Stream Baby Stream: Help, I Hate My Kidâ€™s Favorite Show

Stream Caillou

Ask my 2-year-old to sing, and I bet you anything she'd belt out one of three tunes: "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "The Wheels on the Bus" or the Caillou theme.

Until a few months ago, I'd never heard of Caillou – and man, do I wish that were still the case. The animated show seems to be the first thing my daughter loves that I absolutely can't stand.

Based on a Canadian series of children's books, Caillou ran from 1997-2010. (It can be streamed via Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and Netflix.) It tells the story of an imaginative 4-year-old boy who lives in a pretty traditional household with his mother, father and 2-year-old sister, Rosie.

So what's my beef with this ordinary-sounding kid? For one thing, that's exactly it: Caillou is as plain as they come and encounters little diversity in his life. Though he's inquisitive, he doesn't seem particularly intelligent. I'd characterize him as the Beaver Cleaver of Canadian cartoons, but that would be doing him a favor.

Caillou's uniformity also crosses over into its appearance, which is rendered entirely in bright, primary colors. The character's baldness is also a bit disconcerting and is probably the series' most common head-scratcher (pun intended).

But because my daughter goes crazy for Caillou, I've had to put aside my irritation and try to determine if there might be more to it than I think. And maybe there is: For one thing, episodes are easy to discuss afterward; unlike many other 'toons, they stick with one storyline and move at a leisurely pace. (Interestingly, a 2011 study by the University of Virginia noted that watching Caillou didn't compromise kids' attention spans and problem-solving abilities.)

And though the show isn't presented in a particularly unique way, Caillou does like to draw and engage in creative activities. And then there's that dang sing-along theme song…

If you're curious about Caillou, Season 1 can be streamed for free, but note that early episodes feature live-action interstitials that my daughter and I both hate. (Later seasons omit them.) Also, 2015 marks Caillou's 25th anniversary, so expect to see a wave of new DVDs, toys, books and other products in the coming months.

As for hating something my child loves, well, I know this won't be the last time. And at least for now it's a weird, bald cartoon boy instead of a weird, bald dude in a beat-up Toyota Corolla, right?

New for your queue!

Tired of watching the same Sesame Street eps over and over? Here are a few notable, family-friendly additions to various streaming services:

On Netflix: Labyrinth. The first time I ever saw David Bowie was probably in this 1986 fantasy flick, which I watched repeatedly for years. Show it to your kids or screen it after they go to bed to relive the magic of Magic Dance. [Watch Labyrinth on Netflix]

On Hulu Plus: The Ren & Stimpy Show. As I recall, this was one series my mother didn't approve of, which made my brother and I like it even more. Almost 25 years later, "The Log Song" and "Happy Happy Joy Joy" still make me smile. [Watch The Ren & Stimpy Show on Hulu Plus]

On Amazon Prime: The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. This 1988 movie may not be Pippi's best onscreen endeavor, but it does include appearances by the late, great Eileen Brennan and Eight is Enough dad Dick Van Patten (who, coincidentally, just turned 86). I suggest you use it as a springboard to delve into Astrid Lindgren's delightful Pippi comics, which have been reissued in several volumes by publisher Drawn & Quarterly. [Watch The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking on Amazon Prime]

On YouTube: House of Robots. This new web series on YouTube's Fred channel coincides with James Patterson's young adult book about a fifth grader whose household robot ruins his life. The episodes are essentially mini-book trailers, but I'm a sucker for stop-motion animation. [Watch House Of Robots on YouTube]

Robots: http://youtu.be/-k4uAebMCsA

Whitney Matheson (@whitneymatheson) is a pop-culture writer and mother. In 2015 she will serve as the Journalist in Residence at Middle Tennessee State University.

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