| Hit team of Australian 'goofs' bring humor to American youngsters
By RANDALL HACKLEY Associated Press Writer July 7, 1999 NEW YORK (AP) -- The Down Under-United States entertainment connection brought Olivia Newton-John to American stardom. Same for "Crocodile Dundee" and Mel Gibson. Let's now give a welcome to the Wiggles, a goofy new import from Australia. The Wiggles are four effervescent performers from the Sydney area: Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page. Each wears a special color: blue, red, yellow or purple. Set loose on a recent five-week tour of New York, Florida, Virginia and Texas, they wowed the preschool set with their wild antics. "This is really special," said Field in a telephone interview from Texas. "If this is all I did for the rest of my life, I'd be happy." His group had kids howling with joy with routines involving Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus and Wags the Dog. A running gag where Fatt always falls asleep is especially popular with the 6 and younger set: Everyone yells, "Wake up Jeff!" Dutifully, in show after show, Fatt wakes with a start and a big grin. Kids never seem to tire of it, Field said. While relatively new to the American scene, the Wiggles seem to be on to something, judging by kids' reactions to the group's belly-slapping shows. Kids sing and laugh to the "Monkey Dance," "Numbers Rhumba," "Hot Potato" and "Fruit Salad." "The songs really work anywhere," said Field. Six of the Wiggles' videos have reached multiplatinum status in Australia. And "The Wiggles Movie" was the second highest-grossing film in Australia in 1998. "It's pretty mind-boggling," said Field, 36, explaining how three of the Wiggles got degrees in early childhood education, began fooling around in 1991, and cut a record they thought might appeal to kids. "We took it to a record company, thinking nothing of it. It started really selling. In Australia, the Wiggles is like really huge. We could play there all year," he said. The U.S. tour included performances at various Sea World and Busch Gardens locations and the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. Field said he was overwhelmed by what he saw as the Wiggles traveled the country. "It's so slow in Australia compared to here," Field said. "Even the roads are smaller. And the supermarkets are huge! It's pretty wild. Like New York, it's so huge and fast, on the edge." Page admitted that he missed his wife and children. He also confessed: "I've been driving on the wrong side of the road!" The Wiggles will release two videos in the United States this fall: "Yummy Yummy" and "Wiggle Time," hoping to capitalize on their U.S. tour and their 30-minute "The Wiggles" program, which is shown weekday mornings on the Fox Family Channel. |