The Wiggles are an Australian music group formed in Sydney, New South Wales in 1991. The current members of the group are Anthony Field, Emma Watkins, Simon Pryce and Lachlan Gillespie. The original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Phillip Wilcher left the group after their first album. Page retired in 2006 due to ill health and was replaced by understudy Sam Moran, but returned in 2012, replacing Moran. At the end of 2012, Greg, Murray and Jeff retired, although Cook and Fatt retained their shareholding in the group and all three continued to have input into the creative and production aspects of the group.
Field and Fatt were members of the Australian pop band The Cockroaches in the 1980s, and Cook was a member of several bands before meeting Field and Page at Macquarie University, where they were studying to become pre-school teachers. A school project led to the recording of their first album and tour in 1991. As a result of their background, the group combines music and theories of child development in their videos, television programs, and live shows. Since their inception, other regular characters (Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog) and a troupe called "The Wiggly dancers" have toured with them and appeared in their CDs, DVDs, and television programs.
The group has franchised their concepts to other countries, developed Wiggles sections in amusement parks in Australia and the US, and won several recording industry awards. The Wiggles have been called "the world's biggest preschool band" and "your child's first rock band". The group has achieved worldwide success with their children's albums, videos, television series, and concert appearances. The Wiggles were named Business Review Weekly's top-earning Australian entertainers for four years in a row and earned A$45 million in 2009. In 2011, the worldwide recession hit The Wiggles, as it had done for many Australian entertainers; they earned $28 million, but they still appeared second on the BRW's list that year. They have earned 17 gold, 12 platinum, three double-platinum, and ten multi-platinum awards for sales of over 17 million DVDs and four million CDs.
The Wiggles
Current wiggles
As of 2013 these are the current Wiggles:
- Anthony Field (as Anthony)
- Emma Watkins (as Emma)
- Simon Pryce (as Simon)
- Lachlan Gillespie (as Lachy)
Former wiggles
- Greg Page (as Greg)
- Murray Cook (as Murray)
- Jeff Fatt (as Jeff)
- Phillip Wilcher (as Phillip)
- Sam Moran (as Sam)