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THE FAB FOUR OF THE TODDLER SET…THE WIGGLES!
The
New York Times called The Wiggles “THE BAND THAT ROCKS
THE CRADLE”.
The New York Post said, “PARENTAL ADVISORY! Yummy Yummy
Fruit Salad may soon eclipse La Vida Loca in your mental
tape recorder – but this video is guaranteed to
mesmerise toddlers. It also passes the repetition test
– Adults can watch it five times without wanting to rip
it out”.
Time Magazine said, “Its the quality of course, that
kids, parents and educators love. The Wiggles promote
social behavior urging children to engage with a world
that is becoming increasingly virtual”.
While at home in Sydney, The Telegraph said “The Wiggles
are a bright spot in an often confusing jumble of
children’s entertainment options.
The
Wiggles are children's entertainers who have rewritten
the book about how children can be
entertained with song and dance.
Sam (Yellow), Murray (Red), Jeff (Purple) and Anthony
(Blue) and the characters they have created are now a
part of the lives of so many children across the globe.
Now celebrating their 18th year, The Wiggles have
created a catalogue of music, television, video and film
that have proven to be modern classics. The Wiggles have
always been a touring band, which in part explains the
widespread success they have enjoyed. They have kept in
constant contact with the public, and in turn the public
has fully embraced the music and characters they have
created. The Wiggles are more than an Australian
success story, they are a global phenomenon that cuts
across all demographics, and has spread across the
world stage.
So
how did it all begin?
Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page met while
studying Early Childhood Education at Sydney s Macquarie
University. The three began writing children s songs
as one of their music projects. They enlisted the
assistance of Jeff Fatt, who played with Anthony in the
popular 1980’s band The Cockroaches, and The Wiggles
were born. The Wiggles took the finished tape to ABC
Music, who released a self-titled album in 1991.
"The
Wiggles" album has since achieved Platinum status, and
The Wiggles themselves have gone on to become one of the
most popular and successful performing acts in any age
group.
The Wiggles continue to entertain more and more children
around the world. Their ability to relate to their young
audience and to create songs that are both entertaining
and educational has made The Wiggles incredibly popular
with both children and their parents. Couple their
unique song-writing ability with the foursome’s genuine
enjoyment of what they do, and the result is a live show
which has the kids (and adults!) dancing, clapping and
singing in the aisles.
The band’s training in early childhood education remains
a strong influence in the approach they take with their
live shows, albums, DVDs and The Wiggles Movie. Anthony
Field feels that a lot of The Wiggles success comes from
their knowledge of child development. "A lot of what we
do comes from a child’s perspective", says Anthony.
"It’s got a lot to do with what songs are about and the
language we use, and I like to think we know how to
write pretty catchy tunes. Right from the start we gave
a lot of thought to what was appropriate for children’s
music."
The
Wiggles have now sold over 22.5 million DVDs and 7
million CDs worldwide. They have sold out concerts on
five continents, and their TV show is watched daily by
millions of children worldwide. In the United States,
they have become a woven fixture into the cultural
landscape. They are constantly referenced in TV shows
and movies. They have appeared in the famous Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York three times. They
have been featured on many of the country’s top national
talk shows including The View, The Today Show, Live!
With Regis & Kelly and Good Morning America; as well
primetime TV shows such as Deal or No Deal and
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
As
songwriters and recording artists, The Wiggles have also
been recognized by their peers, winning three
prestigious Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA)
song-writing awards for Best Children’s Song of 1994,
1995, 1996 and 2007, as well as the prestigious
International Award for their success overseas.
The Wiggles debuted in the US in June of 1999 at Walmart, where they performed in the shopping center’s
parking lot. Shortly there after they became the
intermission act for Barney (yes, the iconic purple
dinosaur) and began touring across the country. Since
then they have performed nearly 2,000 shows in the U.S.
alone, including 12 sold-out shows at Madison Square
Garden in New York City, performing for more than
250,000 people. Their celebrity fan base has grown to
include John Travolta, Denise Richards, Sarah Jessica
Parker & Matthew Broderick, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris
Rock, John Fogarty, Chris Martin, Courtney Cox-Arquette
and Cate Blanchett.
The Wiggles regularly tour throughout Australia, New
Zealand, The United Kingdom, and continue to sell out
concerts across the United States! Having reached the #1
spot in Business Review Weekly as Australia’s highest
earners in the entertainment field for the third year in
a row (2007) and being named Australian Exporters of the
Year in 2005, their 16 years of touring around the world
has certainly paid off.
In
2003, The Wiggles decided to reach out to non-English
speaking countries by creating the very first Taiwanese
version of The Wiggles. The Wiggles have also launched
their Spanish speaking counterparts who tour throughout
Central and South America.
2005 saw the opening of Wiggles World, a hugely
successful multi-million dollar amusement park at Dream
World on the Gold Coast of Australia. Locals and
international travelers alike line up to experience
Wiggles-themed attractions such as the Big Red Car ride.
That same year, The Wiggles opened the first Wiggly Play
Center in Seven Hills, Australia, and later another in
Dallas, Texas. Wiggly Play Centers are indoor play areas
created exclusively for the fun, entertainment and
development of children.
In April of 2006, The Wiggles were awarded Australian
Catholic University’s highest honor, Doctor of the
University (honoris causa), in recognition of their
outstanding contribution to early childhood education.
Sadly, on November 30, 2006 The Wiggles announced that
Greg Page, the Yellow Wiggle, was unable to continue
performing with the group due to a chronic condition
known as orthostatic intolerance. Sam Moran, Page’s
previous understudy, stepped in as the new Yellow
Wiggle. Sam feels honored to be wearing the prestigious
yellow shirt, and is looking forward to his future with
The Wiggles with great excitement.
In 2007, The Wiggles made Australasian Performing Right Association(APRA) Awards history from winning the most ARIA Awards in any
one category. The Wiggles have won seven ARIA Awards in
the category of Best Australian Children’s Album, for
Big Red Car (1995), Wake Up Jeff! (1996) Toot Toot!
(1998) Live Hot Potatoes! (2005) Racing To The Rainbow
(2006) Pop Go The Wiggles! (2007) and most recently You
Make Me Feel Like Dancing (2008), respectively. In 2003
they were awarded the ARIA Outstanding Achievement Award
for their success in the USA.
Later in 2007, Wiggles-themed children’s entertainment
areas called “Wiggles Worlds” opened in three Six Flags
Amusement Park locations in North America. Each Wiggles
World theme area boasts Wiggles-themed rides, a stage
show starring Dorothy the Dinosaur and Friends, the
Yummy Yummy Café, play areas, monitors playing Wiggles
video clips and songs, and kiosks selling Wiggles
merchandise.
In February of 2008, The Wiggles were named UNICEF
Goodwill Ambassadors, joining the likes of Shakira,
David Beckham, Nicole Kidman and Roger Federer. As
UNICEF ambassadors, The Wiggles focus primarily on
literacy, numeracy, and sanitation for children. UNICEF
works with needy children in 150 developing countries
including Australia’s Northern Territory to improve
access to clean water, healthcare, education and food.
In May of 2008, The Wiggles performed duets with some of
Australia’s top talent, including Jimmy Barnes, Kate
Ceberano, Leo Sayer and John Paul Young at a special
charity concert held at the Sydney Entertainment Center,
raising over $110,000 for the cause.
Most recently, The Wiggles have just launched their
brand new website
www.WiggleTime.com. The site is designed to be a
virtual world that provides young children with a safe
online environment to learn and play. It creates the
opportunity for today’s parent to introduce their child
to the Internet without the risk of them communicating
with strangers and is also completely free of
advertisements. It doubles as an educational resource
center for parents to monitor their child’s development
and be kept up-to-date with the most recent parenting
news.
Their latest album Go Bananas! will hit shelves
in the United States on July 14th, 2009.
This brand new record will feature Australian pop
sensation Kylie Minogue, who joins the guys for the hit
single “Monkey Man”. The Wiggles will once again return
to the US this summer with their ”Go Bananas Live!”
tour, visiting 34 cities across the nation.
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