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'''Caillou''' is a Canadian children's television show based on the books by author Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux. Many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother (who is also the show's narrator) introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story about the book. Caillou first aired on Canada's [[Teletoon (Canada)|Teletoon]] channel in 1996<ref>* [http://pbskids.org/caillou_french Caillou French Website]</ref>; it later made its US debut on [[PBS]] on September 4, 2000<ref>[http://pbskids.org/caillou/ Caillou Official Website]</ref> and aired its series finale on October 3, 2010. The show also began airing on [[Treehouse TV]] on September 7, 2009.
'''Caillou''' is a Canadian children's television show based on the books by author Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux. Many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother (who is also the show's narrator) introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story about the book. Caillou first aired on Canada's [[Teletoon (Canada)|Teletoon]] channel in 1996<ref>* [http://pbskids.org/caillou_french Caillou French Website]</ref>; it later made its US debut on [[PBS]] on September 4, 2000<ref>[http://pbskids.org/caillou/ Caillou Official Website]</ref> and aired its series finale on October 3, 2010. The show also began airing on [[Treehouse TV]] on September 7, 2009.


The show centers along a 4-year-old boy named ''Caillou'' (The Tittle Character of the Show) who is fascinated by the world around him. Caillou lives in a Blue House on 17 Pine St. (As mentioned in the Episode "Where I Live") with his mother Doris, his father Boris, and his 2-year-old sister named Rosie. ''Caillou'' was designed primarily for [[toddler]]s aged between 2–6 years old. It was created by child developmental psychologists. ''Caillou'' books have been made since 1987 by Chouette Publishing Inc. In 1996, 65 5-minute episodes of ''Caillou'' were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide. In 2000 they were added with 40 30-minute episodes of the show, containing a mixture of the 5-minute episodes plus new stories, songs, real kids segment and puppets. This was followed with another 16 30-minute episodes containing all-new stories in 2003. The film ''Caillou's Holiday Movie'' was released on October 7, 2003. On April 3, 2006, a new set of 20 episodes finally premiered after a three-year hiatus. Caillou started attending preschool, and there were new themes and a new opening. The new episodes were animated in-house using [[Adobe Flash]] animation rather than the animation being outsourced to Korea, as it was in previous seasons. Cookie Jar Entertainment has renewed Caillou for a 26-episode Season 5, which is being produced by [[South Africa]]n animation studio [[Clockwork Zoo]].
The show centers along a 4-year-old boy named ''Caillou'' (The Tittle Character of the Show) who is fascinated by how jagged and deformed his weiner is. <ref>http://www.4chan.org</ref> Caillou lives in a Blue House on 17 Pine St. (As mentioned in the Episode "Where I Live") with his mother Doris, his father Boris, and his 2-year-old sister named Rosie. At the age of seven, he started playing with his weiner, and by giving all of his best friends extreme pleasure in imaginable ways <ref>http://www.4chan.org</ref> ''Caillou'' was designed primarily for [[toddler]]s aged between 2–6 years old. It was created by child developmental psychologists. ''Caillou'' books have been made since 1987 by Chouette Publishing Inc. In 1996, 65 5-minute episodes of ''Caillou'' were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide. In 2000 they were added with 40 30-minute episodes of the show, containing a mixture of the 5-minute episodes plus new stories, songs, real kids segment and puppets. This was followed with another 16 30-minute episodes containing all-new stories in 2003. The film ''Caillou's Holiday Movie'' was released on October 7, 2003. On April 3, 2006, a new set of 20 episodes finally premiered after a three-year hiatus. Caillou started attending preschool, and there were new themes and a new opening. The new episodes were animated in-house using [[Adobe Flash]] animation rather than the animation being outsourced to Korea, as it was in previous seasons. Cookie Jar Entertainment has renewed Caillou for a 26-episode Season 5, which is being produced by [[South Africa]]n animation studio [[Clockwork Zoo]].


The show received positive reception and received various awards, including Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals.
The show received positive reception and received various awards, including Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals.

Revision as of 04:57, 12 June 2011

Caillou
File:Caillou.gif
Gilbert and Caillou
Created byChristine L'Heureux
Hélène Desputeaux
StarringBryn McAuley (1996-2000)
Jaclyn Linetsky(2000-2003)
Annie Bovaird (2006-2010)
Country of originCanada
Original languageFrench English
Production
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkTeletoon (Canada) PBS Kids PBS Kids Sprout (USA)
ReleaseOctober 1, 1996 (Canada) –
October 4, 2010 (Canada)

Caillou is a Canadian children's television show based on the books by author Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux. Many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother (who is also the show's narrator) introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story about the book. Caillou first aired on Canada's Teletoon channel in 1996[1]; it later made its US debut on PBS on September 4, 2000[2] and aired its series finale on October 3, 2010. The show also began airing on Treehouse TV on September 7, 2009.

The show centers along a 4-year-old boy named Caillou (The Tittle Character of the Show) who is fascinated by how jagged and deformed his weiner is. [3] Caillou lives in a Blue House on 17 Pine St. (As mentioned in the Episode "Where I Live") with his mother Doris, his father Boris, and his 2-year-old sister named Rosie. At the age of seven, he started playing with his weiner, and by giving all of his best friends extreme pleasure in imaginable ways [4] Caillou was designed primarily for toddlers aged between 2–6 years old. It was created by child developmental psychologists. Caillou books have been made since 1987 by Chouette Publishing Inc. In 1996, 65 5-minute episodes of Caillou were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide. In 2000 they were added with 40 30-minute episodes of the show, containing a mixture of the 5-minute episodes plus new stories, songs, real kids segment and puppets. This was followed with another 16 30-minute episodes containing all-new stories in 2003. The film Caillou's Holiday Movie was released on October 7, 2003. On April 3, 2006, a new set of 20 episodes finally premiered after a three-year hiatus. Caillou started attending preschool, and there were new themes and a new opening. The new episodes were animated in-house using Adobe Flash animation rather than the animation being outsourced to Korea, as it was in previous seasons. Cookie Jar Entertainment has renewed Caillou for a 26-episode Season 5, which is being produced by South African animation studio Clockwork Zoo.

The show received positive reception and received various awards, including Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals.

Plot

Based on the books by Christine L'Heureux, The show centers along a 4-year-old boy named Caillou (The Tittle Character of the Show) who is fascinated by the world around him. Caillou lives in a Blue House on 17 Pine St. (As mentioned in the Episode "Where i live") with his mother Doris, his father Boris, and his 2-year-old sister named Rosie. Caillou lives next door to Mr. Hinkle's House. Each episode in Season 1-3 has a theme and is divided into several short, attention-holding sections that mix animation, puppet skits, and video of kids in real-life situations. In Season 4-5 episodes, They are divided in 3 shorts instead of 4, and each one of them is animated in Adobe Flash instead of Korea (which were animated in Korea in previous seasons). In Season 1, Caillou was 2-3 years old and wore a gray shirt in season 1, but later wore a yellow shirt.


Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired
Season premiere Season finale
1 40 October 1, 1998 2000
2 20 September 4, 2000 2002
3 16 February 10, 2003 October 7, 2003
4 20 April 3, 2006 September 23, 2008
5 26 September 1, 2010 present-Canada in 2011
6 46 July 15, 2011 December 4, 2011

Major Characters

Caillou's Family

File:Caillou's family.gif
Caillou's family from left to right: Rosie, Boris, Caillou, Doris
  • Caillou - A 4-year-old boy with a vivid imagination with friends and family who help him navigate the trials and tribulations of growing up. In season 1 he was 2-3 years old and wore a gray shirt, but later he wore a yellow shirt. Caillou and his family live in a two-story blue house, whose address is mentioned in one episode: 17 Pine St. His nickname is the "Prince of Imagination". Caillou was first voiced by Bryn McAuley in 1996, then Jaclyn Linetsky in 2000, and then voiced by Annie Bovaird since 2003 due to Linetsky's death in a car crash.
  • Doris - Caillou's mother. She is a busy homemaker most of the time but is seen to work in an office too. Caillou occasionally helps his mom with various chores and she often takes time to involve Caillou and his friends in activities such as crafts and baking. She is predominantly dressed in a red blouse with yellow trim. Doris is Voiced by Jennifer Seguin. She is only known on-screen as Mommy.
  • Boris - Caillou's father. He and Caillou occasionally work on projects around the house. Like Doris, his name is never explicitly mentioned in dialogue. Daddy always wears a green sweater with red trim while at home. In the episode Caillou The Chef he says he once worked at a restaurant and made pizza. Boris is voiced by Pat Fry. He is only known on-screen as Daddy.
  • Rosie (French name: Mousseline) - Rosie is Caillou’s lively and adorable 2-year-old sister who is a typical toddler. She always wants to take part in the same activities as Caillou. In later seasons of the series, she becomes more talkative and independent. Rosie was first voiced by Brigid Tierney, then Jesse Vinet.
  • Grandma - Caillou's paternal grandmother. Grandma is a very active how loves the arts and the outdoors. She passes that love on to Caillou. Grandma often comes up with creative ideas to solve Caillou's problems. She and Caillou paint and go birdwatching together. She is Boris' mother. Grandma is voiced by Pauline Little.
  • Grandpa - Caillou's paternal grandfather. He takes Caillou on adventures, often going on walks and riding the bus throughout the town in which they reside. In Caillou's hiding place, he showed Caillou a hidden area inside a tree in the backyard. In the episode Camping with Grandpa, he and Caillou camp in the backyard. He is Boris' father and loves to tell stories about Caillou’s Daddy, when he was a little boy. He always wears a blue shirt. Grandpa was originally voiced by George Carlin, but after Carlin's death in 2008, his voice was replaced by Tim Conway.
  • Gilbert - Caillou's pet cat.

Caillou's Friends and Neighbors

  • Paul Hinkle (French name: Monsieur Lajoie) - Caillou's neighbor, introduced in the 1998 episode "Caillou's Not Afraid Anymore". Some have interpreted his behavior around Caillou as disturbing, and have comapred him to Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy and his behavior toward Chris Griffin on that show.
Caillou's friends: (Back) Clementine, Sarah - (Front) Gilbert, Caillou, Leo, Rosie
  • Leo - Leo started out as a bully in the 1999 episode "Caillou Goes To Daycare", but quickly befriended Caillou in the same episode. He is four years old like Caillou. They've been inseparable since. According to Caillou's Holiday Movie, Leo is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah. In one episode, Leo's mother is Mrs. Martin, the teacher at day care, though in others his mother is a different woman.
  • Clementine - Clementine was the first to befriend Caillou in the 1999 episode "Caillou Goes To Daycare". She is four years old like Caillou and Leo and can get rather bossy sometimes, but all in all she's pretty understanding. She is of Black Canadian heritage.
  • Sarah - Caillou first met her in "Caillou Goes Round the Block". She is 8 years old and already attends school. She is of Chinese heritage and celebrates Chinese New Year. She has a cousin in an episode where she invites Caillou to celebrate Chinese New Year. In another she invites him to school for "Bring Your Younger Siblings To School Day" because she has no siblings. Sarah has a pet cat named Olly.
  • André - An orange-haired boy, aged 6, André is introduced in the Caillou episode "Caillou's Big Friend". According to the song "Days of the Week" released on the Caillou music CD "Caillou and Friends", Caillou plays with him every Saturday. André enjoys biking and soccer.
  • Julie - Caillou's babysitter. She is 15, blond, and enjoys playing with Caillou.
  • Jason & Jeffery - are identical twins. They enjoy eating pizza. Initially, they wore identically colored clothes. By Season 4, though, Jeffery started wearing a shirt with inverted colors, in order to tell them apart. They are both in Caillou's playschool class.
  • Billy - Billy is Clementine's older brother. He is usually seen playing in a band with his friends or playing in sports. His age is unknown, but he appears to be at least a teenager.
  • Ms. Martin - Caillou's teacher. She has red hair and always wears overalls. According to the episode A Surprise For Ms.Martin her birthday is in June. In Caillou goes to daycare It is said that Ms. Martin's first name is Ann.
  • Jonus - One of Boris' friends. He lives on ranch and has a horse named Lucky . Jonus appears in 3 episodes and in Caillou's Holiday Movie.
  • Emma - A kid in Caillou's playschool class who hates loud noises.
  • Xavier - A kid in Calliou's playschool class. At his birthday party Caillou broke a piñata.

The Puppets

The puppet segments are used only on the PBS telecasts of Caillou, from 2000 to 2002 in order to fill the show's time slot. While Caillou has slots for commercials, and the English Teletoon shows ads during the breaks, PBS does not show paid advertising during the program. Some newer shows do not include puppet segments.

  • Matthew Theodore Bear/"Teddy Bear" - An old teddy bear that once belonged to Caillou's daddy, and now belongs to Caillou, Teddy is reasonable, cute and brown. He is somewhat pessimistic, but all in all, he just needs a hug. Puppeteered by Frank Meschkuleit.
  • Gilbert - Caillou's cat. He has a greyish-blue body with black stripes and loathes dogs with a passion. He is the leader of the group. He especially hates the bulldog in the neighbourhood. In the puppet segments of the program, Gilbert often composes odes. Puppeteered by Mike Petersen.
  • Rexy - Caillou's toy dinosaur. Bluish in color and speaks in a somewhat Hispanic accent, he is very playful. Rexy has the incapability to give a "good" hug. Rexy is noted for being rather pedantic. His speech impediment has been the scourge of his existence; he is often teased about it, and tends to react violently to any mention of it. Puppeteered by Kevin Yamada.
  • Deedee - A brown squirrel, she has a bushy tail, and is often seen playing with Rexy. Deedee first appeared as a baby squirrel when Rexy found on the ground lost from her family. Deedee lives in Caillou's backyard were most of the puppet segments take place. She was absent in Season 3. Puppeteered by Wendy Welch.

Minor Characters

Other Guests and Appearances
Character Synopsis Appearances
Hot-Dog Man The Hog-Dog Man is a person who only appears in the episode "Caillou and Daddy", in which he serves Caullou and Boris with Hot-dogs and mustard for their lunch. 1
Pierre Pierre is the leader for Camp Brome. Pierre was featured in the episode "Caillou goes camping". 1
The Doctor Featuring in the episode called "Caillou visits the doctor", he treats Caullou for an earache. 1
The Mailman The Mailman was first featured in the episode "Caillou mails a Letter", and later appeared in "All in a Day's Work". 2
Olly Sarah's Pet cat. He appears in the episode Gilbert goes to vet, Chinese new year and later in Sarah goes to China. His last appearance was in the 2006 episode Where's Gilbert?, shown in Caillou the Detective. 4
Rover A dog that belongs to one of Grandma's friends. 2
Mr.Jenkins One of Grandma's friends. He has allergic to Rover. 1
Mr. Washington A bus driver that drove Caillou's Daddy to school may years ago. 1
Barbra She is Caillou's Mommy's old Friend and her Dog's name is "Maxwell". She is blind. 1
Maxwell Barbra's Guide Dog. He is a very special dog and helps Barbra see were she is going. 1
Helen One of Caillou's parents friends, she owns a boat. 1
Carol One of Caillou's Mommy's friends who she went to collage with. She appears in A house in the clouds. 1
Kevin Carol's son. 1
Robbie A kid who is deaf that only appears in Caillou and Robbie. He knows Sign language. 1
Allen A kid that went to Caillou's playschool for one day. He decided not to join the class. 1
Frankie A kid that will live in the house Caillou's Family helps build in Caillou's building adventure. 1
Bob A plumber that fixes the pipes under Caillou's house. In a season 3 episode he fixes the sink. 2
Kristen Jonus' wife. She only appears in Caillou's first wedding. 1
George Caillou's imaginary friend. He is never seen and only mentioned once. 1
George Caillou's skating instructor. He only appears in Caillou's skating lesson. 1
George Grandpa's friend. He only appears in Grandpa's friend. He is older than Grandpa. 1
Mary A life guard that appears in the Season 4 episode Caillou the brave. 1
Erik A firefighter who rescues Gilbert from a tree. He is only seen in the episode Caillou and the fire truck. 1
Stacy A firefighter, she is only seen the episode Caillou and the fire truck, although she is in Caillou's Holiday Movie. 1
Sparky A Dalmation at the fire station. He is seen also seen in Caillou and the fire truck 1
Emma Grandma's friend. She lives on a farm. 1
Mary Emma's daughter. She shows Caillou all the animals on the farm. 1
Mrs.Wilson One of Grandma's friends. She appears both times Grandma visits the nursing home. 2
Zoey A zoo worker who shows Caillou different animals when he visits the zoo. 1
Brice A photographer that takes a picture of Caillou and Rosie. 1
Henry The zamboni driver at the skating rink. He only appears in the episode Caillou's skating lesson. 1
Shnuk A Husky that pulls a sled. She is seen when Caillou and his family go tobagging. 1
Tom Shnuk's owner. 1
Tammy Is seen when Caillou goes swimming. She uses a wheel chair. 1
Lee Juan Sarah's cousin. She celebrates Chinese New Year with Sarah's family. 1
Stanley the conductor on the train Caillou rides on in the episode Train Trip. 1
Nancy Mr.Hinkle's sister. She owns a farm and appears in the episodes Farmer for the day and The missing carrots. 2
Santa Claus A Santa Claus who appears in the episode Holiday Magic. Rosie is afraid of him. 1
Bravo A magician who only appears in the episode Leo's birthday. 1
Vanessa A librarian . She appears all 3 times Caillou goes to the library. 3
Jack A tow truck driver who tows Caillou's car and repairs it. The episode he appears in is Backseat driver. 1
Emma's Dad Emma - a kid a Caillou's playschool class- dad. He appears in the episode Capitan Caillou. 1
Rafiel One of the skaters in Caillou skating class. She appears in Caillou's skating lesson. 1

Production

The series was originally broadcast in French in Canada—from August 29, 1998 to November 10, 2006—and the episodes were later translated into English. The original books were also in French.[5]

Caillou was designed primarily for toddlers aged between 2–6 years old. It was created by child developmental psychologists.

Caillou books have been made since 1987 by Chouette Publishing Inc. In 1996, 65 5-minute episodes of Caillou were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide. In 2000 they were added with 40 30-minute episodes of the show, containing a mixture of the 5-minute episodes plus new stories, songs, real kids segment and puppets. This was followed with another 16 30-minute episodes containing all-new stories in 2003. The film Caillou's Holiday Movie was released on October 7, 2003. On April 3, 2006, a new set of 20 episodes finally premiered after a three-year hiatus. Caillou started attending preschool, and there were new themes and a new opening. The new episodes were animated in-house using Adobe Flash animation rather than the animation being outsourced to Korea, as it was in previous seasons. Cookie Jar Entertainment has renewed Caillou for a 26-episode Season 5, which is being produced by South African animation studio Clockwork Zoo.[6]

Reception

The show received positive reception. In Tara Sword's Review for Common Sense Media, The show was awarded 4 stars and was given an "ON" Rating for ages 3 and up. Tara said the show's tittle character "displays realistic reactions -- which might make Caillou more companion than role model. But he always gets the life lesson -- and viewers will, too.".[7]

Awards

Caillou received various awards, including Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals.

Other Foreign Broadcasters

References