! You said it! I have never been more irritated by anything in my life… except for maybe my husband… than Caillou. I mean who the hell does he think he is ANYWAYS!? Everytime I see him, or hear his voice I get this terrible urge to bash my head against the wall. My Little man had actually started to adapt the same behaviors and that’s when Caillou was gone forever. AMEN to you!
Is this why my wife accidentally refers to me as Caillou sometimes???
He sure is a whiney child, I don’t watch that show here either..of course I did before. Honestly even my son seemed annoyed by him, I really did think it was a cute show, thought it could be, IF he didn’t whine and disagree with everything in order to get a “lesson” across.
Great read!! 🙂
Thanks! I’ve seen as lot of shows and read a lot of children’s books that got a lesson across without so much whining. I guess at some point the creators just don’t care anymore. It is a widly popular show.
I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I seriously don’t notice Caillou as being whiney when I watch it. Am I nuts?
I HATE Max and Ruby and we change the channel when Toopy and Binou is on. That is the show that both my husband and I loathe.
I’ve banned Caillou or whatever. As well as Barney(I just plain old dont like that show)
Ditto!