| Wiggling into kids' hearts
Published Tuesday August 26, 2003 BY ERIN CLARK WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Four middle-aged Australian men who wear brightly colored shirts while singing about fruit salad are giving Barney and friends a run for their money. Blue shirt - Anthony Field, 40, drums, known for eating. Yellow shirt - Greg Page, 36, lead vocals, known for perfecting magic tricks. Red shirt - Murray Cook, 42, guitar, known for playing guitar. Purple shirt - Jeff Fatt, 49, keyboard, known for falling asleep. The popularity of the down-under group known as the Wiggles has exploded in the United States in the past two years. And kids can't get enough. John Sutera's two daughters have fallen for the children's TV show. Eight-year-old Emily is too old for the program now, but 3-year-old Megan enjoys watching the enthusiastic characters. "They are like a cool, goofy uncle who's fun and you can relate to," said Sutera, of Omaha. "The show is simple and upbeat, not a lot of substance. They are doing their own thing." The group makes its first local appearance Thursday at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs as part of its international tour. A 3 p.m. show was added after the 7 p.m. program sold out. On television, the Wiggles show airs four times daily on the Disney Channel. The group also sells albums and videos. During the early '90s, Murray Cook (red shirt), Greg Page (yellow shirt), and Anthony Field (blue shirt) met at a Sydney university while studying early-childhood education. The group started as a school project that used music to teach children. Field played guitar with an Australian band called the Cockroaches. Jeff Fatt (purple shirt), a former Cockroaches member, became the fourth guy, and the group started playing at birthday parties and events. In 1991 the group produced its first CD, a surprise hit in Australia. After several more CDs and videos, the group gained popularity in the United States. In 1999, the same company that produced Barney started distributing Wiggles products. Now no one can say the words "fruit salad" at Loren Conaway's home without someone singing the catchy tune. Her 5-year-old daughter Amy loves to sing and dance along with the Wiggles. "She really wants to be one of the kids on the Wiggles," Conaway said. "I keep telling her they live in Australia." Conaway, a clinical psychologist at Omaha Children's Hospital, said the Wiggles are age-appropriate for their target audience: birth to age 7. The fast pace keeps up with children's short attention spans, although the program is not overly educational. Conaway said parents shouldn't rely on TV to teach their children. But, she said, "if your kids are going to watch TV, this is a positive show." Wiggle words -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because the Wiggles hail from Down Under, they use some different words: "Beauty, mate" Great! "Bub" Baby "Bob's yer uncle" You're all right. See you later. "Bottler" Someone (or something) who performs well "Cooee" In earshot "Good on ya, mate!" Good for you!, excited "Nipper" Small child "Off his head" Crazy "Strike me lucky" Good times "Sussing it out" Figuring it out Source: HIT Entertainment |
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