Caillou
From Free net encyclopedia
Current revision
Caillou is a half-hour children's television animated cartoon about a 4-year-old bald-headed boy named Caillou who lives with his 2-year-old little sister, Rosie (Mousseline in the original French version), his parents, his cat named Gilbert, and his stuffed animals. The cartoons are produced by CINAR corporation, now known as Cookie Jar Entertainment. Caillou airs on PBSKids in the United States and Teletoon in Canada.
Caillou is based on the books by Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux.
In French, caillou usually means "pebble" or "stone", but it can also mean "bald head".
Caillou books have been made since 1987 by Les Editions Chouette. In 1998, 65 5-minute episodes of Caillou were aired in Canada and in selected markets worldwide. In 2000, CINAR and PBS produced 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. Additionally, the film Caillou's Holiday Movie was released direct-to-DVD and video on October 7, 2003.
Caillou has received various awards, including Bronze World Medal from the New York Festivals. A new season of the program premieres in April 2006, with many changes. Caillou will start attending preschool and there will be new themes and a new opening. More information is available at Cookie Jar Entertainment's library.
The series was originally aired in the French-speaking region of Quebec, Canada, and the episodes were later translated into English. The original books were also in French.
Caillou was designed primarily for toddlers aged between 2-6 years old and was created by child developmental psychologists.
Contents |
Dramatis Personae
- Caillou - The star of the show. Often seen wearing a yellow T-Shirt with a red collar and blue shorts, Caillou is your everyday 4-year-old - albeit a bald one. He is curious, noisy, and can really throw a tantrum. In the earlier episodes of the series, Caillou is more often seen wearing a non-descript, dull-grey t-shirt with quite a different voice.
Meet the Family
- Mommy - Caillou's mom. In a book, it is said her name is Doris. She is a Brunnette. Believed to be an accountant. She wears a red blouse with lace.
- Daddy - Caillou's dad. In a book, his name is Boris. He is a little clumsy, and the things he repairs often go haywire on him. Like Caillou's mom, he is also a brunette. He wears a green sweatshirt.
- Rosie (French name: Mousseline) - Caillou's sister. A redhead with a tingle of mischief, she sometimes gets Caillou into trouble, but all in all is a good girl. Rosie is about a year-and-a-half to two years younger than Caillou, but she is growing too. In later seasons of the program, she becomes more talkative and independent.
- Grandma - Caillou's grandma. She is an artist and often comes up with creative ideas to solve Caillou's problems.
- Grandpa - Caillou's grandpa. He often takes walks with Caillou and is often involved in outdoor activities with him too.
Friends in the Neighbourhood
- Mr. Hinkle (French name: Monsieur Lajoie) - Caillou's neighbour, introduced in the 1998 episode "Caillou's Not Afraid Anymore". He has a gold tooth.
- Leo - A redhead, Leo started out as a bully in the 1998 episode "Caillou Goes To Daycare", but quickly befriended Caillou in the same episode. They've been inseparable since. According to Caillou's Holiday Movie, Leo is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah.
- Clementine - Clementine was the first to befriend Caillou in the 1998 episode "Caillou Goes To Daycare". She can get rather bossy sometimes, but all in all she's pretty understanding. She is of African heritage.
- Sarah - Caillou first met her in "Caillou Goes Round the Block". She is older than Caillou and already attends school. She is Chinese and celebrates Chinese New Year.
- Andre - A redhead that's two years older than Caillou but way bigger in size, Andre is introduced in the Caillou episode "Caillou's Big Friend". He is clumsy, and Caillou didn't like him at first, but soon became friends. According to the song "Days of the Week" released on the Caillou music CD "Caillou and Friends", Caillou plays with him every Saturday.
- Julie - Caillou's babysitter.
- Mr. Washington - A bus driver. Apparently the same driver that drove the bus Caillou's dad rides to school many years ago.
The puppets
- Teddy - An old teddy bear that once belonged to Caillou's dad, Teddy is reasonable, cute and brown. He is somewhat pessimistic, but all in all, he just needs a hug.
- Gilbert - Caillou's cat. He has a greyish-blue body with black stripes and loathe dogs with a passion. Especially hates the bulldog in the neighbourhood. In the puppet segments of the program, Gilbert often composes odes.
- Rexy - Caillou's toy dinosaur. Bluish in color and speaks in a somewhat Hispanic accent, he is very playful.
- Deedee - A brown squirrel, she has a bushy tail, and is often seen playing with Rexy. She is often mistakenly captioned as "Deidi".
External links
- TV.com guide on Caillou
- hidden pages on the official site with information on the 1998 5-minute episodes
- hidden pages on the official site with information on the 1998 5-minute episodes, but in French
- Caillou official site
- PBS site
- PBS site in French
- {{{2|{{{title|Caillou}}}}}} at The Internet Movie Database