Both of my daughters (5 and 2) love the show. They will sit and watch it almost mesmerized. It is great to put on when my wife and I really need to get the kitchen cleaned up. However, since they have been watching it with more regularity, their behavior has changed, and not for the better. They now seem to emulate Calliou's impatience, tantrums, and the lack of please/thank you. It's hard to tell if the show is a cause, but since it's been available on-demand, and with a recent DVD rental, it has been on more frequently, and it seems like it has been a bad influence. As a result, we no longer put it on. While it may ACCURATELY depict how a 4 year old would act, remember that 4 year old's do not behave properly. I've met some. Much like all kids (except yours), they are selfish, defiant, disobedient, and often disrespectful unless taught otherwise. In this show there are no repercussions to Calliou's often bad behavior. I'm no developmental psychologist, nor do I have any kind of interaction with children this young other the one's in my neighborhood. I do believe that it has been a bad influence, and would not recommend prolonged exposure.
134 Reviews
This show is a bad influence!!
savahana16 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I have started noticing that my little brother was starting to refuse to do things that I had asked him to. Then my friends and teammates brought it to my eyes that He was talking different and he was throwing more fits and tantrums. I then realized that Caillou does all the same things my little brother is doing. I personally suggest that if your child watches Caillou and isn't being themselves it is probably the issue. I hope that everyone realizes that this show has a negative impact and not a positive one. I hope that this problem will be fixed because a lot of kids love the show. I personally believe that this show should not be aired until the problem is fixed. My little brother used to count with his fingers and now he is not. This show could effect the way your child learns.
Caillou is unappealing
Aleta_Nook11 February 2016
Caillou is a pre-school show about a little 4-year-old boy and his daily life. The events are typical of everyday life from having siblings born to eating food you don't like, to having rough days. It's typical in every kid's life but the kid can react harshly to them. Now, when I was 4, I was a sweet kid, which most 4 year olds typically are until they grow older where they may become brats.
Caillou is a rude boy who lies, picks on his sister, and says naughty words (picked up by someone), which is basically things I don't like to see little kids doing nor understand. These days, kids are more mature than they should be. Despite contrary belief that 4 year olds are rude, this boy can do and say things that makes him a mean person. Rosie is two years old, who also cries, does things she is told not to do, and ruins Caillou's playtime, whom I also don't like and is forgettable.
So, why is he named Caillou anyway? Why is he bald? The story is uninteresting, it just shows typical days and maybe even with friends and disapproval. The drawings and animation is bad.
And I forgot to mention the mom and dad, who do nothing to punish Caillou nor help him out, which every kid gets when misbehaved. The opening is unrealistic, none of the kids in the framing device are even interesting, and voice acting done for Rosie doesn't even sound like a toddler. I wasn't even that interested in the show when I was little.
Avoid this, especially if you do not like little kids misbehaving.
Caillou is a rude boy who lies, picks on his sister, and says naughty words (picked up by someone), which is basically things I don't like to see little kids doing nor understand. These days, kids are more mature than they should be. Despite contrary belief that 4 year olds are rude, this boy can do and say things that makes him a mean person. Rosie is two years old, who also cries, does things she is told not to do, and ruins Caillou's playtime, whom I also don't like and is forgettable.
So, why is he named Caillou anyway? Why is he bald? The story is uninteresting, it just shows typical days and maybe even with friends and disapproval. The drawings and animation is bad.
And I forgot to mention the mom and dad, who do nothing to punish Caillou nor help him out, which every kid gets when misbehaved. The opening is unrealistic, none of the kids in the framing device are even interesting, and voice acting done for Rosie doesn't even sound like a toddler. I wasn't even that interested in the show when I was little.
Avoid this, especially if you do not like little kids misbehaving.
Whiny Stinkbomb
titus22711 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This show is horrible for a variety of reasons, most notably, Caillou's consistent unacceptable behavior. I actually signed on today specifically to write this negative review of the show and after reading the other comments, I think I know why my son has been whining non stop and throwing tantrums. Let's take it one at a time.
The writing is bad. The characters in the show say everything in the absolute simplest terms that it can be said, and then they will repeat it a couple of times and then the narrator will reiterate the point, just in case you missed it. Caillou, at times, seems completely unrealistic with the frequency and intensity of his bad behavior, ironically, often due to his own actions. (the famous episode in which Caillou thinks today is circus day.) This show is written as if it is a reality show or is somehow otherwise unscripted. In many episodes, the progression of the story is not linear or is completely broken, the two halves of the show not relating to each other. Lastly, much of Caillou's behavior goes unpunished, consistently leaving loose ends at the end of an episode.
The animation is worse. All of the characters are poorly drawn and the 'lines' with which they are drawn are 'Chunky', varying in width, like a bad pen that lightens, darkens and bleeds unexpectedly while drawing. The pallet is much too 'baby' oriented. These colors are what adults think of when a woman is decorating a nursery, not what the palette of an entire show. The backgrounds are almost never completely filled in, giving the impression that either the work was rushed, sloppy, done by a lazy man, or that Caillou's entire life is a dream. I have seen entire backgrounds that consisted of a blue block-like shape with rounded corners. The movement by most characters in most situations is extremely clunky and when objects in Caillou's world are manipulated, they quite often ignore the laws of physics.
The behavior is the absolute worst. Everyone in this show is a douche bag. Caillou is ALWAYS whining about something and often throwing tantrums, yelling, breaking things on occasion, and doing pretty much every unacceptable behavior that you can think of. His parents act like they are on Valium all the time. They often take no notice at all that Caillou is acting out in any way and NEVER punish him or take any action that might result in a lesson being learned. They are so aloof, in fact, that in one episode, the father leaves his 2 yr old on the changing table and exits the room completely, leaving the child unattended on top of the table. Rosie, Caillou's 2 yr old sister, seems to have a better grasp on the language than Caillou and throws less tantrums, however, she does throw objects and food at people, yell, scream, fight with her brother.
Basically, the average 'plan' for the episode is something happens, Caillou responds by acting out, his parents ignore his behavior and a couple minutes from the end, Caillou gets what he has been wanting the entire episode. The problem is that 4 yr-olds do not relate to Caillou the way the writers think they do. Rather, they imitate Caillou's behavior as he spends the majority of the episode trying for a goal and then acting out with every setback. The children don't follow the show close enough to really grasp the plot devices, so they see a kid whining and throwing a fit for 20 min and then getting what he wanted.
HORRIBLE SHOW all the way around.
The writing is bad. The characters in the show say everything in the absolute simplest terms that it can be said, and then they will repeat it a couple of times and then the narrator will reiterate the point, just in case you missed it. Caillou, at times, seems completely unrealistic with the frequency and intensity of his bad behavior, ironically, often due to his own actions. (the famous episode in which Caillou thinks today is circus day.) This show is written as if it is a reality show or is somehow otherwise unscripted. In many episodes, the progression of the story is not linear or is completely broken, the two halves of the show not relating to each other. Lastly, much of Caillou's behavior goes unpunished, consistently leaving loose ends at the end of an episode.
The animation is worse. All of the characters are poorly drawn and the 'lines' with which they are drawn are 'Chunky', varying in width, like a bad pen that lightens, darkens and bleeds unexpectedly while drawing. The pallet is much too 'baby' oriented. These colors are what adults think of when a woman is decorating a nursery, not what the palette of an entire show. The backgrounds are almost never completely filled in, giving the impression that either the work was rushed, sloppy, done by a lazy man, or that Caillou's entire life is a dream. I have seen entire backgrounds that consisted of a blue block-like shape with rounded corners. The movement by most characters in most situations is extremely clunky and when objects in Caillou's world are manipulated, they quite often ignore the laws of physics.
The behavior is the absolute worst. Everyone in this show is a douche bag. Caillou is ALWAYS whining about something and often throwing tantrums, yelling, breaking things on occasion, and doing pretty much every unacceptable behavior that you can think of. His parents act like they are on Valium all the time. They often take no notice at all that Caillou is acting out in any way and NEVER punish him or take any action that might result in a lesson being learned. They are so aloof, in fact, that in one episode, the father leaves his 2 yr old on the changing table and exits the room completely, leaving the child unattended on top of the table. Rosie, Caillou's 2 yr old sister, seems to have a better grasp on the language than Caillou and throws less tantrums, however, she does throw objects and food at people, yell, scream, fight with her brother.
Basically, the average 'plan' for the episode is something happens, Caillou responds by acting out, his parents ignore his behavior and a couple minutes from the end, Caillou gets what he has been wanting the entire episode. The problem is that 4 yr-olds do not relate to Caillou the way the writers think they do. Rather, they imitate Caillou's behavior as he spends the majority of the episode trying for a goal and then acting out with every setback. The children don't follow the show close enough to really grasp the plot devices, so they see a kid whining and throwing a fit for 20 min and then getting what he wanted.
HORRIBLE SHOW all the way around.
How the heck did this get on TV?
michaellaffey86823 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Like seriously Jesus Christ.... How did this piece of crap get on TV on PBS Kids? If you want me to be honest, there probably could be other shows for preschoolers that are worse, but let me tell you something this might be the absolute worst TV show for preschoolers in the history of television. If there worse, please do me a favor and don't let me know.
I've seen Peppa Pig, Lazytown, Dino Dan, Oobi, Dora The Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Wiggles, Go Diego Go, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, Max & Ruby, Tickety Toc, The Fresh Beat Band, Teletubbies, and Barney the purple annoying dinosaur (and You thought Barney was worse enough) CAILLOU TAKES THE CAKE! I am not even kidding... This show is even worse than Barney!
Caillou's parents always seem to let him get in their way like a doormat. The parents don't even seem to really give a crap about their kids at all.
Their was this one episode where Caillou's little sister Rosie kept on bothering him and then Caillou goes tell his mother. The mom says "I am busy! Maybe Rosie just wants to play with you", Caillou then says "But I don't want to play with her!". Caillou's mom then says "Caillou I'm busy! I cannot be solving your problems all the time! You and Rosie need to learn to work out your own problems!" Caillou then yells "NO WE CAN'T!".
Are you kidding me.... What the heck is this? Is this a preschool show or some sort of cliché reality show? Most of the episodes are written like it is a reality show, rather than a preschool show.
To make it even worse in the episode where Caillou is still being bothered by Rosie, she comes into Caillou's room when he wants to be alone while reading his book, he then kicks her out of the room and then she starts banging on the door and starts crying. Caillou's mom then knocks on the door and asks "Did you made Rosie cry?" and Caillou replies with a no. Then what do you think the mother does? She shrugs and picks up Rosie and then she leaves...
Caillou is such a liar and his mother believes that her son did not made Rosie cry. What the hell.....
There was also an episode where Caillou is tired of being a big boy and decides to behave like a baby because he says his sister Rosie gets all the luck and doesn't even have to clean up. The mother then says "Okay if you want to behave like a baby then fine go ahead!". You know? If I decided to behave like a baby when I was a kid my mother wouldn't let me do anything like play video games or go to the movies. Caillou's parents are seriously careless... Its like they never even heard of Supernanny! They sure do need her!
But now for the worst episode of the whole show. The infamous episode "Caillou Joins the Circus". In this episode, when Caillou got all dressed and brushed his teeth, his dad comes in and is proud of him (Which is alright, after all getting dressed by yourself and brushing your teeth by yourself when you are little is a pretty good sign to show that you are growing up) until..... When Caillou says "I don't want to be late for the circus" Caillou didn't realize that the circus was actually supposed to come tomorrow. His dad then says "Oh no Caillou that's not today! The circus is not until tomorrow" and then what happens? Caillou gets all upset and yells "NO ITS TODAY I GOT ALL DRESSED ITS TODAY!!!!!" and then throws himself on the floor throwing a fit and even woke up his sister Rosie.
The dad didn't even told Caillou to go to his room and told him that you are grounded or anything!!
What kind of preschool show is this? Is this even for preschoolers? I swear whoever created this show, I bet he/she had witnessed some messed up stuff as a child.
The animation is awful (Max & Ruby which was somewhat similar to Caillou had better animation than this) The backgrounds are murky and very sloppy, they look so fake when you look at them!
Believe it or not, Caillou's voice makes The Wonder Pets sound like a Celtic Woman song.
The background music is alright but not very inspiring, in fact some of the background music sounds like a sick elephant trying to blow its nose into a tuba.
If you want me to be honest with you, I know you people have seen many bad preschool shows before but no, let me tell you. THIS SHOW MIGHT BE THE #1 WORST PRESCHOOL SHOW EVER CREATED IN TELEVISION HISTORY!
You know what? If I actually went on vacation with my kids and at the hotel, we were only allow to watch either Caillou or Barney, I would certainly choose Barney. Barney might be an annoying pile of sh*t but at least he doesn't throw temper tantrums or inspire horrible ideas to help our children think that its okay to get our own way all the time. I am not kidding you guys. Caillou is much, much, much, much, much worse than Barney or any other horrible preschool show in the world!
The fact that Caillou is telling our children that its okay to break the rules, and whine to your parents all the time, pretty much means, that this is really where the real hellhole is in this show.
But if you would love your child to become spoiled and rotten and throw temper tantrums all the time and yell at you all the time, then you can let him/her watch the show.
I've seen Peppa Pig, Lazytown, Dino Dan, Oobi, Dora The Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba, The Wiggles, Go Diego Go, Ni Hao, Kai-Lan, Max & Ruby, Tickety Toc, The Fresh Beat Band, Teletubbies, and Barney the purple annoying dinosaur (and You thought Barney was worse enough) CAILLOU TAKES THE CAKE! I am not even kidding... This show is even worse than Barney!
Caillou's parents always seem to let him get in their way like a doormat. The parents don't even seem to really give a crap about their kids at all.
Their was this one episode where Caillou's little sister Rosie kept on bothering him and then Caillou goes tell his mother. The mom says "I am busy! Maybe Rosie just wants to play with you", Caillou then says "But I don't want to play with her!". Caillou's mom then says "Caillou I'm busy! I cannot be solving your problems all the time! You and Rosie need to learn to work out your own problems!" Caillou then yells "NO WE CAN'T!".
Are you kidding me.... What the heck is this? Is this a preschool show or some sort of cliché reality show? Most of the episodes are written like it is a reality show, rather than a preschool show.
To make it even worse in the episode where Caillou is still being bothered by Rosie, she comes into Caillou's room when he wants to be alone while reading his book, he then kicks her out of the room and then she starts banging on the door and starts crying. Caillou's mom then knocks on the door and asks "Did you made Rosie cry?" and Caillou replies with a no. Then what do you think the mother does? She shrugs and picks up Rosie and then she leaves...
Caillou is such a liar and his mother believes that her son did not made Rosie cry. What the hell.....
There was also an episode where Caillou is tired of being a big boy and decides to behave like a baby because he says his sister Rosie gets all the luck and doesn't even have to clean up. The mother then says "Okay if you want to behave like a baby then fine go ahead!". You know? If I decided to behave like a baby when I was a kid my mother wouldn't let me do anything like play video games or go to the movies. Caillou's parents are seriously careless... Its like they never even heard of Supernanny! They sure do need her!
But now for the worst episode of the whole show. The infamous episode "Caillou Joins the Circus". In this episode, when Caillou got all dressed and brushed his teeth, his dad comes in and is proud of him (Which is alright, after all getting dressed by yourself and brushing your teeth by yourself when you are little is a pretty good sign to show that you are growing up) until..... When Caillou says "I don't want to be late for the circus" Caillou didn't realize that the circus was actually supposed to come tomorrow. His dad then says "Oh no Caillou that's not today! The circus is not until tomorrow" and then what happens? Caillou gets all upset and yells "NO ITS TODAY I GOT ALL DRESSED ITS TODAY!!!!!" and then throws himself on the floor throwing a fit and even woke up his sister Rosie.
The dad didn't even told Caillou to go to his room and told him that you are grounded or anything!!
What kind of preschool show is this? Is this even for preschoolers? I swear whoever created this show, I bet he/she had witnessed some messed up stuff as a child.
The animation is awful (Max & Ruby which was somewhat similar to Caillou had better animation than this) The backgrounds are murky and very sloppy, they look so fake when you look at them!
Believe it or not, Caillou's voice makes The Wonder Pets sound like a Celtic Woman song.
The background music is alright but not very inspiring, in fact some of the background music sounds like a sick elephant trying to blow its nose into a tuba.
If you want me to be honest with you, I know you people have seen many bad preschool shows before but no, let me tell you. THIS SHOW MIGHT BE THE #1 WORST PRESCHOOL SHOW EVER CREATED IN TELEVISION HISTORY!
You know what? If I actually went on vacation with my kids and at the hotel, we were only allow to watch either Caillou or Barney, I would certainly choose Barney. Barney might be an annoying pile of sh*t but at least he doesn't throw temper tantrums or inspire horrible ideas to help our children think that its okay to get our own way all the time. I am not kidding you guys. Caillou is much, much, much, much, much worse than Barney or any other horrible preschool show in the world!
The fact that Caillou is telling our children that its okay to break the rules, and whine to your parents all the time, pretty much means, that this is really where the real hellhole is in this show.
But if you would love your child to become spoiled and rotten and throw temper tantrums all the time and yell at you all the time, then you can let him/her watch the show.
Spoiled bratty child who acts like a baby
schultzclan68 August 2006
I hate to sound so harsh, but it must be said that Caillou has had one of the worst influences on children I have ever seen. Caillou is a 4 year old bald child who is very spoiled by his parents. They spoil him so much, that when they tell him to wait, he breaks out into a tantrum and begins to cry and scream "I want this now!" Honestly, this is something you would expect from a 2 year old child. The parents don't ever get mad at him nor do they teach any good manners. Instead they give him what he wants almost like a reward and he yells "Yay!", then plays like a little baby.He also has a baby sister Rosie, who is pretty bratty too, but she is little so I can understand. The 2 dimensional cartoon's animation is very, very bad. Pictures are drawn sloppily and appears very fake.
Let me close with this as proof that this show is a bad influence. I have a 4 year old brother. Like most 2 year old, he used to break out into tantrums. Then he began to watch Caillou. The only thing that he has matured in his speech. He still has temper tantrums and is a crybaby for a child his age. I recommend this to a to-be parent that wants to know how NOT to raise a child. As far as children go, don't let them watch this. You'll have a brat on your hands in the near future. Put on The Wiggles.
Let me close with this as proof that this show is a bad influence. I have a 4 year old brother. Like most 2 year old, he used to break out into tantrums. Then he began to watch Caillou. The only thing that he has matured in his speech. He still has temper tantrums and is a crybaby for a child his age. I recommend this to a to-be parent that wants to know how NOT to raise a child. As far as children go, don't let them watch this. You'll have a brat on your hands in the near future. Put on The Wiggles.
This show has been banned from my house!
juli-bachorski22 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Oh man, where to begin? First of all, my 2 1/2 year old was incredibly sweet before watching this show. I know a lot of people are saying "I have a hard time believing that a child could be affected so much by a TV show." This IS the case with my daughter. She has been watching the Sprout channel and this is the ONLY show that showcases a whining child with parents who seldom discipline him and let him get away with REALLY bad behavior. We have recently banned this in our home for the following reasons: If I hear my daughter say "That's mine!" "Give it back!" "NO!" "You can't play with it!" "But I don't want to!" "But MOOMMMMYYYYY!" "It's YOUR fault!" or "I want it!" again, I'm going to lose my mind. These are phrases that are NOT used in our house. Caillou says at least two of these in EVERY episode. She also throws herself on the ground, kicking and screaming, in typical Caillou fashion....which you should google if you haven't heard it. It's extremely unique and annoying. I don't care if that is how 4 year olds really act. I don't care if it's "real." My daughter sees him act this way, and since this is her favorite show and he is her role model, repeats it. He is the very definition of a bad influence. The target audience is preschool...so WHY WHY WHY would this show feature a whiny brat when the group of kids watching is comprised of little sponges?! Children this age are SO impressionable...so why let them watch something that could potentially set them up for thinking they can have everything they demand? While this show has taught my kid some cute things (about magic tricks and subways), the good does NOT outweigh the bad. I am now working REALLY hard to repair the damage that this show has done to my daughter. I seriously regret being tolerant of his rudeness for the sake of my daughter's entertainment. This was her favorite show. This is the worst kid's show I've ever seen!
What this kid needs is a good long spanking
jediforce1029 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
If you want a show that teaches good morals and is a great role model for kids, then you better avoid this show then. Caillou is as irritating and bad as you can get with a kid's show. The main character, Caillou, is not what I'd call a role model. All he does throughout EVERY episode is whine and complain about everything. He's always wanting something and is so demanding about what he wants. He constantly misbehaves to everyone, including his own parents, and he even goes out of his way to hurt his younger sister, Rosie. It doesn't help that the parents are so lax on how they discipline Caillou and never punish him for doing something wrong.
In one episode, Caillou pinches Rosie, who's a newborn baby, and she starts to cry in pain. What does the dad do? He takes her away and doesn't scold, lecture, or punish Caillou of any wrongdoing. I don't know about any of you, but if I did that to my cousin when he was a baby, I'd get into a lot of trouble.
Another example is how Caillou whines about Rosie having his Teddy shirt since it no longer fits him. He yells at his mom, demands it back, and throws a fit over this. The mom does nothing at all to punish him for how he yelled at her. She even apologizes to Caillou for taking the shirt like as if it's her fault. What she should've done is punish Caillou for all the back talk he did to her and for being so rude to her. Again, if I did this as a child, I'd get into trouble.
By far though the worse thing had to be the fact that in one episode, Caillou was going to the circus, but when he learned it was tomorrow, he threw a big temper tantrum, talks back to his dad, yells at his dad, and throws a big fit. Again, no punishment or repercussions occur as a result and Caillou is let off the hook.
In fact, most of the time, Caillou's parents GIVE him what he wants and ultimately spoil him. What kids learn is that doing these bad behaviors make them think they won't get into trouble and frustrates parents when their child suddenly acts this way. They don't learn any moral or anything, they act up and think their parents will give them what they want.
And as if the bad morals, annoying main character, and terrible parents aren't bad enough, there's this Grandmother who acts as a narrator in all the stories and constantly tells us what Caillou was feeling. Do they think kids don't know when somebody looks upset or sad? Seriously, why have this narrator around when all she does is tell us how Caillou or the rest of the characters are feeling?
The artwork is very poorly done in this show. The sets and characters are terribly designed and look very sloppy. There's also this white border around each scene. There's also so much white in the show. It's dull, lifeless, and lazy. Where's the color? Not to mention that everything looks so sloppy and poorly thought out.Honestly, the artwork looks very rushed and unfinished in many areas. Did the artists not have time to complete the pictures? The animation in general is sloppy as well and has several glaring inconsistencies.
Now to be fair, the ONLY and I mean ONLY good thing in this show were the puppet segments since they were somewhat entertaining. Unfortunately they've been replaced by terrible musical shorts that are horrible and not catchy in the least bit.
But unless you want a spoiled and rotten child who will make you miserable and frustrated, then don't let them see Caillou at all.
In one episode, Caillou pinches Rosie, who's a newborn baby, and she starts to cry in pain. What does the dad do? He takes her away and doesn't scold, lecture, or punish Caillou of any wrongdoing. I don't know about any of you, but if I did that to my cousin when he was a baby, I'd get into a lot of trouble.
Another example is how Caillou whines about Rosie having his Teddy shirt since it no longer fits him. He yells at his mom, demands it back, and throws a fit over this. The mom does nothing at all to punish him for how he yelled at her. She even apologizes to Caillou for taking the shirt like as if it's her fault. What she should've done is punish Caillou for all the back talk he did to her and for being so rude to her. Again, if I did this as a child, I'd get into trouble.
By far though the worse thing had to be the fact that in one episode, Caillou was going to the circus, but when he learned it was tomorrow, he threw a big temper tantrum, talks back to his dad, yells at his dad, and throws a big fit. Again, no punishment or repercussions occur as a result and Caillou is let off the hook.
In fact, most of the time, Caillou's parents GIVE him what he wants and ultimately spoil him. What kids learn is that doing these bad behaviors make them think they won't get into trouble and frustrates parents when their child suddenly acts this way. They don't learn any moral or anything, they act up and think their parents will give them what they want.
And as if the bad morals, annoying main character, and terrible parents aren't bad enough, there's this Grandmother who acts as a narrator in all the stories and constantly tells us what Caillou was feeling. Do they think kids don't know when somebody looks upset or sad? Seriously, why have this narrator around when all she does is tell us how Caillou or the rest of the characters are feeling?
The artwork is very poorly done in this show. The sets and characters are terribly designed and look very sloppy. There's also this white border around each scene. There's also so much white in the show. It's dull, lifeless, and lazy. Where's the color? Not to mention that everything looks so sloppy and poorly thought out.Honestly, the artwork looks very rushed and unfinished in many areas. Did the artists not have time to complete the pictures? The animation in general is sloppy as well and has several glaring inconsistencies.
Now to be fair, the ONLY and I mean ONLY good thing in this show were the puppet segments since they were somewhat entertaining. Unfortunately they've been replaced by terrible musical shorts that are horrible and not catchy in the least bit.
But unless you want a spoiled and rotten child who will make you miserable and frustrated, then don't let them see Caillou at all.
PBS should be ashamed.
naugy_trix20 November 2001
My daughter is not allowed to watch this show anymore. Caillou is the biggest brat. He is constantly whining and disobeying. Granted, his parents do correct him eventually, but they are like flower children from hell themselves. My daughter, after watching a couple episodes, started acting like Caillou - whining, calling people "stupid".... So we don't watch this show anymore. I can't believe this show was up to PBS standards. I think they need to reevaluate their program guidelines.
More realistic then most kid's shows
sitonpickle17 May 2011
Cailou is a TV show that's for kids 5 and younger, about a 4 year old boy as he explores the world in the eyes of a young child. Cailou is one of the few shows in this genre that defines fantasy and reality the right way. Cailou doesn't cross the lines of implausibility and takes events that really do happen in childhood. There's also a sense of innocence in Cailou's life that adults can relate to and remember their childhood days. Like the days when the worst thing in your life was not getting the cookie before dinner.
Cailou's adventures involve episodes that deal with friendship. For example, one episode has Cailou trying to get along with a kid a little larger then him, he gets upset at him breaking his stuff. This works because Cailou learns a valuable lesson in the end, and nothing feels forced. Some people say that Cailou is a bratty child who isn't the right role model. This is beyond untrue. Every episode has Cailou usually getting upset, crying or throwing a tantrum over something, but in the end learns a lesson that kids can relate to.
The show is narrated well to suit the lessons, which usually consist of lines like "Cailou was angry that Andra had broken his chair, but when he saw the cut on his hand, he felt sorry for him" or "Cailou was so excited about the race, that he didn't notice Leo was hurt".
Cailou's adventures involve episodes that deal with friendship. For example, one episode has Cailou trying to get along with a kid a little larger then him, he gets upset at him breaking his stuff. This works because Cailou learns a valuable lesson in the end, and nothing feels forced. Some people say that Cailou is a bratty child who isn't the right role model. This is beyond untrue. Every episode has Cailou usually getting upset, crying or throwing a tantrum over something, but in the end learns a lesson that kids can relate to.
The show is narrated well to suit the lessons, which usually consist of lines like "Cailou was angry that Andra had broken his chair, but when he saw the cut on his hand, he felt sorry for him" or "Cailou was so excited about the race, that he didn't notice Leo was hurt".
Should not be shown to kids...
flamingvampire512 October 2019
Seriously?! This show has a freaking terrible influence on kids. My niece was obsessed with this show and would throw tantrums and act out if you didn't put it on for her. She would act like Caillou all the time and be a brat and whine a lot. Even with her parents putting her on timeouts and giving appropriate punishments she would still act out every time she watched the show. When we had her watching other shows she never acted that way. I watched the show myself (several excruciating episodes) and I found it to have very bad influential instances, and it was often "silently" racist... I can't believe they ever aired this show on PBS... If I could give this show a zero rating I would... Whoever wrote/created this show must be clueless about parenting among many other things. I can see from reading the other reviews that a lot of people noticed the same things I did, so why didn't the people screening the show notice all of this terrible crap and halt the production? Freaking garbage show, man...
Caillou: Modern Masterpiece
iveyswintpartthesequel30 May 2014
Listen up, you haters. It's time to bow down before Caillou's bald head. Caillou is transcendent, it will stand the test of time whilst inferior shows, like Twin Peaks, fade into obscurity. Caillou is gripping, empowering, and at times, heartbreaking. Caillou serves as a monument to man's mortality in a post 9/11 world. I think we can all see something of ourselves in his worldly, jaded endeavors. It is a rare event that a show like Caillou comes along. The only show to match it since, to even come close to achieving its greatness, is Charlie Sheen's surrealist wonderland, Two and a Half Men. Caillou is the Kanye West of TV shows. It is the be all, end all. Omar from the wire says, "Caillou comin'!" - Diego Montoya
Meh it was alright.
xanman-3593330 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Of course Caillou is whining and crying and being a brat for the first 3 seasons of this show also Caillou's voice was annoying in Season 2 but his voice was better starting in Season 3 and his behavior was getting better starting in The Christmas Special in 2003. The only problem I have trouble with in the first 3 seasons was his brattyness, a brat to his sister Rosie and Crying Over The Circus Being Tomorrow Instead Of Today! OMG! I'm fine with The Last 2 seasons the only problem is the crappy flash animation! Come on Arthur makes better animation than Caillou anyways I'm ok with this show so I say a 6/10.
Annoying and a REALLY bad example for kids
beeryusa22 January 2008
As a 45 year-old parent of a 4 year-old daughter I must say I have to agree with some other reviewers here - this show is terrible. I guess the developers of this show fail to understand that 4 year-olds will see Caillou as a role model and they do not get the character arc. So when Caillou is being whiny or ungrateful and he learns how to behave in the last few minutes of the show, what kids remember is the whininess, not the lesson.
Caillou is a horrible show that teaches kids how not to behave. My daughter actually started to behave much worse after being exposed to this show than she did before seeing it. At one point she even copied Caillou's style of tantrum - where he falls on the floor and kicks his legs while crying - on one level that was amusing but it was clear that our daughter was using the show to learn very bad behaviour. Thanks to the title lock on our DVR this show is now blocked and our daughter has once again become the sweet, well-mannered and happy 4 year-old she was before she saw Caillou.
Caillou is a horrible show that teaches kids how not to behave. My daughter actually started to behave much worse after being exposed to this show than she did before seeing it. At one point she even copied Caillou's style of tantrum - where he falls on the floor and kicks his legs while crying - on one level that was amusing but it was clear that our daughter was using the show to learn very bad behaviour. Thanks to the title lock on our DVR this show is now blocked and our daughter has once again become the sweet, well-mannered and happy 4 year-old she was before she saw Caillou.
Make it stop
kaipi-120 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I am severely angered by this show. It is quite possibly the worse show that PBS has ever aired.
Quite possibly the worst thing about it is that kids idolize that little bowling ball headed brat. All he does is whine about anything that happens. I honestly can't see how it teaches anything but, "Whaah Rosy hit me, mommy!" After seeing, probably a minute of this crap I was smashing my head against the wall trying to make it leave but they just don't make ear plugs powerful enough to cancel out that whiny little monster. I actually had to V-Chip PBS for a few months until this show could be forgotten.
Quite possibly the worst thing about it is that kids idolize that little bowling ball headed brat. All he does is whine about anything that happens. I honestly can't see how it teaches anything but, "Whaah Rosy hit me, mommy!" After seeing, probably a minute of this crap I was smashing my head against the wall trying to make it leave but they just don't make ear plugs powerful enough to cancel out that whiny little monster. I actually had to V-Chip PBS for a few months until this show could be forgotten.
Cailou is a very bad kid!
pattypattyzap17 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This show is a mind poisoner. My 5 year old was a polite kid who respected orders and obeyed me. He even took his own shower, and smelt like the best thing ever! Until one day, he watched Caillou. He watched it over and over, and when I heard the word stupid, I ran to the TV to turn it off. I said that it was a bad show to watch, because it said stupid! Then he screamed in my face. He has not done that since he was 1 years old! What happened? Barney taught him caring, my little pony taught him friendship, Dora taught him new language, and all Caillou taught him was to throw fits! But why? I experimented him. I banned the show for about 2 months, and he was a nice little kid, and I made him watch it again. 2 weeks later, he noticed a wheel popped off of his car, like Caillou's car. Then he slammed on the floor, woke my 2 year old baby up, and broke the flower vase! I watched Cailou since I wanted to know how. It was terrible! He threw a fit, and next thing you know, he gets whatever he wants! His baby sister is 2x younger, and is more mature. Caillou pinched Rosie, and his parents did not care! Rosie was in extreme pain. Cailou shows kids that whatever you do, you will not get in trouble. I had to block this show from him, and he became my little sweetie pie! Do not let your kids watch it! It's mind poison!
Caillou's voice is like Chinese water torture
Bobo-2817 August 2001
The little boy, Caillou, teaches children about growing up effectively enough; this without any unpleasant stuff to go along with it like many children's shows that have either unpleasant content (Cow & Chicken) or empty content (Zoom).
Some such shows contantly have things in them parents don't find appropriate whatsoever, yet I cannot object with any of the shows content. It is excellent in that regard.
My only complaint is that Caillou's voice is Chinese water torture. Maybe it's just me, and it strikes a chord that makes me wince, however I do not think that this is the case, as my dog and cats sometimes leave the room (in a full run) when my niece is watching this show.
Some such shows contantly have things in them parents don't find appropriate whatsoever, yet I cannot object with any of the shows content. It is excellent in that regard.
My only complaint is that Caillou's voice is Chinese water torture. Maybe it's just me, and it strikes a chord that makes me wince, however I do not think that this is the case, as my dog and cats sometimes leave the room (in a full run) when my niece is watching this show.
If you ever needed a reason to stay a virgin...
SnowLeopardMaster16 May 2018
Trying to convince your family that you don't want kids? Here's all the evidence you need: Kids watch Caillou. And Caillou, as it turns out, is absolute GARBAGE!!
Sure, kids seem to love it, but for anybody older than five years old, the show is downright painful to watch. DON'T SHOW THIS TO CHILDREN!!! THEY WILL ENJOY THIS SHOW, AND YOU WILL BE FORCED TO PUT UP WITH IT FOR YEARS!! YEARS I TELL YOU!!
Sure, kids seem to love it, but for anybody older than five years old, the show is downright painful to watch. DON'T SHOW THIS TO CHILDREN!!! THEY WILL ENJOY THIS SHOW, AND YOU WILL BE FORCED TO PUT UP WITH IT FOR YEARS!! YEARS I TELL YOU!!
Caillou is vile evil brat from hell
Johnny_West7 January 2021
My little nephew started watching this show, and began imitating Caillou's annoying voice almost immediately. Then he started complaining about everything, and throwing temper tantrums like Caillou. The next week, he killed his kitten, stabbing it while singing "bad cat" in Caillou's voice.
Once we stopped all access to Caillou, and took the boy to see a therapist, his gradually returned to what had been his normal self. The therapist was the one who told us that Caillou had a bad influence on the child. My brother and his wife regret ever letting the boy watch Caillou. They thought because it was PBS, it would have positive messages for young children. They were wrong.
Once we stopped all access to Caillou, and took the boy to see a therapist, his gradually returned to what had been his normal self. The therapist was the one who told us that Caillou had a bad influence on the child. My brother and his wife regret ever letting the boy watch Caillou. They thought because it was PBS, it would have positive messages for young children. They were wrong.
my review of this garbage
nathanelmer3 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Terrible. Calliou is a brat who cries and throws fits.... on television! I mean here are 5 things wrong with this show: 1:terrible animation 2:calliou is a brat. 3:this is on TV 4: annoying theme song/narration 5:pretty much every thing else.
This teaches kids to act like spoiled babies who never get in trouble and get to eat Mcdonalds after-wards. This,like somebody said, is why no one edits stuff anymore. I mean,the animation is sloppy and rushed,the voice acting is bad and calliou acts like some brat who has no respect for anything! He acts like some baby! stay far far away from this. no stars for me. Remove this show,Pbs.
This teaches kids to act like spoiled babies who never get in trouble and get to eat Mcdonalds after-wards. This,like somebody said, is why no one edits stuff anymore. I mean,the animation is sloppy and rushed,the voice acting is bad and calliou acts like some brat who has no respect for anything! He acts like some baby! stay far far away from this. no stars for me. Remove this show,Pbs.
That bad?
GibsonJ4522 November 2010
The negative reviews here are surprisingly harsh and undeserved. Do they really think that this one television show is causing their child to be whiny, spoiled brats? Please.
Caillou is a sweet show that presents the world from a 4-year old's perspective. It's completely harmless and the vivid colors, loving family, and grandmotherly narration are far superior to much of what's out there now (Dirt Girl World? Monkey See Monkey Do? Rubberdubbers?) The sensitive portrayal of different ethnic groups are an additional plus.
For us, nothing surpasses Sesame Street for sheer quality. Calliou isn't in that league, but it's not as bad as some here have suggested.
Caillou is a sweet show that presents the world from a 4-year old's perspective. It's completely harmless and the vivid colors, loving family, and grandmotherly narration are far superior to much of what's out there now (Dirt Girl World? Monkey See Monkey Do? Rubberdubbers?) The sensitive portrayal of different ethnic groups are an additional plus.
For us, nothing surpasses Sesame Street for sheer quality. Calliou isn't in that league, but it's not as bad as some here have suggested.
Caillou is a little brat!
zachary-6519012 March 2017
Caillou is the biggest brat he has fits when he doesn't get his way I have a 3 year old sister who watches this show she watches other shows like Sofia the First and that show is fine she has manners cares about more people then herself but caillou only cares about himself he is spoiled and he treats everyone like garbage if he doesn't like them. This episode I just so happened to stumble upon an old man gives caillou cookies and caillou takes them and starts eating them like he was dying not even saying thank you to the man he's with his grandmother who doesn't even tell the little brat to say thank you if your a parent don't let your child watch this show if you do be warned this show is full of garbage. Check out this video of him being a brat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_YlL3sfTl8 Or this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsvlDVNtiJ8
I want y'all to remember. His dad said "we're going to the circus tomorrow". He didn't say "we're not going at all"! He didn't even say "we're going next week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsvlDVNtiJ8
I want y'all to remember. His dad said "we're going to the circus tomorrow". He didn't say "we're not going at all"! He didn't even say "we're going next week
In Defense Of Caillou
zsofikam1 September 2016
If you mention Caillou to a group of random people who are neither close to young kids nor young kids themselves, they may still enjoy it but they also may go on and on about how annoying it is. Do I find it annoying? Quite the contrary, I think it's cute. If you're really worried about Caillou's whining, I suggest watching the episodes where he's wearing a yellow shirt as opposed to a grey one since he's a bit more mature in the yellow shirt episodes. My thoughts? In all honesty, I greatly enjoy this little show that shows experiences ranging from the everyday to the exciting, all from the perspective of a child. There is one, ONE, episode where he throws an all-out tantrum with kicking and screaming and that's the circus episode. I've also seen some complaints about the animation and while it's not up to the standards of Disney, Studio Ghibli, or Don Bluth I don't think it's that bad. Plus, the show deals quite well with things like patience, fear of the dark, being a good friend, being a good sibling, etc. What stands out to me about Caillou is his kindness, his ability to get along with others, and the gentle way his parents nurture him and Rosie. So yes, I like this show, it's very nice.
Make the hate stop please.
yaakoubskander21 March 2022
Look, i know that you don't want your child to be spoiled, but this hate has gone way too far now. But please stop this it's not gonna help. I know the show got canceled but what about i'm going to tell you now is not reasonable.
So, you hate seeing spoiled children throwing a tantrum and complaining. Right? Well, this is what you are doing right now. You are whining and complaining about the spoiled child when the spoiled child is whining. And this proves that you are a hypocrite. Also, don't let your kids watch caillou season one and season 2. Let your kids watch caillou saeson 3, 4, and 5! Those seasons are amazing! And caillou became more mature in those seasons! But i really don't like season 1 and season 2. In season 1 and 2, caillou was wearing a gray shirt. And he was acting bratty i understand that. But in season 5 in a caillou episode, he got grounded for throwing a fit over brocoli. Well, that's a good decipline right here. And in the late seasons, caillou was wearing a yellow shirt. So i like the yellow shirt one more. Oh, and i forgot to mention this. Do NOT Play the favorites on rosie and caillou! You should love the both of them and treat them equally. And remember, love is not a spoiling thing, buying them everything they want is a spoiled thing. So, you need to love your children equally. That's all what i wanted to say, bye.
So, you hate seeing spoiled children throwing a tantrum and complaining. Right? Well, this is what you are doing right now. You are whining and complaining about the spoiled child when the spoiled child is whining. And this proves that you are a hypocrite. Also, don't let your kids watch caillou season one and season 2. Let your kids watch caillou saeson 3, 4, and 5! Those seasons are amazing! And caillou became more mature in those seasons! But i really don't like season 1 and season 2. In season 1 and 2, caillou was wearing a gray shirt. And he was acting bratty i understand that. But in season 5 in a caillou episode, he got grounded for throwing a fit over brocoli. Well, that's a good decipline right here. And in the late seasons, caillou was wearing a yellow shirt. So i like the yellow shirt one more. Oh, and i forgot to mention this. Do NOT Play the favorites on rosie and caillou! You should love the both of them and treat them equally. And remember, love is not a spoiling thing, buying them everything they want is a spoiled thing. So, you need to love your children equally. That's all what i wanted to say, bye.
This show sucks
sramos-0373522 August 2019
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