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The success of The Wiggles, Anthony (Blue Wiggle), Emma (Yellow Wiggle) Lachy (Purple Wiggle) and Simon (Red Wiggle) lies in the relationships they build with their audiences. They are real people just like mom and dad, making The Wiggles a child’s first love outside of their family. “The core of The Wiggles is their humanity,” Ben Elton (Writer and Director) says. “They are not puppets, they are not cartoons, they are real people, there is something life-enhancing about The Wiggles.” Children need opportunities to develop a sense of their own identity, to become connected with their world and to contribute to it, to develop a strong sense of wellbeing, to become confident learners and effective communicators. In all of their work The Wiggles see things from the perspective of children along with their early childhood educational background and songwriting prowess it is easy to see why The Wiggles have been successful. So, who are The Wiggles? Emma is the first female Wiggle and the most popular of the Fab Four. She sings, drums, uses sign language and is
known for dancing. Emma has changed the play patterns of The Wiggles’ audience with her focus on ballet. Anthony created The Wiggles and has produced all of their albums, over 1,600 Wiggles songs. He remains the creative director of the group. Lachy is a graduate of Australia’s premier musical theatre college WAAPA where alumni such as Hugh Jackman learned their craft. Lachy is Anthony’s musical right-hand man in the studio and, with his voice, specialises in arranging harmonies. Simon has a pedigree in musical theatre, performing as the Phantom in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ that toured Asia for five years. His bass-baritone voice and sense of humour are but a part of his impressive stage presence. The last seven years have had sig-
nificant growth with new audiences and digital platforms. Due to the popularity of Emma, there are new license categories and products. Paul Field, The Wiggles Managing Director says “Emma’s success is echoed in the sales of a range of Emma specific products, enabling a new play pattern of dolls and dance! The Bowtiful Ballet Studio l inspires interactive play which is an important part of the cognitive development of children.” These toys are available in Toys “R” Us and Walmart Canada and selected Barnes and Noble stores in the USA.
The Wiggles’ YouTube North American audience makes up a whopping 49% of total viewership. Total watch time is 320,982,710 minutes (equivalent to 610 years, 107 days), which is due to regular video uploads and collaborations with content creators like Super Simple Songs, with shared playlists and appearances in their productions. There’ll be a Wiggles Week celebration on their channel to launch ‘The Toilet Song.’ The Wiggles have been asked for decades to write a song to help parents and carers with the toilet training of children. The ‘Toilet Song’ is a fun, musical way to engage with children on this
It has been 28 years since the world was introduced to the iconic blue, red, yellow and purple skivvies of The Wiggles. The Australian powerhouse and international phenomenon was founded on Early Childhood learning principles which both entertain and engage preschoolaged children.
The Wiggles have cemented themselves as icons, creating an enduring legacy. Children who once saw The Wiggles are now bringing their children to see The Wiggles.
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