The Wiggles are set to fill some of Australia’s biggest arenas as a remarkable revival propels the children’s entertainers to new heights of popularity.
The group will launch its new Sparkle! BIG SHOW tour in Sydney in October before travelling across the country for performances scheduled through December.
The nationwide tour follows an exceptional year for the band, which has continued performing overseas and attracting new fans more than 30 years after doubts were raised about whether its 1991 debut album would succeed.
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, the only original member still performing with the group, has discussed how The Wiggles overcame early scepticism, broke into the US market and continued after three founding members left.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Field also revisited the decision to grow The Wiggles’ lineup to eight performers in 2021, a move criticised at the time by Senator Matt Canavan.
Field remembered one woman warning the group: “You’ll be lucky to sell 300 copies of that, at most.”
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, the only original member still performing, has shared how The Wiggles overcame early doubts, conquered the US and carried on after three founding members departed.
Contrary to those predictions, the debut album sold 100,000 copies through word of mouth, despite receiving almost no radio or television promotion.
Today, The Wiggles have 10 million YouTube subscribers and recently entertained 40,000 people over five days in New Zealand.
Those numbers underline the extraordinary transformation of a group once considered unlikely to achieve major commercial success.
The Wiggles began in 1991 when Field, then studying early childhood education at Macquarie University while performing with rock band The Cockroaches, joined fellow students Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt.
After trying out their songs at a Randwick childcare centre, the new group approached the ABC about producing an album.
Their breakthrough came when the Disney Channel started showing their performances four times a day in the United States.
Field recalled the moment a customs officer recognised him as the group arrived in America. He then turned to Murray Cook and said: “Things have changed, mate.”
The Wiggles went on to play 13 consecutive sold-out performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The Wiggles are preparing to headline Australia’s biggest arenas following a stunning resurgence that has made the children’s group more popular than ever.
The tour follows a landmark year of international performances and audience growth, more than three decades after the group was told its 1991 debut album would struggle to sell.
Even after achieving international success, the original members avoided financial conflict by agreeing to divide their earnings equally, regardless of which member wrote a particular song.
Field said that agreement helped preserve their friendship and prevented the internal battles that have damaged other high-profile bands.
The group reached its most significant crossroads in 2012, when the other three original members chose to retire.
Field admitted he was surprised by their decision but was determined to continue performing.
He recalled telling his bandmates: ‘Boys, I really just love this. This is what I do. I don’t know what else I’m going to do if I don’t do this. So I’ll keep going if you’re happy with that?’
The transition was initially difficult, with audiences falling to around a quarter of their previous size before gradually rebuilding.
The next major change came in 2021, when Field expanded the group to eight performers, with four men and four women representing a broader range of backgrounds.
The decision attracted criticism from Senator Matt Canavan, who declared: ‘It was nice while it lasted. But you go woke, you go broke.’
However, Field said the expanded group had helped rejuvenate the band, with its popularity continuing to grow.
‘Look, it’s bigger than it ever was. Again, we have to represent our audience. And it really is bigger than ever now,’ he said.
‘We’ve got 10 million subscribers now on YouTube. We’ve just done 40,000 people in five days in New Zealand and had the most amazing time.’
The current line-up includes Ethiopian-Australian Tsehay Hawkins, Italian-Australian Caterina Mete, Greek-Australian Lucia Field, who is Anthony’s daughter, and Filipino-Australian Johnny Pearce.
The group has continued to attract major musical collaborators, recording three songs with late country music legend Dolly Parton and working with Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty.
Field said the collaborations had reinforced his belief that the group’s music should be taken seriously, regardless of its young audience.
‘What we did wasn’t kids’ music. It was music. I could never regret any part of playing what we do. I love it,’ he said.
The Wiggles’ latest tour will bring together performers from different generations, with Anthony and Lucia among the eight members taking to the stage for Sparkle! BIG SHOW.
Despite being the last original member still performing, Field said he had no regrets about dedicating his career to The Wiggles.
However, he admitted he was uncomfortable discussing his own achievements and had been nervous about the interview, adding that he was ‘proud’ to engage with thousands of children through music.