A last blast for the Wiggles
Three of the originals are saying goodbye after 21 years of entertaining children
“One of the good things is our bodies won’t be as sore — the shows are vigorous and there’s a bit of pleasure in knowing that my feet won’t ache after jumping 5,000 times a week.”
GREG PAGE (THE YELLOW WIGGLE) ON LEAVING THE SPOTLIGHT
After more than two decades of entertaining millions of young fans around the world, the Wiggles are winding down.
Well, most of them are: only blue-shirted Anthony Field will continue to tour with a trio of new Wiggles after the original four finish their “celebration tour” at the end of this year.
The goodbye brings them to Toronto on Friday and Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum, and to Hamilton on Sunday.
Yellow Wiggle Greg Page says they all have different reasons for stepping away from the spotlight; for him, it’s a young family he doesn’t want to be away from.
Murray Cook, the red-shirted, guitarplaying Wiggle, wants to spend more time at home after the gruelling touring schedule they’ve kept up over the past 21 years.
And purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt, who turns 60 next year, is slowing down in part for health reasons, after having a pacemaker implanted during emergency heart surgery last year.
In a telephone interview from Sydney, Australia, Page said the coming change hasn’t sunk in yet.
“It’s actually a really good opportunity for me to have closure for my time with the Wiggles,” said Page, who took a fiveyear hiatus due to health issues, returning this past January.
“I think it’s going to be difficult when we finally do say goodbye in Sydney at the end of the year. Not until we get to the end of the tour are we going to realize this is the end and it will hit home for us.”
The tour began in Singapore in May. The Wiggles have already said goodbye to young fans in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and some U.S. cities.
Page says this will be the last chance to see the original four, though he may make the odd guest appearance with the new group onstage or in videos.
The Wiggles wrap up their tour in Australia in November and December, with the last show in Sydney on Dec. 23.
For the most popular children’s entertainers ever — and the largestgrossing act to come from Down Under — it’s been a memorable ride in their famous “Big Red Car,” with TV shows now airing in countries around the globe, and hit songs like “Hot Potato,” and “Fruit Salad.”
Their first album, simply titled The Wiggles, went platinum. Since then, they’ve had dozens of DVDs, CDs and videos see the same success. They’ve also won many awards for songwriting.
Three of the four started out as classmates taking early childhood education at Macquarie University in Sydney. After joining with Fatt, they began performing at kids’ birthday parties for small groups.
They went on to sell out tours for tens of thousands of kids, their biggest audience being 250,000 at one show.
They credit their success to simplicity and developmentally appropriate material, from the coloured shirts to easy, repetitive movements and catchy tunes.
“Everything we do is based on early childhood principles. Everything has a solid grounding in that,” Page explains. “No matter what we do, it’s always based on that. Things are simple — that’s the key to the Wiggles. Nothing is overly complex. Our children are our audience and we keep true to that audience.”
The appeal for adults is that the content “is good and it’s safe,” he says. “It’s non-threatening entertainment; it’s a formula that has worked for 20 years and can continue to transition to the new Wiggles.”
During the goodbye tour, the new Wiggles introduce themselves and perform so that fans know what to expect.
Field will continue with the new group. “He loves touring and being a part of the Wiggles,” says Page.
As for the other three, “We do a final bow at the end of each show, nothing too heart-wrenching,” says Page. “It’s just a nice way to say thanks to the audience for letting us be in their lives for so many years.”
Spending time with his children — ages 10, 8, 3 and 1, as well as two older children from a previous marriage — will make the transition easier, Page says. “One of the good things is our bodies won’t be as sore — the shows are vigorous and there’s a bit of pleasure in knowing that my feet won’t ache after jumping 5,000 times a week.”
The hardest part will be losing that “special connection that we have onstage together” — with the fans, and with each other, he says.
“Just to know that we have been a part of so many people’s lives around the world, for so many years, is personally gratifying.”