Caillou Character Analysis

As a child we all watched TV. Whether it was in the form of a VCR, DVD, or an actual satellite television we all experienced it. Half of our parents shoved us in front of a tv when we bothered them, or when we refused to go to sleep. Whether or not this was a good decision made by our parents we will never know. The writers and producers of American television try to create a utopian society which they display for millions of children to see. They use our social norms and cultural values to create characters that subliminally  project what they want to see in the world.

 In a children's cartoon named Caillou, Caillou is a 4 year old boy who is very imaginative, and creative. He tends to imagine situations and solve his own problems with the help of his father. He is the poster child for four year olds. Rarely does Caillou get in trouble although he does troublesome things. 

Caillou has the 3 family members and one cat. His mother, father, and a little sister.

The mother is the typical household mother. She is a middle age Caucasian woman that she cleans and cooks and takes care of the children. She doesn't have a job nor does she often leave house unless the children accompany her. She tends to stand in the background while the father usually helps Caillou with his problems. She reinforces Calliou’s emotions, and tends to offer emotional advice rather than strategic advice to help solve problems. 

The father is the typical strong household man. While the mother cleans and cooks the father works and exercises inside the house. He is considered Caillous hero because he offers strategic advice to all of his problems.

Cailluos younger sister is named Rosie. She is about 2 or 3. She is just beginning to speak but is able to understand all of her surroundings. She is sometimes a menace to Caillou but in the end they are one big happy family. She doesn't fit in with Caillou and his friends because she is younger so she tends to be with the mother for majority of the time. 

Another minor character is Gilbert the cat. It seems that most typical families have one animal living in the household.

Other characters include his three friends who are of different races. There is an Caucasian teacher who teaches Caillous kindergarten class. 

Feeding into the mainstream ideas that a perfect family has two children typically one boy and one girl and a happy couple as the parents. The show Caillou perfectly demonstrates the utopian society that most Americans believe in. The Caucasian parents are happily married with no financial difficulties. The son typically is imaginative and caring of his little sister. While the little sister helps the mother clean and stays out of the way.  The father is the role model of the family and supports the financial needs of the household. There are only about 5 characters that are monorities.  Most of the Caucasian characters appear in each and every episode while the minorities tend to appear once every 3 episodes and play an extremely minor role. 

Although it may seem that Caillou is a typical children's show for 2-6 year olds. There is a subliminal message created that in America a typical family should be Caucasian with four people and an animal. There should be no financial problems and each person in the household has there own place. 

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