Caillou is quite the celebrity here at Rock Father HQ, a fact that I’ve pointed out on many occasions. He’s also a very divisive character, quite possibly the most so of any current children’s entertainment property I can think of. I’ve thrown down my support of the little guy already, so it should be no surprise to my regular readers that we were pretty excited to learn that a new batch of CAILLOU episodes were headed for DVD. Released this month via my friends at PBS Distribution, BIG KID CAILLOU is a collection of six episodes culled from the season that began airing on PBS KIDS this past Spring.
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Longtime viewers of CAILLOU will note that this is the first season to be presented in HD, and thus the episodes are finally in widescreen 16×9. They look great, and it feels as if the producers of the show took some parental feedback into consideration (these were actually made in 2010, but are just hitting the U.S. this year), because certain things I’ve heard folks gripe about seem to have been addressed. The show feels a bit toned-down and smoother, this coming from a parent that has seen just about every episode.
“Growing Up” is the key theme on BIG KID CAILLOU, and for us that’s significant as my oldest daughter moves toward her fourth birthday next month (actually, last year’s Birthday Party was Caillou-themed). She’s aware that she’ll “soon be four, just like Caillou,” and the lessons presented on this new DVD are spot-on. From not being afraid to show who you really are, to taking care of yourself (vision is addressed), and being a welcoming friend to new kids at school, there’s importance in what’s being taught. For us, this DVD comes at the perfect time as our little girl enters the same age group as her longtime animated hero.
Available now from Ty’s Toy Box, Walmart.com, and more.
The Rock Father Rating: 4/5 Stars
Disclosure: A Copy of BIG KID CAILLOU was provided to The Rock Father by PBS Distribution for the purpose of possible review consideration. All opinions are that of James Zahn aka The Rock Father, with input from his children.
