The Wiggles facts for kids

The Wiggles performing on stage

The Wiggles are a super popular children's music group from Australia. They started in Sydney in 1991. The group today includes Anthony Field (the blue Wiggle), Lachlan Gillespie (the purple Wiggle), Simon Pryce (the red Wiggle), and Tsehay Hawkins (the yellow Wiggle).

The Wiggles have always been loved by kids and families. Their music is played in schools all over the world! They have sold millions of DVDs and CDs, and many of their songs have been streamed over a billion times online. They have also won many awards and are even in the ARIA Hall of Fame, which is a big honor for musicians in Australia.

History

How it all started (1988–1991)

Anthony Field and Jeff Fatt were part of a pop band called The Cockroaches in the 1980s. After a sad family event, Anthony decided to go back to university to study how to teach young children. There, he met Murray Cook and Greg Page, who were also studying early childhood education.

In 1991, Anthony had an idea to make music for children using what he learned at university. He wanted to make songs that were fun and educational. They asked Jeff Fatt to join them on keyboards for what they thought would be a short project. They named the group "The Wiggles" because wiggling is how kids often dance!

They even wrote essays explaining why each song was good for kids. They got help with songs from Anthony's brother, John Field, and another musician named Phillip Wilcher. Some of their old Cockroaches songs were changed to fit children's music, like "Hot Tamale" becoming "Hot Potato."

To share their music, The Wiggles made two music videos with the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). They also made a longer video themselves. They didn't have much money, so they used their family members as actors and their girlfriends helped make costumes.

First Steps (1991–1993)

The Wiggles' first manager helped them get their music out there. Their first album cost about A$4,000 to make and sold 100,000 copies!

At first, Anthony and Murray worked as teachers, so they could only perform during school holidays. They played at small places like daycare centers, shopping malls, and parties. They even played music on the street in Sydney! Soon, more and more people came to see them.

In 1993, Anthony, Murray, and Greg decided to stop teaching for a year to focus on The Wiggles full-time. Jeff also joined them. They wanted to see if they could make a living from their music. They started to add fun characters to their shows, like Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog. At first, the band members played these characters themselves! Later, Paul Paddick joined to play Captain Feathersword and became known as "the fifth Wiggle."

The Wiggles started wearing their famous colored shirts on stage. Greg wore yellow, Murray wore red, Jeff wore purple, and Anthony wore blue. This made it easy for kids to tell them apart!

Big Success (1993–2004)

Through the 1990s, The Wiggles were very busy recording music and touring. They released many albums and videos and played for bigger and bigger crowds in Australia and New Zealand. In 1997, they even had their own movie, The Wiggles Movie, which was very popular!

They wanted to have a TV show on ABC, but it didn't work out. So, The Wiggles paid to make their own TV show with 13 episodes. It became a big hit on Disney Channel in Australia and Channel Seven.

By 1998, The Wiggles were ready to share their music with the world. They had some health challenges, but they kept going. They found huge success in the United States after performing at Disneyland. A company called Lyrick Studios, who made Barney & Friends, discovered them. Lyrick Studios loved The Wiggles' positive message and helped them become famous in America.

The Wiggles started by performing during the breaks of Barney Live shows. Their videos became very popular, and stores like Walmart started selling them. They released many DVDs to keep up with the demand. They started playing in small places like church halls and then moved to big arenas like Madison Square Garden!

After the sad events of September 11, 2001, in New York City, The Wiggles still performed there when other groups cancelled their shows. This earned them a lot of respect. Disney Channel in the US started showing Wiggles video clips, and soon, full episodes of their TV shows were on air multiple times a day.

By 2002, The Wiggles were incredibly popular in the US. They started performing up to 520 shows a year all over the world! They also created other stage shows with their characters in places they couldn't visit themselves. Around the mid-2000s, they were earning a lot of money and had many deals with companies like Disney.

Even with all this success, Anthony Field almost left the group in 2004 because of his health problems and the very busy tour schedule. He found a way to improve his health and was able to continue.

Greg Page Leaves (2005–2006)

In 2005, Greg Page had surgery. In 2006, he had to leave a US tour because he was feeling unwell. Doctors found he had a condition that made him faint and feel tired. On November 30, 2006, The Wiggles announced that Greg was retiring. He said it was the right choice for his health.

Sam Moran took Greg's place. Sam had been an understudy for The Wiggles for five years and had already filled in for Greg many times. It was a big change, but The Wiggles decided to keep going because they thought their young fans would want them to.

The Sam Moran Years (2006–2012)

The Wiggles' line-up in 2007, riding in the Big Red Car during a concert

While kids quickly accepted Sam as the new yellow Wiggle, it was a bit harder for parents. Sam said that "most children understood." By 2011, for the group's 20th anniversary, most young fans didn't even remember Greg Page. Sam's singing style was a bit different, so they changed some of their songs to fit his voice.

The Wiggles continued to do amazing things during these years. They opened "Wiggles World" sections in theme parks and created new TV shows. In 2010, they even had a concert shown live in movie theaters across Australia!

In 2011, Jeff Fatt had heart surgery and had to miss a US tour. The Wiggles also celebrated their 20th anniversary with big circus-themed shows. That year was tough financially for the group, but they worked through it.

New Wiggles Join (2012)

In January 2012, The Wiggles announced that Greg Page was healthy again and would return to the group for a short time.

In mid-2012, The Wiggles shared big news: Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, and Greg Page would be retiring from touring. Three new members would join: Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie, and Simon Pryce. Emma became the first female Wiggle! Anthony Field decided to stay because he still loved educating children.

The original members felt confident that the new group would be loved by fans because they taught the new members all about their ideas for early childhood education. Emma, Lachlan, and Simon had all worked with The Wiggles before. Emma had performed as characters, Lachlan had been in live shows, and Simon had sung on their albums.

The original Wiggles went on a big farewell tour, visiting many countries and cities. The new members wore "in training" T-shirts during these shows. Their final TV performance together was on December 22, 2012, and their very last show was on December 23. By this time, many of the parents in the audience had grown up watching The Wiggles themselves!

The "New Wiggles" Era (2013–2021)

The "New Wiggles": Simon Pryce, Emma Watkins, and Lachlan Gillespie

The new Wiggles group, with Anthony and the new members, started touring in early 2013. Murray Cook even became their road manager! The new Wiggles had to learn all 1400 of The Wiggles' songs. After being off Australian TV for seven years, they filmed a new TV series called Ready, Steady, Wiggle!.

At first, it was a bit hard for the new group. Merchandise with the original Wiggles sold better, and their concerts weren't always sold out. But by 2014, the new Wiggles became very successful! Their concert ticket sales doubled, and they won an ARIA Award for Best Children's Album with Apples & Bananas.

Watkins, Pryce, Gillespie, and Field (L-R) performing live in Sydney, 2018

A big reason for their success was Emma Watkins, the yellow Wiggle. She became a huge star! Her young fans would come to concerts dressed in yellow and wearing bows, just like her. Anthony Field even compared her to Elvis Presley! A new TV series called Emma! was made just for her in 2015. Emma and Lachlan (the purple Wiggle) started dating, got engaged, and were married in 2016, but later separated in 2018.

A new character, Shirley Shawn the Unicorn, joined in 2019. Shirley Shawn is a non-binary character, meaning they don't identify as only a boy or a girl. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, The Wiggles couldn't tour as much, so they made more online videos.

During this time, the original Wiggles sometimes reunited for special shows. In 2016 and 2020, they performed charity concerts for adults. In 2020, Greg Page had a health scare on stage but thankfully recovered. In 2021, The Wiggles (including Murray and Jeff) performed a cover of a song called "Elephant" by Tame Impala, which became super popular and reached number one on a big radio chart!

More Wiggles! (2021–present)

Field, Hawkins, Pryce, and Gillespie (L-R) performing live, 2022

In January 2021, The Wiggles celebrated their 30th anniversary with a song called "We're All Fruit Salad!" It was about being together and accepting everyone. In August 2021, four new members joined The Wiggles to show more different cultures and genders. Evie Ferris, Kelly Hamilton, Tsehay Hawkins, and John Pearce appeared in a new online show called Fruit Salad TV.

In October 2021, Emma Watkins announced she was leaving the group. Tsehay Hawkins took her place as the yellow Wiggle, becoming the first woman of color in the main band! The expanded Wiggles group started performing live in late 2021 and early 2022. Anthony Field's daughter, Lucia Field, also joined the group in July 2022, wearing blue like her dad.

The Wiggles made history in 2022 by being the first band in Australia to do two big arena tours in one year! A new TV series, Ready, Steady, Wiggle!, with the expanded group, started in March 2023.

The original Wiggles (Murray, Jeff, Anthony, and Greg) also continued to do special adults-only reunion tours. They even helped make a tribute album called ReWiggled, which became a number-one album in Australia. A documentary about The Wiggles' amazing story, called Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, came out in October 2023.

Current Members

• Anthony Field (The only original member)
• Lachlan Gillespie
• Simon Pryce
• Tsehay Hawkins

Past members and original members during the Reunions joining Field

• Murray Cook
• Jeff Fatt
• Greg Page
• Phillip Wilcher
• Sam Moran
• Emma Watkins

Characters

The original Wiggles

• Greg Page (lead vocal): Greg is the lead singer who loves to sing and dance. He drives The Big Red Car and likes to do magic tricks. He is the yellow character.
• Anthony Field (backing vocals and instruments): Anthony plays the guitar, drums, and sings and dances. He loves eating, especially fruit salad and apples! When Anthony is happy, he says “Wahoo!” He wore green at first, but has worn blue since 1996.
• Murray Cook (backing vocals and instruments): Murray plays the guitar. He is the red character.
• Jeff Fatt (keyboards and accordion): Jeff plays keyboards. His favorite color is purple. Jeff loves sleeping! When he dreams, he even dreams of being asleep. This makes the others say, "Wake up, Jeff!"

Other characters

There are several other fun characters who are friends with The Wiggles.

• Dorothy the Dinosaur is a big green dinosaur with yellow spots. She wears a floppy white hat and loves to eat roses. Dorothy is 5 years old and very smart for her age. Her birthday is November 3, 1991. She loves dancing, including ballet, Irish, Scottish, and line dancing. Dorothy has a kind heart and is a very friendly dinosaur.
• Captain Feathersword is a friendly pirate who wears a coat, hat, eye patch, and a sword made of feathers. His birthday is on February 4, 1993.
• Wags the Dog is a tall, brown, furry dog with floppy ears and a happy face. He loves eating! Wags is said to keep The Wiggles up all night if he gets hungry. Wags also enjoys digging in his garden. Wags can only talk to the audience by barking, but The Wiggles understand him. Wags is a good Tango dancer and loves having a good time. His birthday is October 27, 1995.
• Henry the Octopus is a fun-loving octopus with purple skin. He wears plaid clothes, a straw hat, and black polished shoes on each of his eight tentacles. Henry loves to wave to all his friends at the same time. He lives under the sea and leads the Underwater Big Band.

Discography

Studio albums

Each album is listed with the year it was first released.

Concert and compilation albums

• Live: Hot Potatoes (2005)
• Hot Potatoes: The Best of the Wiggles (2009)
• Big Birthday! (2011)
• Celebration (2012)
• Hit Songs and Rarities (2012)

Dorothy the Dinosaur albums

• Dorothy the Dinosaur (2007)
• Dorothy the Dinosaur's Memory Book (2008)
• Dorothy the Dinosaur Meets Santa Claus (2009)
• Dorothy the Dinosaur's Rockin' Christmas (2010)
• Dorothy the Dinosaur's Travelling Show! (2011)
• Dorothy the Dinosaur's Beach Party (2012)

Videography

The Original Wiggles

Movies & Specials

• The Wiggles Movie (December 18, 1997)
• The Wiggles in Disneyland (December 17, 1998)

Music Video Compilations

• The Wiggles Big Show (1998)

Videos

• Wiggle Time (September 20, 1993)
• Yummy Yummy (October 24, 1994)
• Big Red Car (October 9, 1995)
• Wake Up Jeff! (August 5, 1996)
• Wiggledance (June 9, 1997)
• Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas (October 13, 1997)
• Yummy Yummy (April 28, 1998)
• Wiggle Time! (April 28, 1998)
• Toot Toot! (October 17, 1998)
• Dorothy The Dinosaur And Friends Video (May 16, 1999)
• The Wiggly Big Show (September 19, 1999)
• Dorothy The Dinosaur Goes To Hospital (October 25, 1999)
• Captain Feathersword The Friendly Pirate Video (May 8, 2000)
• It's a Wiggly Wiggly World! (July 25, 2000)
• Hoop Dee Doo! It's a Wiggly Party (June 19, 2001)
• Yule Be Wiggling (October 16, 2001)
• Wiggly Safari (July 8, 2002)
• Wiggle Bay (September 30, 2002)
• Space Dancing (2003)
• Whoo Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins! (2003)
• Top of the Tots (2004)
• Cold Spaghetti Western (2004)
• Santa's Rockin'! (2004)
• Live Hot Potatoes! (2005)
• Sailing Around the World (2005)
• Here Comes the Big Red Car (2006)
• It's Time To Wake Up Jeff! (2006)
• Splish Splash Big Red Boat (2006)
• Wiggledancing: Live In The U.S.A. (2006)
• Racing to the Rainbow (2006)
• Wiggledancing: Live In Concert (2007)
• Getting Strong! Wiggle and Learn (2007)
• Pop Go the Wiggles! (2007)
• You Make Me Feel Like Dancing (2008)
• Sing a Song of Wiggles (2008)
• Go Bananas! (2009)
• The Wiggles Big Big Show (2009)
• Hot Poppin' Popcorn (2009)
• Hot Potatoes The Best Of The Wiggles (2010)
• Let's Eat (2010)
• Ukulele Baby! (2011)
• Big Birthday (2011)
• It's Always Christmas With You! (2011)
• Surfer Jeff (2012)
• Celebration! (2012)
• The Wiggles Reunion Show (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Ready Steady Wiggle!

• Taking Off! (2013)
• Furry Tales (2013)
• Pumpkin Face (2013)
• Go Santa Go! (2013)
• Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles (2014)
• Apples & Bananas (2014)
• Wiggle House (2014)
• Wake Up Lachy (2014)
• Emma's Bowtiful Day! (2014)
• Rock & Roll Preschool (2015)
• Anthony's Fruity Feast! (2015)
• Emma! (2015)
• The Wiggles: Meet The Orchestra! (2015)
• Simon Says (2016)
• Wiggle Town! (2016)
• Fun Fun Fun! (2016)
• Dial E For Emma! (2016)
• Dance Dance! (2016)
• Lachy! (2017)
• Wiggle Around Australia (2017)
• Duets (2017)
• Emma's Bowtiful Ballet Studio (2017)
• Nursery Rhymes (2017)
• Wiggly Wiggly Christmas (2017)
• The Best of the Wiggles (2018)
• The Wiggles Reunion Show (2018)
• The Emma and Lachy Show
• Nursery Rhymes 2
• Wiggle Pop
• The Big Ballet Day
• Sing, Dance and Play
• Party Time
• Emma! 2: Emmatastic!
• Eat, Sleep, Wiggle, Repeat
• Emma! 2: Dance Spectacular
• Fun and Games
• Choo Choo Trains, Propeller Planes and Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car (2020)
• We're All Fruit Salad: The Wiggles Greatest Hits (2021)
• Lullabies With Love (2021)
• Halloween Party (2021)
• Super Wiggles (2022)
• Fruit Salad Big Show (November 30, 2022)
• The Sounds Of Halloween (2023)
• The Sounds Of Christmas (2023)

TV Shows

• The Wiggles TV Series 1 (Anthony's Friend, Foodman, Murray's Shirt, Building Blocks, Jeff The Mechanic, Lilly, Zardo Zap, The Party, Wiggly Opera, Anthony's Haircut, Muscleman Murray, Spooked Wiggles and Funny Greg.)
• The Wiggles TV Series 2
• The Wiggles TV Series 3 Lights Camera Action Wiggles
• The Wiggles Show TV Series 4
• The Wiggles Show TV Series 5
• The Wiggles TV Series 6 Wiggle and Learn
• Ready Steady Wiggle (2013 - present)
• Other:
  • Emma!
  • Lachy
  • Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle
  • Emma! 2: Emmatastic!
  • Emma! 2: Dance Spectacular
  • The Wiggles World
  • Emma! Series 3
  • Fruit Salad TV
  • Wiggly Fruit Salad

Images for kids

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  Dorothy the Dinosaur

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  Anthony Field (in 2012). He helped create The Wiggles' business plan.

See also

In Spanish: The Wiggles para niños