More than 30 years after The Wiggles first hit screens and stages around the world, the educational music group for kids is unveiling its 100th studio album.
The 100th album is named Wiggle and Learn, after the hit YouTube series where The Wiggle’s explore numeracy, language skills, social and emotional development, healthy habits, and other educational topics for little ones. Anthony Field, the original Blue Wiggle and co-founder of The Wiggles, has taken part in all 100 of the albums and said that the impact on The Wiggles and kids who love them has been huge.
“I look over those 100 albums and think of all the work that’s gone into them and all the fun that’s gone into it, because it’s really not work,” Field said. “It’s something we all love, and the end result of those 100 albums is 32, 33 years of children dancing, enjoying music, discovering music, and discovering dance and theater.”
Over the years, original members of The Wiggles left and new ones joined. Today, there are eight Wiggles, including Field’s daughter, Lucia, who joined The Wiggles in 2022.
“Dad asked me and I said yes without thinking, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I love it,” Lucia said. “Honestly, even though we are blood-related, I think it’s just one big happy family. Seriously, it doesn’t feel like work.”
With the group’s longstanding popularity, The Wiggles did a reunion tour featuring the original gang in 2022. The Wiggles may be all for the kids, but the parents who started out as fans of the group themselves may have had more fun.
“The kids who grew up with The Wiggles brought their kids during the day and then at night they’d come to the reunion show with their parents as well,” Lucia said. “It’s just such a full-circle moment. It was so beautiful and it was so much fun. The energy that night almost made you feel like you were little again, watching a Wiggles concert. It was fantastic.”
Tsehay Hawkins, one of the Yellow Wiggles, credited the group’s success throughout the years to their fierce dedication to kids’ learning and entertainment.
“I think it’s based on the four guys,” Hawkins said. “They all studied in early childhood teaching, so they’ve got all the background, they know what they do, but they’re also four guys that loved music part of a band, and they lived and breathed teaching children. They loved it. I think that’s carried throughout the years. Also for us young ones, we grew up watching The Wiggles. I grew up watching The Wiggles, so I feel like we understand firsthand, what it feels like to watch the show. So being part of it now, it’s carrying on the same legacy, which is pretty cool.”
The new album features 100 songs, including songs from Wiggle and Learn along with classics and fan-favorites throughout the years. With a run time longer than 2.5 hours, kids (and parents) will have plenty of opportunities to dance and sing their hearts out.
Some highlights on the album include “Bin Night,” a song about putting the trash cans out for the garbage trick and the ibises (fondly nicknamed bin chickens) that try and steal scraps from them; “Ethopia is My Love,” a song Tsehay wrote about the country and all the great things about it; and more!
Wiggle and Learn is available for preorder now and comes out on Aug. 16!
