The Wiggles are set to fill some of Australia’s largest arenas following an extraordinary revival that has made the beloved children’s entertainers more popular than ever.
Their new Sparkle! BIG SHOW tour will begin in Sydney in October before travelling to venues around the country through December.
The national tour follows an exceptional year for the group, which has continued performing overseas and attracting new fans more than 30 years after doubts were raised about whether its 1991 debut album would sell.
Anthony Field, known to generations of fans as the Blue Wiggle and the only original member still performing, has spoken about the group’s early challenges, its breakthrough in the United States and the departure of three founding members.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Field also discussed the decision to grow The Wiggles’ line-up to eight performers in 2021, a move that drew criticism from Senator Matt Canavan.
Field remembered one early warning from a woman who told the group: “You’ll be lucky to sell 300 copies of that, at most.”
Anthony Field, the Blue Wiggle and final original member still performing, has detailed how The Wiggles overcame early scepticism, found major success in the US and continued after three founding members left.
Instead, the debut album sold 100,000 copies largely through word of mouth, despite receiving almost no support from radio or television.
Today, The Wiggles boast 10 million YouTube subscribers and recently entertained 40,000 people over five days in New Zealand.
Those numbers highlight the extraordinary transformation of a group once considered unlikely to achieve commercial success.
The Wiggles began in 1991, when Field was studying early childhood education at Macquarie University and performing with rock band The Cockroaches. He joined fellow students Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt to create music for young children.
After trying out their songs at a Randwick childcare centre, the quartet approached the ABC with the idea of releasing an album.
Their breakthrough arrived 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 when the group landed in America. He turned to Murray Cook and said: “Things have changed, mate.”
The Wiggles went on to sell out 13 consecutive performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The Wiggles are heading for Australia’s biggest arenas after a stunning resurgence propelled the children’s group to new heights of popularity.
The upcoming tour follows a landmark year of international performances and audience growth for The Wiggles, more than three decades after doubts surrounded the release of their first album.
Field said the original members also avoided financial tensions by agreeing to divide the group’s earnings equally, regardless of which member wrote a particular song.
He believes that agreement helped preserve their friendships and kept The Wiggles from experiencing the bitter internal conflicts that have damaged other high-profile bands.
The group reached its most significant crossroads in 2012, when the other three original members announced they would 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.
