The Wiggles

The Wiggles were a big part of my childhood! It's one of my favorite preschool shows I grew up with, alongside Sesame Street, Blue's Clues, The Teletubbies, Wow Wow Wubbzy, Dragon Tales, and Curious George. I only like the episodes starring the original lineup: Murray, Jeff, Anthony, and Greg. I'm far from being the target audience (ages 1-8, as mentioned on the VHS and DVD covers), but I don't care. For the longest time, I thought The Wiggles were fictional characters played by actors, but now I know they're a real, true band, and most of their home videos are based on their albums. They play fictional versions of themselves, so they technically are characters. The original Wiggles (minus Jeff) studied early childhood education in college and initially wanted to be preschool teachers, making it obvious that they knew what they were doing. Some of the songs and scenes can be cheesy and repetitive, but not a whole lot of them. That's why I give this a 9/10 instead of a 10/10.

The songs and dances are some of the best and most memorable aspects of the show and the band! I'm grateful for shows like The Wiggles that encourage kids and adults to get off the couch and join in the fun, and I often find myself dancing along. The songs are catchy, groovy, simple, and enjoyable to dance to! My favorite one is Fruit Salad. When I was in high school, my friends and I would sing it a lot, which makes it even more special to me. I finished high school last spring, and I miss singing it there. The dances and gestures are very expressive and give the characters a chance to communicate through body language. For example, The Wiggles and Wags the Dog perform dance moves that resemble a dog's actions (such as shaking their hips and moving their hands up and down like they're digging), while singing various songs about Wags. Similarly, the main four characters and Henry the Octopus swing their arms all over the place like an octopus during various songs about Henry himself. During the line "Fruit salad, yummy yummy" in Fruit Salad, the main characters spin their fists like they're putting together the ingredients of a fruit salad and then pretend to eat something yummy by moving their hands in circles on their bellies. Many of the songs encourage specific dances or gestures and also convey body language. For instance, during the song Can You Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?, the band members point their fingers and twist, and later stand on one foot and shake their hands as the song says. Some of the songs convey valuable educational messages and life lessons. For example, Fruit Salad provides step-by-step instructions on how to make a fruit salad, Ooey, Ooey, Ooey Allergies raises awareness about allergies, Look Both Ways emphasizes the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street (hence the title), and We're All Friends explains the value of friendship.

This is one of the most colorful childhood shows ever, and one of the funniest, alongside Sesame Street and Bear in the Big Blue House. Those three shows are some of the very few preschool shows that use humor all the time. The Wiggles and their friends tell jokes and encourage kids to move around, follow rhythms, and be silly in a way that's perfect for their age. The characters make a lot of animal puns, like "How do sheep get clean? By taking a baaath," which are really funny. Some of the songs are really funny too. For example, "Hot Potato" is a hilarious, nonsense song, especially when the main foursome sings lines like "Woo wiggy, wiggy, wiggy!" in squeaky voices and "Gimme that food" in deep voices. Greg wears yellow, Murray wears red, Jeff wears purple, and Anthony wears blue. I must say that their skivvies are bright, colorful, eye-catching, and look good on them! The same story with the backgrounds and other characters, especially Henry the Octopus, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, and Captain Feathersword. I love bright colors, even though I'm not a young child.

I really enjoy this musical preschool show! Unlike many others, it doesn't repeat the same songs or follow a predictable formula, which makes it more enjoyable for older audiences like me. The only repeated action in every episode is Jeff's sleeping routine. Some people might get bored of other preschool shows that always follow the same formula or feature the same songs in every episode, but The Wiggles offers a refreshing change. Personally, I don't think a show is bad just because it's formulaic or has recurring songs, but it's nice to have a musical preschool show that introduces different songs in each episode and isn't too predictable, otherwise, we'd have too much of a good thing. Unlike other shows, The Wiggles focuses on music as its central theme and teaches viewers about singing, dancing, and music-related fun facts, which makes sense given that the titular characters are a music band.

Unlike some other fourth wall-breaking preschool show characters, The Wiggles and their friends don't talk down to the audience or underestimate the intelligence of children. Instead, they explain what's going on, give lectures like a parent or teacher, introduce the songs and segments, and talk to the audience like they're just watching the show and are normal people. Sometimes they ask rhetorical questions that they probably wouldn't ask if the audience was a part of the show (e.g., "Do you have your family with you?"). They have a colorful vocabulary and use words that a lot of little kids probably never use, like "constructing" instead of "building," "improve" instead of "get better," and "interested in" instead of "want." This is likely a sign that this is a family show and isn't made exclusively for kids.

Another one of the best things about the show/band is there are references to several other famous, nostalgic musicians (e.g., The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and most of all Elvis Presley), especially by Captain Feathersword. I heard a lot of parents have fallen in love with him because of that. Coincidentally, the titular foursome is also known as "The Beatles of children's music," and "Can You Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?" has a similar but slightly different beat to the Beatles song "Twist and Shout." A lot of the time, the titular four imitate Elvis and repeat some of his quotes, like "Uh huh" and "Thank you, thank you very much!" Some of the DVD and VHS covers are parodies of the aforementioned music groups' album covers. In a number of the songs, Greg sings lyrics that are often sung in songs by numerous other artists ("Uh huh," "Whoa ho, ho, ho," "Scooby Doo Ah," etc.), which also strengthens The Wiggles being "the Beatles of children's music." Parents and grandparents are more likely to understand these references than kids, and they're likely another sign this is a family show. Including them makes perfect sense because this is a music show.

Greg is my favorite character and the highlight of the show. He's the wisest, kindest, and sweetest Wiggle and a very talented magician with the kindest smile. Best of all, he has a soft, sweet, calming, beautiful, and heartwarming singing voice like no other I've heard before. His voice relaxes me easily and sometimes makes me cry (in a good way), especially when he sings Georgia's Song and I Love It When It Rains. Greg and his voice are a couple of the main reasons I still watch and love The Wiggles. The show wasn't the same without him when he left and got replaced by Sam. I consider the versions of the Wiggles songs by Greg, Murray, Anthony, and Jeff to be the definitive versions, not only because the original lineup is the one I'm most familiar with and grew up watching the most, but also because they're likely the most well-known versions. Additionally, I've had little to no exposure to the Sam versions, and I never watched or listened to the new Wiggles.

I highly recommend The Wiggles, specifically the original era. I am aware that it is popular with both children and parents, and I can see why! The show is entertaining and engaging, and they treat their viewers with respect. I truly appreciate this about The Wiggles. I believe it's a wonderful show that has had a positive impact on many children, including myself, and I'm glad to have such fond memories of watching it.