TIL there are multiple episodes of Caillou where his behavior was so awful that PBS Kids banned them from being re-aired. - eviltoast

And yes, I’m also shocked and saddened that there is a Caillou fandom site.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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    2 months ago

    I agree with what you’re saying in principle, but I don’t think toddlers need realistic depictions of toddlers on TV to emulate.

    • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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      2 months ago

      i thought the point of the show was to depict real world solutions to those problematic behaviors, which the show seemed to do well. it wasnt just kids being jerks and ‘fini’

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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        2 months ago

        Yeah, but toddlers aren’t too bright. You show Caillou throwing sand in his friend’s eyes, they might copy that even if Caillou learned his lesson. Because they didn’t learn Caillou’s lesson.

        Toddlers have a lot of difficulty putting themselves in someone else’s shoes, but very little trouble copying behavior they see on TV.

        I mean I didn’t show my kid Caillou in the first place because he’s an annoying little shit and why would I have when there’s an internet full of classic Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers for her to watch? Between that and Blue’s Clues, we were pretty set with stuff to keep her entertained during TV time.

        • originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com
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          2 months ago

          i had no problem showing this kind of stuff to my 4 kids oh so long ago. i dont recall anything negative happening because of it. its definitely not, ‘set them in front and walk away material’… parents need to be present to explain stuff to the very young.

          i also had the classics, but they seem to gravitate towards spongebob as their long term favorite even as they aged.

          • osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org
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            2 months ago

            This might just come down to the kids too. My eldest would likely be like yours and pick up the lesson ,but my youngest would 1000% emulate the bad behavior, dodge the lesson, and think it was funny that he got the same consequences as the kid on tv.

            • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              I would have learned the lesson then emulated the behavior anyway because I was a little shit.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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            2 months ago

            I think it’s unlikely that they got enough complaints to remove those episodes from rebroadcasts if kids weren’t imitating his behavior.

            • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              Broadcasters are weak willed and the people complaining about things are usually Karens. And since Karens bitch loudly, they often get their way just so they will shut the fuck up.

              Just look at some of the things the MPAA considers as essentially requirements to force things into a higher rating tier. They’re basically just applying puritanical beliefs into the ratings to try and appease Karens, regardless of reality. And even those are applied wildly inconsistently.

              The Kings Speech was given an R rating for language. The word Fuck is used several times in one scene ina. Medical context of speech therapy. Meanwhile, Gunner Palace, a documentary about soldiers in the Iraq War, uses the word Fuck 42 times, twice in a sexual context, and was only rated PG-13.

          • SoJB@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago

            “I had no problem running a mile so people with broken legs should be just fine too”

            I’m just poking fun. I think most leftists would agree parents should be present and engaging with young children during screen time. But maybe, just maybe it’s good to show a role model that behaves instead of being a little shit.

            There is currently an epidemic of objectively cognitively impaired long-COVID stricken iPad kids literally ruining the teaching industry. Many households have both adults working 12 hour days just to make ends meet. Many others have time but don’t give a shit.

            An entire generation was just ruined by lifelong mental disability and being raised by iPad autoplay and nobody gives a shit. Well, it makes it easier for me to get good jobs but mark my words, in 10-20 more years we’re going to be in some serious shit.

    • Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      I mean, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t think toddlers need realistic depictions, if it’s running that means that toddlers are watching it or the parents of toddlers want realistic depictions.

      What should they be watching? Superheroes? Other toddlers that behave like perfect angels? I’m sure there are enough other options out there, if they were watching those all the time then the realistic depictions wouldn’t be on air still. I remember watching Caillou and that was like 25 years ago, so obviously it’s probably doing something right.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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        2 months ago

        Caillou was doing something right… except in the multiple episodes where they decided not to rebroadcast because they got too many complaints.

        I really don’t think showing a toddler a kid on TV throwing sand in another kid’s face is a good idea even if that kid on TV learns that it’s bad. Not when there’s enough parents not watching the show with their kids.

        Yes you can certainly blame the parents for that, but that’s not much comfort to the parents of the other kid who got sand in their eyes that wouldn’t have if the first kid didn’t think of the idea after watching Caillou do it.

        I don’t think anyone would suggest that Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers were doing wrong things overall just because there were also episodes of those shows that they decided to never rebroadcast.

        https://collider.com/mister-rogers-neighborhood-lost-episodes-controversy/