Wiggles dance up from Down Under

By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer

Murray Cook and and Greg Page are two of the founding Wiggles. The Wiggles Touring Pty Ltd. Who's who in 'The Wiggles' Greg Page, who wears a yellow skivvy (T-shirt), is the lead vocalist. He loves to sing and dance, always has a happy face, and can perform magic tricks. Anthony Field wears a blue skivvy, sings and plays the guitar and drums. He loves to eat, especially fruit salad. Murray Cook, who wears a red skivvy, sings and plays the guitar. He makes lots of funny faces, but his favorite one is a big smile. He also likes to tune his guitar. Jeff Fatt wears a purple skivvy, plays keyboards and sings. He can't help falling asleep, and often gets a big surprise when children shout "Wake up, Jeff!"

"We didn't know who they (the Wiggles) were, and we played it and my daughter just went hog wild," Tony Gaston said and laughed. "We had to watch it all year."

Two years and four "Wiggles" videos later, Mila, now 4, along with her brother Nicholas, 2, still can't get enough of Australia's most popular children's entertainment group, which makes its Hawai'i debut Thursday at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

Simply put, the Wiggles are four guys dressed in red, blue, yellow and purple skivvies (that's Aussie slang for T-shirts). They're accompanied by a dinosaur, pirate, dog and octopus. And the whole gang performs interactive songs and dances with an educational twist.

With titles like "Hot Potato," "Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist," and "Zing Zang Wing Wang Wong," kids can't resist them.

Mila and Nicholas "dance along 'cause the moves are so easy and the tunes are very catchy," said Tony Gaston, a 37-year-old engineer. "You could hear it maybe two, three times and all of a sudden it's just stuck in your head."

The Wiggles started out as a class project for members Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page, who were studying early-childhood education at Macquaire University in Sydney, according to publicity materials.

The group began writing children's songs, and by the time they graduated, they had launched their careers as entertainers for the younger set. In 1991, Jeff Fatt joined on to complete the team.

The foursome began playing at daycare centers, but soon moved to larger venues as Wigglemania spread across Australia and eventually to the United States, thanks to their successful and popular live shows, videos and CDs.

In addition to the four lively men, the Wiggles' entourage includes costumed characters Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword, the friendly pirate. The crew regularly adds Australian charm with their country's slang phrases (See box).

Shyia McKeague-Yocum of Kalihi said her 15-month-old daughter, Kiana, watches "The Wiggles" every day on the Disney Channel.

The home-visiting mentor, 19, said her daughter is attracted to the music and the vibrance of the program.

"It's their singing, the tempo of their music, the beats, the colors, the other kids and the live audience (at taped shows)," McKeague-Yocum said.

The show may be entertaining for young children, but there's also an educational appeal to parents.

Mililani mom Joy Iwamoto owns 10 Wiggles videos, which she watches with her daughter, Aaliyah, 2, and son, Aaryk, 7 months.

"It stimulates their imagination," the former middle school teacher, 36, said.

Iwamoto said she likes the show's crafts projects, its emphasis on different foods and care for the environment, and especially the bright, bold colors splashed everywhere in each episode.

"Jeff wears purple, so when ... (Aaliyah) sees something purple, she'll go, 'Jeff,' or 'purple,' " Iwamoto said.

Training in early childhood education helped the Wiggles tune into the toddler mind-set.

"Kids this age think the world revolves around them, so we make sure we include them in everything," Field said in a writ-ten statement. "Everyone can participate, so we ask them to help us in the shows. That makes the children feel good about themselves."

On the Wiggles Bandwagon Hawai'i show

• 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday
• Hawai'i Convention Center
• $20, $25
• For details or to purchase tickets, see www.ticketmaster.com or call (877) 750-4400.

TV times

Catch "The Wiggles" on the Disney Channel (analog channel 31 or digital channel 444):

• Weekdays at 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. (repeats noon and 12:30 p.m.)
• Weekends at 7 and 8:30 a.m.

Aussie Speak

Here's an "Aussie speak" guide to help translate common words and phrases used on the show:

Akubra: Traditional Aussie felt or leather hat, similar to the Stetson for Texas. "Akubra" is an Aboriginal word for "head covering."

Beauty, mate: Great!

Bob's yer uncle: You're all right. See you later.

Bottler: Someone (or something) who performs well. "What a little bottler."

Bub: Baby.

Cooee: To be "within cooee" is to be in earshot.

Dear: Expensive, rare.

Dinky-di: True.

Down Under: Australia. "The Wiggles come from the land Down Under."

Fair dinkum: Proper, right, honest, true. "Fair dinkum, the Wiggles are fun!"

G'day mate: Truly used to say a casual hello (or goodbye).

Give it a go: Give it a try.

Gone bush: Go out in the country.

Good on 'ya, mate!: Way to go! Good for you!

" ... ie" after nouns: Common to end nouns, make them endearing. "Let's open some pressies at Chrissie and throw some snags on the barbie."

Nappy: Diaper.

Nipper: Small child.

Off his head: Crazy, excited.

Outback: The desert, the barren or remote country areas.

Queue up: Line up.

Strike me lucky: Good times.

Sussing it out: Figuring it out, check it out.

Walkabout: Aboriginal custom to "go walkabout" — nomadic, long walking trips to think, meditate, get spiritual or just take off and walk for days; leave.