Is it really a Wiggly Wiggly World?

Our second installment to our 'library' of videos by The Wiggles is titled Wiggly Wiggly World. If you have read my review of the first video installment Wiggles Play Time, then you know that this was a reluctant collection on the part of the parents, myself and my husband.


Why did we buy this?

Well, because we have finally given in to our children's need to Wiggle, and I have a need to hear them sing and see them dance. Since I am a musician (both instrumental and vocal), and have always dreamed of being a famous singer, it broke my heart when my oldest seemed to hate music as a toddler and even a preschooler. He warmed up to it in preschool, and now he begs me to sing with him, especially to his Thomas the Tank Engine songs, and now along with The Wiggles.

I had hoped that our second installment would be one of the videos that had more recognizable songs for me, and possibly ones that we had seen on shorts between shows on Playhouse Disney. Nope, not a single one on this video is one that I had heard before! And no, I did not have a choice, as this was the only one available at Wal-Mart that day, and it was my mom buying it and not me.


Just who/what are The "Wiggles", anyway?

The Wiggles are a group of 4 Australians that sing and dance, and basically entertain children. Their aim is at toddlers, and I know that they are hitting their mark! They started back over 10 years ago, when 3 of the members - Anthony Field, Murray Cook, and Greg Page - were studying Early Childhood Education at Macquarie University in Sydney, Austrailia. Their children's songs began as a class project, but once they graduated, their path had been laid out, as they launched their careers into this field of entertainment. They recruited their friend and 4th member, Jeff Fatt, in 1991, and that was the birth of The Wiggles!

You will recognize them from their bright solid-colored t-shirts ("skivvies" in Aussie Speak) and black pants. There is a yellow one, a purple one, a red one, and a blue one. The only one whose name I'm always sure of is Jeff, the purple one. He's known for narcolepsy, as especially evident in another video by them titled Wake Up, Jeff! I've learned from reading that Greg is the yellow one, Anthony is the blue one, and Murray is the red one. Along with these 4 front men, there are other characters that come into each video, like Captain Feathersword, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, and Wags the Dog.


Ok, what makes this a Wiggly Wiggly World?

This video is made up of sixteen songs, and some talking in between each song, but not much. Many of the songs on this video have guest stars singing with them also. The songs included are the following:

1. In the Wiggles' World
2. Here Comes the Wiggles
3. In the Big Red Car We Like to Ride
4. I Love to Have a Dance with Dorothy (with Slim Dusty)
5. Taba Naba (with Christine Anu)
6. Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport (with Rolff Harris)
7. Sing with Me (with Kamahl)
8. Hey, Hey, Hey, We're All Pirate Dancing
9. Another Cuppa
10. Starry Night
11. Six Months in a Leaky Boat (with Tim Finn)
12. One Little Coyote
13. Blow Me Down
14. Let's Go
15. Morningtown Ride (with Jimmy Little)
16. Haru Ga Kita (with Atsuko Arai)

We have now watched this video over, and over, and over, and over, and... well, you get the idea. At this point, what are the big hits around here? So far, my oldest likes most of them! In order on the tape, he likes to sing In the Wiggles' World, Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport (with Rolff Harris), and Blow Me Down.

It is really neat to hear him learning songs that are native to another country. He does try to sing along with almost all of the songs on this video.

As a parent, I have to admit that I really like just about every song on this video, even though it took a while to get used to them. As a singer, I really liked Taba Naba because of Christine Anu's performance. Her voice is very kind, gentle, and smooth, and has an amazing quality to it. This song means "Let's all go down to the reef and have a great time."

As a musician, I am impressed with the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport - not so much for the song itself, but for the man behind the song. Rolff Harris, apparently well known in Australia, wrote this song long before The Wiggles came around. His trademark is playing the wobble board. This instrument reminds of an episode of Home Improvement with Tim Allen. In that series, the guys from a local construction crew have formed a band in which they all play various tools and materials found on their work site. The woman that joins them in one episode plays a saw with a bow for a stringed instrument. Since I was at one time a pretty proficient string bass player, I know the difference between the bows for the various stringed instruments, and to tell the truth, I do not know which one she had - I would bet it would be more likely a bow for a bass, but it could be one for a cello.

Getting back to Rolff Harris, his wobble board is a piece of sheet metal. Obviously not too thick, but not thin like foil. It is somewhat flexible, sort of like something you might use to make thunder sound effects. He basically bends it and makes it wobble, thus making it sing. I hope you followed that!

Personally, I think my favorite song has to be One Little Coyote. It is funny for the kids to see the children in the video, who are involved in many songs, dress up as different parts for this song. In it, they start singing about the one little coyote, and then add more things from the desert (that look a heck of a lot like the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote should be running through it!). It is in the style of the 12 Days of Christmas, but I do not remember there being more than 10 things they count! It is also funny to spot The Wiggles dressed up in funny costumes during the video.

Aside from many of these songs showing different parts for us of the culture in Australia, we also get a bit of Japanese culture in it too. The last song is Haru Ga Kita with Atsuko Arai. She is dressed in a traditional costume, and does arm motions with the words to the song. It is beautiful, and it's great that they have incorporated this into their repertoire. Children need to be exposed to different cultures as much as they can, so that they can see the variety and richness of the world. Most of us can not leave our neighborhoods, let alone countries, to see this, and to have it brought right to our homes courtesy of our local Wal-Mart is a great thing.


Other Details

This video is designed for toddlers, but the tape itself says ages 1-8. I think that is a high estimate, but I have no children over the age of 4, so I will have to wait and find out. This particular video is 46 minutes long, and at least for my kids, it keeps their attention the whole time, but my 4-year-old likes to come announce to me which song is on when a new one starts.

My one gripe about this video is that there are commercials at the beginning. Now, they are only for other videos that HIT Entertainment distributes, and most of it is okay. Since Kipper the Dog and Bob the Builder are approved in this household, and are videos we own, this is kosher. But the commercials for what my husband refers to as "IT of the one tooth", a.k.a. Barney the Violet Vermin, are NOT okay. This home is a Barney-free zone, and will continue to be one forever. Why is that? Well, ever since my husband found out that in one episode, IT said to the children that 'strangers are just friends you have not met yet,' IT has been banned. We've got enough good things for the children to see, that we do not need IT too. We have enough to put up with! So we will fast-forward past IT, and let the kids watch the bits afterwards if they want to, and on to the feature! Another good idea is to fast-forward once, and then reset the counter on your VCR, and set the memory function if you have one. Then, when the feature is over, just hit rewind, and it should rewind to zero. This works with 2 of my VCRs, but the 3rd one that my kids usually watch on does not have it. Darn! I'm going to need to search Epinions for another VCR!


Final Recommendation

This video is interesting, but at least for myself, it has taken 2 full viewings, and many more song-here song-there viewings to begin to like it. Because I had not heard any of these songs before, it was hard for me to get into. My older son watched it with me the first time, as his brother was asleep at the time. After the second song, and the third song was starting, he asked, "Are they going to stop singing?" After a few more songs he said, "I want to watch the REAL Wiggles video!" I asked him to stick with it, and just as it ended, his brother woke up. I rewound the tape, and he begged to watch it. So on it went again, and he sat on the couch and enjoyed it as he woke up from his sleepy state.

Before I knew it, within a few days of this purchase, they had watched the video almost a dozen times. When I took my older son to his tee ball game just 5 days after my mom purchased this video for us, I discovered him singing the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport" as we walked from the car to the field! The worst part was when we went to a friend's home for dinner and playtime before hand, and much like we are a Barney-free home, they are a Wiggles-free home (as they are well invested in Veggie Tales). I knew this, and needless to say, I was embarrassed when he would dance around and start singing "In The Wiggles' World" to the mom and dad in this family! My friends did not know what he was saying for sure, but I was dying from it!

Above all, I think that it is great the my kids are learning new songs that are not just old standards, and are obviously enjoying them a lot. The Wiggles are really bringing those of us in the USA a new vocabulary, as well as a new perspective on children's entertainment. I think that this is good. And if they can wipe Barney off the face of the earth, that would be excellent too! So go out, purchase this and/or any other video by The Wiggles, and let's make this a Wiggly Wiggly World!

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For more information on HIT Entertainment, and their products, go to:
http://www.hitnewsonline.com/

You can find this video and other information, including press releases, photos, and a press kit, specifically at this link:
http://lyrick.wieck.com/forms/wiggles/

For more information on The Wiggles, go to:
http://www.thewiggles.com.au/

The ones that we own:
Wiggly Play Time (http://www.epinions.com/content_62544383620)
Wiggly Wiggly World

Here are the ones that we own, in the order of most requested down:
Wiggle Time (http://www.epinions.com/content_66876837508)
Hoop-Dee-Doo!
Yummy Yummy!
Toot Toot!
Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas
Yule Be Wigglin'
Wiggly Play Time (http://www.epinions.com/content_62544383620)
Dance Party

Look out for:
Wiggly Safari with Steve Irwin (on CD June 24th, 2002, video and DVD September 3rd, 2002)