History WesternAnimation / Caillou

''Caillou'' is a Canadian animated children's series. It was based on a French-language book series from Quebec by author Christine L'Heureux, illustrator Hélène Desputeaux, and published by Chouette Publishing. Produced by [[Creator/{{CookieJarEntertainment}} CINAR]] (later known as Cookie Jar Entertainment), the series originally premiered as a set of sixty-five, five minute shorts on Creator/{{Teletoon}}[[note]] With it being first show to air on the channel. [[/note]]from 1997 to 1998, with four more seasons airing from 2000 to 2010. For it's final season, it moved to Creator/TreehouseTV like some other Teletoon-produced preschool shows. In the US, Creator/{{PBS}} would pick it up in 2000 for their then newly rebranded Creator/PBSKids block where it would air there until late 2020.

The series is about a four-year-old boy named Caillou, learning about the world around him with his friends (including Leo, Clementine, and Sarah), and family (with Mommy, Daddy, his little sister Rosie, and his pet cat Gilbert). The first season had a FramingDevice with a grandmother reading stories about Caillou to her grandchildren, which was removed in later seasons. PBS Kids airings of the first three seasons would also have puppet segments staring Gilbert and Caillou's stuffed toys Teddy and Rexy.

In 2016, when Creator/WildBrain (the current owners of the TV series), began a Platform/YouTube reboot called ''Caillou's New Adventures'', created through their UK-based [=WildBrain=] Spark division. While the first episodes were remakes of older episodes, overtime they started making new original episodes. This series uses a different art style as well as a New York based cast unlike the original's Montreal based cast, with Laurie Hymes voicing the titular character and Creator/MikePollock voicing Caillou's dad.

In September 2021, it was announced that the series was going to get [[AllCGICartoon CGI]] specials based on seasonal events, with them airing on Creator/{{Family Jr}} throughout 2022. Later in June 2022, it was announced the specials were also going to premiere on Creator/{{Peacock}} in the US in the same time frame, alongside a new series that was set for 2023. However because of ScheduleSlip, the series premiered on February 15, 2024 instead.

* BaitAndSwitchComment: In the [=WildBrain=] version of "Caillou Is Sick," after Caillou's rash is diagnosed as poison ivy, she gives him a bath for comfort and Teddy a wash to clean off the poison ivy. Caillou then asks Mommy if they can go see Grandma now since she can't catch it. Mommy tells her that she's afraid not and he asks her why not.

* BathsAreFun: There was one episode with [[HatesBaths Caillou not liking baths]], but then Mommy put some bubbles and bath toys in and made it fun. This was later memorialized in a song for one of the show's music albums.

** Rosie, though like Caillou, [[DependingOnTheWriter it depends on the writer.]]

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In Season 1 , Caillou acts like a [[SpoiledBrat spoiled]] BrattyHalfPint who whined and complained when he didn't get his way. In Seasons 2 and 3, he still acts like a brat at times but is nicer and more considerate of others. By Season 4, all his flaws are gone and he acts like a CheerfulChild and a NiceGuy with a big imagination and a big heart. Season 5 occasionally makes him InnocentlyInsensitive, and could sometimes be a bit self-absorbed, and became a JerkWithAHeartOfGold but generally nicer and well-behaved overall compared to Seasons 1-3. Both Caillou's New Adventures and the 2022 reboot also stick closer to Caillou's personality in Season 5.

** In one episode of Caillou's New Adventures, Caillou gets chicken pox. Much to his disappointment, he gets it on the same day he was going to the park to see Leo. He gets better at the end of the episode, but [[HereWeGoAgain now Rosie has chicken pox]].

** Season 4 has three Christmas episodes: "Caillou Goes Caroling" which features Caillou learning about caroling and going with his family to sing Christmas carols, "A Playschool Party" which has Caillou's preschool class having a Christmas party and everybody bringing a gift for a show and tell, and "Caillou's Christmas Eve" which has Caillou and his family celebrating Christmas Eve and trying to stay up late to see Santa.

* ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere: In the episode "Caillou is Getting Older", Caillou and his dad find a bird who died of old age. Caillou then fears his own mortality, but keeps seeing and hearing things related to age. First his dad says he's getting old because he needs glasses, then his mum says that Rosie's growing up because she can eat on her own, then Sarah has a birthday, and finally his parents tell him he's growing up at bedtime, causing him to yell at them due to AngerBornOfWorry but Boris reassures Caillou that he has lots of time to get bigger and older.

* DetachableDoorknob: In the Season 2 episode "Lost And Found", when Caillou is looking for his missing sock, he goes down into the basement to look for it. When the basement door shuts, Caillou goes to open it but ends up pulling the doorknob out of the socket. He gets scared and starts banging on the door for help. When his dad deduces what happened, he tells Caillou he has to turn the knob on his side slowly. When both Caillou and his dad are stuck in the basement, mom tries to come to their aid, only for the doorknob to come out on her side as well. Caillou's dad instructs her on how to put it back in, and once they're out, Caillou and his dad finish up the episode fixing the knob.

* FramingDevice: The earlier inceptions had Caillou's episodes beginning with a grandmother announcing today's story to her grandchildren, said story being the actual Caillou episode. It was later dropped after Season 1, and it's cut altogether on PBS Kids airings.

** Also happens at the end of "Caillou's Castle" where Caillou's parents pretend they're monsters who tickle kids and they chase Caillou and Rosie.

* HollywoodGenetics: Caillou's parents both have brown hair Rosie has red hair.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Caillou, if perhaps allowed to grow up a bit, experiences a very dragged-out childhood. In the earliest books from the 1990s, he is a baby. In the very early installments of the television series, he is 3. From then on, he is officially 4, as stated in the theme song, "''I'm just a kid who's 4 / Each day I grow some more!''" However, in later seasons he takes more steps into school and eventually starts attending playschool and mixing more with older kids although he stays the same age. The reboot also has him at 4 years old.

** The episode "Rainy Day" is centered around Caillou having one while his mother waits for him to leave somewhere. Unfortunately, due to many distractions, he keeps forgetting about his urge. He does make it at the end, though.

* ShoutOut: In "Where's Gilbert", while Caillou is looking around the animal shelter looking for Gilbert, he finds a red dog who looks similar to ''[[WesternAnimation/CliffordTheBigRedDog Clifford]].'' (Though this red dog is the size of an average dog and is not a Main/BigFriendlyDog like Clifford.) Counts as a [[Main/CompanyCrossReferences Company Cross Reference]] as both Caillou and Clifford aired on Creator/PBSKids.

** "Caillou is Getting Older". He finds a dead bird[[note]]We also get an image of a dead bird, uncensored. Though it is BloodlessCarnage.[[/note]]. Daddy tells him that the bird died because it got too old. That turned out to be a bad idea, as Caillou started getting paranoid that he would die at any minute. Unfortunately for him, [[ColdTurkeysAreEverywhere there was Daddy's eyes getting bad (he told Caillou he might be getting old), and Sarah having a birthday and being one whole year older.]] A kid being paranoid about death is pretty dark for a kid cartoon.[[note]]This episode was banned in the USA though, so it's averted in said country, but not in the other countries that still air banned episodes of the show.[[/note]]
** One installment focuses on Caillou's friend Emma having diabetes, while another is about him meeting a boy named Alan who has Down's Syndrome. The diabetes episode was also released as a book with a special educational poster. Another installment, released only as a book, also with an educational poster, is called ''Caillou Meets Sophie'' and is about Caillou meeting an autistic girl named Sophie. Also, in April 2020, in the wake of the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic, a title called ''Caillou: Everything Will Be Fine'' was released exclusively as an [=eBook=]. In the title, Caillou learns that his day care is being shut down indefinitely and thinks it like a vacation at first, but starts to miss his friends. His parents help him come up with a routine full of fun things to do at home and also help Caillou set up a video chat with Clementine. The title also teaches about the importance of hand-washing.
* WalkIntoCameraObstruction: With Caillou near the end of the Season 4 and 5 opening themes when he runs to his grandparents.
* WashyWatchy: The [=WildBrain=] version of "Caillou Is Sick" at one points shows Caillou watching his stuffed toy Teddy spinning in the washing machine.
* WeddingEpisode: "Caillou's First Wedding" which features Caillou being the ringbearer in the wedding of Jonus, a family friend.

* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Caillou, if perhaps allowed to grow up a bit, experiences a very dragged-out childhood. In the earliest books from the 1990s, he is a baby. In the very early installments of the television series, he is 3. From then on, he is officially 4, as stated in the theme song, "''I'm just a kid who's 4 / Each day I grow some more!''" However, in later seasons he takes more steps into school and eventually starts attending playschool and mixing more with older kids. The reboot also has him at 4 years old.

In September 2021, it was announced that the series was going to get [[AllCGICartoon CGI]] specials based on seasonal events, with them airing on Creator/{{Family Jr}} throughout 2022. Later in June 2022, it was announced the specials were also going to premiere on Creator/{{Peacock}} in the US in the same time frame, alongside a new series that was set for 2023. However because of ScheduleSlip, the series is now going to premiere on February 15, 2024 instead.