‘Caillou’, which has been running on PBS’s kids network ever since 1997,  is ending it’s 21 year reign. While long hiatuses are usual for the show, PBS officially stated they would no longer be producing episodes of ‘Caillou’, or any various ‘Caillou’ spinoffs. 

‘Caillou’ has a reputation that has left opinions on the matter very mixed. As episodes of the show usually depict him throwing tantrums and fits whenever he doesn’t get what he wants, which sparked controversy.

“ It was about a whiny kid. I made my children watch ‘Spongebob’ instead,” said Amador mom, Jennifer Keyser.

Over the years, Mom’s across the nation have complained about ‘Caillou’, even before its final season. Many see him as a terrible role model for children. When he does something wrong, he is rarely punished for his behavior, and is rewarded by his parents. 

“I think he’s supposed to be seen as a reverse-role model, as more of an example on what not to do, as opposed to someone to follow in his footsteps,” said Amador mom, Lisa Loundagin.

‘Caillou’ is part of a list of shows cancelled by PBS including ‘Dragon Tales’, ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’, and ‘Arthur’. PBS is entering a series of cartoons for the new generation, including the reboot of ‘Curious George’ in 2021, and ‘Let’s go Luna’ which has been airing since 2018. 

We will have to see how these shows compare to their previous counterparts, but they probably won’t get the same reputation as ‘Caillou’ did.