Caillou

When I Grow Up (2x201)

: 04, 2000

Caillou can’t wait to grow up and do new things. When he and Mom clean out the attic and find an old chest full of wonderful belongings, Caillou realizes these treasures of the past were once someone’s dreams for the future, and he longs for his own. But when he finds a dead bird in the garden, getting older suddenly seems pretty scary. After Mom and Dad assure him he has lots and lots of time, Caillou contemplates possible future jobs, like being a mailman or policeman. Meanwhile, the puppets aren’t getting any bigger – even though Rexy’s and Teddy’s long shadows give them pause! In the puppet segments, Rexy is interested in growing up. Teddy is stuck under a bush. He can't get out because he has too much stuffing. Rexy keeps waking Gilbert and asking him if he's grown any. Gilbert says that growing up takes a bit longer than that. Rexy talks with Teddy, who, having finally gotten out from under that bush, tells Rexy that he when he first approached him, he thought that he might be a huge, tall dog. "Huge and tall" are words that Rexy likes to hear. Meanwhile, in this pilot episode of the new version of Caillou, Caillou considers the topic of growing up. "The Treasure Chest" (A42 WIP title: "Pirate Caillou") Caillou is pretending to be a pirate. He's at the park with Dad and Grandpa. Dad comments to Grandpa that he can't wait until Caillou's a bit older so that he can teach him how to play football. Dad takes Pirate Caillou home, although he doesn't want to go home yet because he hasn't found a treasure. When he gets home, he finds Mom upstairs in the attic. He searches around and finds an old rotary telephone. Mom says that Dad must have saved it because he's a packrat. Caillou finds an old trunk and the narrator says that this is the treasure Caillou's been looking for. Inside the trunk are a bunch of Daddy's old things that he's saved. There's a camera, a harmonica and even a rose Mommy wore when Daddy took her to a special dance. Dad comes up and sees that Caillou has found his old stuff. Mom calls them both packrats. When Caillou finds Daddy's old college football, Daddy fixes it up and starts teaching him how to play. Caillou learns pretty quickly. It seems like he could be good at it. "Caillou's Getting Older!" Caillou and Daddy are in the garden and Caillou notices a dead bird on the ground. Caillou asks if it's dead and Dad affirms. He suggests burying it and Caillou agrees. They bury the bird and Caillou asks Dad point-blank why the bird died. Dad says that it's a tough question and the narrator interjects that Caillou didn't think that it was such a tough question. Dad decides that it's for the best not to tell Caillou about the bird's unfortunate run-in with Gilbert and says that the bird died because it was too old. Caillou accepts this, but seems troubled. Throughout his day, Caillou hears a number of people comment about how old they are. Dad has trouble reading the paper and comments that he must need glasses- he's getting old. Sarah got in-line skates for her birthday- she's a whole year older. When Daddy is tucking Caillou into bed that night, he says that Caillou is getting bigger and older every day. Caillou breaks down. He explains his concern aboutt he bird and Dad tells him that he has lots of time to get bigger and older. So does Teddy. "All in a Day's Work" (A42 WIP title: "My Alarm Clock Didn't Go Off") It's morning and Gilbert wakes Caillou up He goes into Mommy and Daddy's room. They wish him good morning. Then, Mommy realizes that their alarm didn't go off. Dad has Caillou go downstairs and feed Gilbert. Mom makes Caillou rush through breakfast and he's not happy about it. In the bathroom, Caillou sees Mom's makeup. He uses it on Rosie, to make her look like Mommy. Mom notices this and Caillou says he wanted Rosie to look like her. Mom scolds him for playing with her makeup. Dad asks Caillou to get dressed so that he and Rosie can go to playgroup, but Caillou doesn't want to . He wants to stay home and play with Daddy. Daddy, however, has to go to work. So Dad goes downstairs and tells Mommy to go ahead on to the playgroup with Rosie. Back upstairs, we learn that Dad's alarm clock definitely isn't going off because he's decided that he can be even later than he is now for work by taking Caillou around the neighborhood to see other people who are working. Caillou meets the mailman, a garbage collector and cops. They also stop at an ATM, where Dad clears up Caillou's misconception that the ATM simply "gives him money." (A common misconception among little children.) He drops Caillou off at his playgroup, where he tells Mrs. Martin about all the stuff he did "at work." "Caillou's School Bus" Caillou sees the school bus go by his window every day and he wants to go on a ride with it. He asks Dad when he can ride on the school bus and Dad says that he can't until his next birthday. Caillou, though, is 4 and so he wants to go on the school bus (all together now, really whiny) NOW. Dad says that they can go and see the school bus up close. They get up early the next day. Sarah asks Caillou if he's coming on the bus. Dad says no, but then the bus driver sees Caillou's Dad and realizes that he knows him. Dad greets the bus driver as Mr. Washington. The driver says that he looks forward to taking Caillou to school on the bus when the time comes. He offers to let Caillou ride on the bus the next day, if he can clear it with his boss. The next day, the bus comes and Mr. Washington tells Caillou to get on the bus. Caillou goes to the school and back. Dad has Caillou thank Mr. Washington. Mr. Washington says that he'll see Caillou after his next birthday.