| Still Wiggling after all these years
Road to success: With huge worldwide sales of CDs and videos and a new CD on the way, The Wiggles are showing no signs of slowing down. They've been kings of the kids for 10 years, and there's no sign of a slide. Christine Sams reports on the incredible success of The Wiggles. If only Dorothy the Dinosaur could speak, there would be plenty of tales to tell. It is 10 years since four men in coloured skivvies began singing songs for Australian children, and in the ensuing decade they have become multimillionaires. To comprehend the impact of The Wiggles, consider these two facts: Their first fans would be turning 16 or 17 years old by now, and they own more than 100 coloured skivvies each - just to cover their demanding schedule. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 10th birthday of The Wiggles is their ability to maintain their extraordinary popularity with children, in a world top-heavy with computer games, Pokémon and short attention spans. There seems to be one key reason behind their incredible success - the attitude of the stars themselves. If Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page were rock stars they would probably support a weighty entourage by now. But like their pint-sized audience, The Wiggles are mostly free of affectation. In the flesh they are straightforward and friendly, and they still laugh openly at the crazy antics they created for kids. "The best thing about working with kids is they bring you back down to earth," said Field - the blue wiggle - who was named Cleo's Bachelor of the Year three years ago. "What I liked most about leaving the world of rock'n'roll behind was the lack of hype - we could just concentrate on performing and creating songs." When Field talks about leaving the world of rock'n'roll he means The Cockroaches - a soft-rock band from the 1980s which featured Field, his brother Paul (the original Captain Feathersword, but now Wiggles manager) and Fatt. Field met Cook and Page while studying early childhood teaching at Macquarie University in the late 80s. The men decided to tap into their university studies about children, and their passion for music, by forming a kids' band. Because Anthony Field knew Fatt from their days in The Cockroaches, he roped him in to perform on their first children's album. The Wiggles 10 years ago were a vastly different outfit to the band today. For starters there were five of them, but classical musician Philip Wilcher didn't feel entirely happy performing in the children's band - so he left before their first album. But even he couldn't have comprehended the impact The Wiggles would have on Australian entertainment. "They created this genre," said Paul Field. "Before them there were Bananas [in Pyjamas] and Play School, but no humans in the children's market - especially not grown men." In videos from 1991, the five Wiggles weren't wearing coloured skivvies, but the quirky dance moves and crazy face expressions that would endear them to a generation of kids were already in evidence. Like gangly, awkward teenagers who blossomed into confident adults, they discovered colour-coded branding (for the record, Field is the blue Wiggle, Fatt purple, Cook red and Page yellow), invented cute character sidekicks including Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog - and hit the big time in a previously untapped entertainment market. Ten years on, Fatt still can't believe his role in The Wiggles phenomenon - least of all his fame for being the Wiggle who never wakes up. "I never thought I'd be here in this place, I was asked to help out on one album and we're still going strong," he said. "But really, the 10 years has just gone so fast, probably because we all love it so much." Cynics might roll their eyes at the niceness of The Wiggles. It's easy to wonder deep down whether these guys swear and curse at each other, fight on the tour bus, or loathe wearing all those bright colours. One of the three is bordering on truth. The band members readily admit the colours are only a novelty during their performances - Cook wears black off-stage and the others generally steer away from their yellow, blue and purple personas. Fatt said: "I have worn clothes off the stage which have a purplish or blue tone, but if something is outright purple I wouldn't buy it." As for any conflict between the four men themselves, Fatt said they could never work together unless they maintained the friendship which helped form the band. He admitted that when they weren't performing they did not see each other much. But considering they appear on stage hundreds of times each year, often while touring countries including the United States and Britain, it's hardly what you'd call keeping a distance. After three ARIA awards, gold and platinum albums and multimillion-dollar sales in Australia, The Wiggles are taking their songs to the world. They have sold 800,000 videos in the US and the release of their next album, Hoopy Dee Doo It's A Wiggly Party, at the end of this month is a sure sign they're not slowing down their global campaign in any hurry. So what do they hope will be the ultimate impact of The Wiggles? Fatt said: "One day some teenagers might start up a band based on their original love of The Wiggles - maybe we'll be responsible for the next silverchair." Anthony Field is adamant that The Wiggles have no plans to retire or slow down - and they have no concerns about wearing those skivvies for the next 10 years. A FABULOUS DECADE 1991: The Wiggles make one of their first video appearances with the song Get Ready to Wiggle. 1992: With their second album, Here Comes The Song, the Wiggles adopt the coloured skivvies. 1993: The skivvies become one of the most recognisable brands in the children's market. 1994: Hot Potato wins an APRA award for best children's song. 1995: They enter the musical big league by winning their first ARIA award, for Big Red Car. They also win best children's album in 1996 and 1998, with Wake Up Jeff and Toot Toot. 1996: The Wiggles perform more than 500 concerts across Australia in just one year. 1998: They corner the children's video market for the fourth year in a row. They reach No1 with Yummy Yummy, Big Red Car, Wake Up Jeff, Wiggle Dance - and Toot Toot a year later. 1999: The Wiggles Movie breaks all records during its video release in 1999. The movie grossed more than $2.6 million at the box office, even though children younger than three were admitted for free. 2000: A monthly magazine called The Wiggles goes on sale and is an instant hit. 2001: The Wiggles' next album Hoopy Dee Doo It's A Wiggly Party will be released at the end of the month. They are also in talks for a new television series in Australia. The Sun-Herald |
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