Saturday, June 10, 2006

Questions Concerning Caillou

I thought Dora was going to ultimately drive me to an early grave, but it seems "Caillou" (with an equally large head, oddly enough) has taken her place amongst the shows that make me grind my teeth the most. Airing on PBS, "Caillou" is a four year-old boy who lives with his mom, dad and younger sister, Rosie. They have a cat named Gilbert who has his own little side show between each short episode, in which he is featured as a puppet and hangs out with Caillou's favorite stuffed animals who are also puppets. This part is a little confusing for the younger kids. It also seems to bore them to tears. Anyway, the show follows Caillou throughout his day to day life and he learns lessons and shows his emotions and all that good stuff. It's also narrated by some older lady who is constantly telling us how Caillou is feeling, from moment to moment. I can see why the kids enjoy this, but it drives me bonkers. Yeah, we see that he's crying. He's frustrated that he has to pick up all his toys before he can eat his pudding. It's okay to feel that way. Oh, his dad is frustrated now, too. Better pick up those toys, Caillou! Daddy looks like he could use a drink!

So while the kids occasionally enjoy the show, they do have some questions about him:

"Why does Caillou keep saying each day he grows some more but he doesn't look like he's growing, ever?"

"Why does everyone on Caillou always wear the same clothes?"

"Why is Caillou bald? What happened to all his hair? Will I be bald when I turn four?" the creators seem to think kids don't notice that.

"What kind of crazy name is that? I don't know anyone named that."

"Why does he have such a whiny voice?" Okay, that one was mine.

Have you got cartoon questions you'd like answered? Well, I most likely can't help you with them, but I'd be happy to commiserate.

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