Nelson and The Gerbils

Nelson and The Gerbils is a Canadian comedy young teens television series which aired on Adult Swim, with its first episode airing on July 1st, 2022; it later moved to YouTube with its final episode being shown on that channel on October 3, 2024. It was animated in Canada by CINAR Corporation (later Cookie Jar Entertainment), In season 5, the show was animated by the South African studio Clockwork Zoo. The series, based on Caillou by Hélène Desputeaux, focuses on all of the Caillou characters from both canon and Vyond.

Plot
Retelling the original series, Caillou Perkyshitz lives with his mother Doris, father Boris, and younger sister, Rosie. However, his global reputation is tarnished by GoAnimate fans, prompting Boris to take on a demonic persona and gain the trust of three singing gerbils (Nelson, Sneaky, and Bangadore) who quickly enter the spotlight.

Character
The Gerbils


 * Nelson - The Leader, Head Singer, and oldest of the Gerbils. Nelson has been shown at times to be quite self-absorbed and greedy, but at others to be selfless, and giving. The term "look before you leap" does not apply to Nelson, who is spontaneous and impulsive.
 * Sneaky - Smartest of the Gerbils. He possesses a very dry sense of humor as well as a keen wit but every now and then will join Nelson in his pranks and adventures.
 * Bangadore - Smallest and Youngest of the Gerbils. Bangadore is the youngest of the group, he is a frequent target for Nelson's manipulations.

Major Characters


 * Caillou is an imaginative four-year-old boy with a love for forms of transportive machinery such as rocket ships and airplanes. A dreamer, Caillou is inclined to frequent dream sequences in some episodes, visualizing his daydreams and wishes, and many episodes describe his normal daily experiences with his parents, friends, and neighbors. Caillou particularly loves his stuffed dinosaur, Rexy, and teddy bear, Teddy, along with his pet cat Gilbert, all of whom are depicted as puppets in segments featured in the earlier episodes.
 * Rosie (French name: Mousseline) – Caillou's lively younger sister who is a typical toddler. She is two years old. She always wants to take part in the same activities as Caillou. In later seasons of the series, she becomes more talkative and independent. She wears a blue dress, red socks and blue Mary Jane shoes. Rosie fights with Caillou for some reasons, but they still love each other. She appears to be the only family member with red hair.
 * Doris– Caillou's mother. She is a busy homemaker most of the time but is seen to work in an office, as well. Caillou occasionally helps his mother with different chores, and she often takes time to involve Caillou and his friends in activities such as crafts and baking. She is predominantly dressed in a red blouse with yellow trim, blue headband, ankle-length blue jeans and blue shoes with green soles.
 * Boris – Caillou's father and the manager of the Gerbils. He wears a green sweater with a red trim with blue jeans. In the episode "Uh The Animatronic Characters Here..." he says he once worked at a restaurant and made pizza. His patience is tested everyday by the gerbils, mainly Nelson.
 * Gilbert – Caillou's pet cat. In the puppet segments, he is shown to be knowledgeable about things which are foreign to Rexy and Teddy.
 * Grandma – Caillou's paternal grandmother. Grandma is a very active lady who loves the arts and the outdoors. She passes that love onto Caillou. Grandma often comes up with creative ideas to solve Caillou's problems.
 * Grandpa – Caillou's paternal grandfather. He takes Caillou on adventures, often going on walks and riding the bus throughout the town where they reside. In "Caillou's Hiding Place", he showed Caillou a hidden area inside a tree in the backyard. In the episode "Caillou Goes Camping", he and Caillou camp in the backyard. He is Boris's father.