The children’s show “Caillou” has officially died. And the parents dance on the “little boy’s” grave.
“Goodbye to @cailloudhx,” PBS Kids said announced in a tweet along with tips “on what to do when your child’s favorite average disappears.”
But it seems that the bald cartoon character was the least favorite animated star among mothers and fathers everywhere, who celebrated online since the news about the cancellation of the show.
“Caillou’s reign of terror is over !!” wrote a relieved spectator on Twitter, while complaints from other Caillou skeptics included that it is still a bootleg Charlie Brown, called it a “Little arm” and “bad.”
Another sober addition“You will not be missed.”
The show aired for the first time in 1997 on Teletoon, and new episodes were released until 2010, after which Caillou’s reruns ran the popular children’s station – until recently.
The 4-year-old perennial child clearly did not win the hearts of the millennial parent set. According to the show’s themed play, Caillou enjoys exploring his fictional world on Pine Street with his parents, friends, grandparents, pets and doll friends. The show included segments to teach young people how to brush their teeth, the days of the week and how to work through anger and quarrels between siblings, with whom the titular character seems to have struggled throughout the five seasons.
“Growing up is not so hard”, I guess when I arrived, sings Caillou in the thematic sequence of the show, which shows throwing toys and pounding his fists on the bathroom floor. Videos circulating online show Caillou pinching Rosie’s sister, and complaining to his mother. Some parents admit that Caillou’s bad behavior on screen led them to ban the Canadian series from home.
“This is the only show he was not allowed to watch,” wrote a mother. Another adult raised with PBS recalled: “This show was banned in my house and many of my friends!”
Caillou was not without his professional critics either. An article in the Canadian newspaper The National Post described Caillou as a “shameless whiner”, adding that toon, “his turn[s] the young spectators of the show in shrill monsters ”.
With the cancellation starting in 2021, parents are relieved to see that Caillou is finally receiving the punishment they think it’s worth it all this time.
Caillou sends the torch to several newer and more popular PBS cartoon characters, including Daniel Tiger, a former supporting character in “Neighborhood Mister Rogers”; Pinkalicious, co-star “Pinkalicious & Peterrific”; and Molly, a 10-year-old protagonist from Alaska in Denali.