History YMMV / Caillou

** Caillou is quite polarizing, disregarding the massive hatedom he has on the internet. To the fanbase, his gentle, MrImagination era from season 3 or 4 makes him either charming or wimpy and [[FlatCharacter flat]] at the eyes of the audience. Meanwhile, his bratty demeanor from the first two seasons either makes them see him either as a realistic child, or a terrible influence on children. It doesn't help in the latter case that Caillou [[KarmaHoudini rarely is scolded after being mean.]]

%% Caillou is not The Scrappy, as that trope requires fans of the work to hate the character (and it's pretty evident that most people who hate him are not fans of the show), so please don't add him as an example.

** Caillou is quite polarizing. His gentle, MrImagination era from season 3 or 4 makes him either charming or wimpy and [[FlatCharacter flat]] at the eyes of the audience. Meanwhile, his bratty demeanor from the first two seasons either makes them see him either as a realistic child, or a terrible influence on children. It doesn't help in the latter case that Caillou [[KarmaHoudini rarely is scolded after being mean.]]

** In "Caillou is Getting Older", we get a shot of a dead bird, ''onscreen''. [[note]]Unsurprisingly, that episode's banned in the USA, and the only way to view it nowadays is on Platform/YouTube, or in other countries that still show banned episodes.[[/note]] It doesn't help that the rest of the episode features Caillou being afraid of getting old and dying.

* CriticalBacklash: While many an adult have bashed the show for sending awful messages and encouraging children to act bratty, there are a number of people who have argued that the show and its titular character aren't as bad as most people make it out to be.

* CriticalBacklash: While many an adult have bashed the show for sending awful messages and encouraging children to act bratty, there are a number of people who have argued that the show and its titular character aren't as bad as most people make it out to be.

* CriticalBacklash: While many an adult have bashed the show for sending awful messages and encouraging children to act bratty, there are a number of people who have argued that the show and it's titular character aren't as bad as most people make it out to be.

** And last but not least, let us not forget the fact that Caillou (or rather, "Kaylew") has become more or less the unofficial SeriesMascot of [[Website/GoAnimate grounded videos.]]
** Then a scratcher named [=CaillouFanatic=] created some projects featuring Caillou, [[https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/211918420/ for example]]. His voice is Voiceforge David like Website/GoAnimate.

** And then there's Website/GoAnimate, which either interprets Caillou as a [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] version of himself who constantly has tantrums (or commits increasingly over-the-top crimes or acts of violence up to and including ''murder'') or interprets his parents as AbusiveParents who secretly (or not-so-secretly) hate Caillou's guts and constantly want him dead. Usually both.

* MemeticPsychopath: The eponymous character and his dad, thanks to Website/GoAnimate and WebAnimation/CaillouTheGrownUp.

** In "Caillou is Getting Older", we get a shot of a dead bird, ''onscreen''. [[note]]Unsurprisingly, that episode's banned in the USA, and the only way to view it nowadays is on Website/YouTube, or in other countries that still show banned episodes.[[/note]] It doesn't help that the rest of the episode features Caillou being afraid of getting old and dying.

** Caillou is often portrayed in "[[YouAreGrounded grounded videos]]" made using Website/GoAnimate or Website/{{Plotagon}} as a psychopathic EnfantTerrible, rather than a nice kid who can be a BrattyHalfPint at times.
** Boris could also fall under this trope. He is a very sweet and caring father, yet in the [[Website/GoAnimate grounded videos]] he is portrayed as a [[AbusiveParents child abuser]] aggressively obsessed with grounding and making his son's life as miserable as possible.

** Miss Martin is a friendly teacher in canon; in [[Website/GoAnimate grounded videos,]] she's a SadistTeacher who literally punishes Caillou for everything and anything.
** Leo, Clementine and Sarah are all nice and friendly children in canon, in [[Website/GoAnimate Grounded videos]], [[WithFriendsLikeThese they are all bullies who treat Caillou with contempt.]] In Leo's case, it's lessened due to the fact that he's a reformed bully.

* ToyShip: Many fans like to ship Caillou and Sarah together. Thanks to Website/GoAnimate, others like to put him in a CrossoverShip with [[WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer Dora]]. There are also a few who ship Leo and Clementine.

* CrossoverShip: Likely thanks to a certain [[Website/GoAnimate video making site]], the titular character tends to get this with WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer.

* CriticalBacklash: While many an adult have bashed the show for sending awful messages and encouraging children to act bratty, there are a number of people who have argued that the show isn't as bad as most people make it out to be.

* AmericansHateTingle: The show isn't exactly huge in Canada (except in its origin province of Quebec), but it has a strong hatedom of parents in the United States who despise the series [[MoralGuardians since they believe it teaches children bad behavior]]. It's gotten to the point [[ExaggeratedTrope where parents in the country even extend this to banning the episodes where he has better behavior]]. This is certainly not helped by the fact that [[MadeInCountryX Canadian cartoons in general have gained a poor reputation in the USA]] starting in the mid-to-late 2000s for a variety of complex reasons.

* CriticalBacklash: While many an adult have bashed the show for sending awful messages and encouraging children to act spoilt, there are a number of people who have argued that the show isn't as bad as most people make it out to be.

* MemeticPsychopath: The eponymous character and his dad, thanks to Website/GoAnimate.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}'':

** Contrary to what social media will tell you, the show was not actually "cancelled". The show ended in 2010, and PBS dropped its reruns in January 2021.

* NeverLiveItDown: In "Caillou Joins the Circus", Caillou throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that he isn't going to the circus until the ''very next day''.
** Good luck finding anyone who forgives him for pinching Rosie, who, mind you, was a baby at the time and thus had delicate skin.
** The cartoon actually tones it down from the book. In the original book, Caillou ''bites'' Rosie instead of pinching her.

* PeripheryDemographic: Mostly parents who monitor their children's TV viewing, as well as people who are nostalgic for the show. But [[BileFascination others]] [[GuiltyPleasure came naturally]].

* ViewerNameConfusion: Some people have mistaken Caillou's name as either "Cailou," "Calliou," "Cayllou," or something similar.

** In "Big Brother Caillou", Caillou in a [[HairTriggerTemper fit of rage]] and [[InfantSiblingJealousy]] ''pinches'' newborn Rosie's cheek which the latter made a ''very realistic crying''. Also pinching a baby (especially a newborn) in real life is ''very dangerous'' as they suffer from bleeding and bruises.

* NightmareFuel: In "Caillou is Getting Older", we get a shot of a dead bird, ''onscreen''. [[note]]Unsurprisingly, that episode's banned in the USA, and the only way to view it nowadays is on Website/YouTube, or in other countries that still show banned episodes.[[/note]] It doesn't help that the rest of the episode features Caillou being afraid of getting old and dying.

* HarsherInHindsight: Caillou states in "Caillou is Getting Older" that he doesn't want to get older because he's afraid of dying. His original voice actress, Jaclyn Linetsky, actually died in a car accident 2003 at the tender age of 17.