The Wiggles Go Bananas!

The Family Entertainers are Back This Fall with a New Live Show

Sep 23, 2009

Meet the Wiggles. A fun foursome from Australia, they have been in the children's entertainment business since the early 90s. And for good reason.

The Wiggles, quite possibly the silver lining in the dark cloud that is Barney and the Teletubbies, are getting ready to embark on yet another North American tour on October 9. Starting in Vancouver and wrapping up barely a month later on November 8 in Atlanta, they will be performing an almost-ridiculous 42 live shows (as per www.thewiggles.com.au, Sept. 23, 2009). Now that’s energy.

Make that boundless energy. Together for eighteen years, the four members that make up the Wiggles (Sam Moran, Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt) have performed a staggering 2,000 shows in the US alone, and play to 750,000 fans per year ("Amazing But True...It is a Wiggly World Out There!" press release, Rob Bailey Communications, 2009).

An Honest Audience

Not bad, considering children (and parents) have to be one of the most honest audiences a performer will ever have. “Absolutely!” laughs Sam, a.k.a. Yellow Wiggle. “If they don’t like what they hear, they’ll just get up and walk out!” (Interview with Ramona Zacharias, September 2008).

So what keeps both kids and parents alike running back for more, year after year? “I think it has to do with our background in Early Childhood Education,” says Murray, Red Wiggle. “We’ve had lots of experience and know how to perform and talk to children. There’s also a lot of chemistry between us – we’re all friends and started out that way. Plus I think parents are just big kids – most of them dance around at home, we do it on stage!” (Interview with Ramona Zacharias, September 2009).

True Rock Fans

It also helps that they themselves are fans of rock and integrate that sound into their recordings and live shows. “We try to keep to some of the classic rock that we all love, which appeals to the parents," says Sam. "The songs just happen to have children’s themes; things that most adults take for granted. Take food, for instance. A lot of our songs are about food, because it makes up a huge part of a child’s day.” (Zacharias interview, 2008)

Celebrity's Celebrities

This remarkable talent they have to entertain families has not slipped past the attention of many celebrities. Fans include Mark Wahlberg, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow, and…Robert DeNiro? “A few years ago we came out on stage and saw Robert DeNiro in the audience,” says Murray. “He had a four-year old at the time and we were just starting to gain popularity in the United States…Jerry Seinfeld was also in the audience! It was pretty amazing.” (Zacharias interview, 2009)

Celebs often want in on the action too. Their latest CD/DVD and subject of the 2009 tour, The Wiggles Go Bananas, features pop star and fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue collaborating on the tune “Monkey Man”. “She has a nephew and wanted to sing a song with us for him,” says Murray. “We jumped all over it! Our people called her people, we set it up, she came into the studio for about three hours to record and that was it!” (Zacharias interview, 2009)

Going Bananas This Fall

So what can avid fans expect from this next installment of the live Wiggles? “Lots of favourites, lots of new songs and lots of acrobatics,” promises Murray. “A cross between a rock show and a Broadway performance.” (Zacharias interview, 2009)

The copyright of the article The Wiggles Go Bananas! in Children's Music is owned by Ramona Zacharias. Permission to republish The Wiggles Go Bananas! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.