The Origins of The Wiggles
The Wiggles, one of the most popular children’s entertainment groups in the world, began their journey in a very different setting. Initially, they performed at preschools and small local events, far from the global phenomenon they would eventually become. More than 30 years after their formation, Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt reunited to share the story of how the band came together in Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, which aired on Nine and 9Now at 8pm tonight.
In an exclusive interview with nine.com.au, founding member Murray Cook highlighted what contributed to the group’s success. According to him, two key factors played a significant role. “Three of us were early childhood teachers, a lot of people don’t realise that,” he said. “That’s been the real key to how we connected with our audiences… we learned a lot about the way children think and how to communicate with them. We put that into our songs, that’s why children have responded over the years.”
Cook also pointed out that the genuine bond between the friends and their love for their work was another crucial element. “I think the parents and the children kind of recognised that it was genuine, and it was coming from a genuine place,” he explained. “We didn’t start it as a business, we didn’t even know it could be a business until years later.”
The Birth of the Iconic Skivvies
As their popularity grew, The Wiggles quickly realised they needed a proper uniform. “When we did our first album, we didn’t have the skivvies, we just had multicoloured shirts,” Cook recalled. “Once we started doing more than one show every now and then, we kind of realised that having one shirt wasn’t going to cut it. We needed something we could replicate easily.”
The idea for the iconic skivvies came about as a matter of convenience. “I was the first one, actually… I had a red mock turtle neck top, and I said, ‘I could wear this, why don’t we do something like this?'” he said. “And then Jeff went, ‘Oh, I’ve got a purple one’.”
Anthony and Greg then went shopping together to find their own skivvies. “One of them saw a blue skivvy, they both ran for it… Anthony won,” Cook continued. “Greg ended up with yellow, which he wasn’t that happy with at the start, but he learned to love it.”
The Waggling Finger Tradition
Another symbol synonymous with The Wiggles is their famous wagging finger guns. This now-recognisable move actually started as an inside joke. Cook explained that during the band’s early days, they often toured regional and rural areas. “We’d have a Sunday off, and we’d be in some little country town with not much to do,” he said. “We just all happened to have the TV on, and there were these two guys playing 10-pin bowling.”
“Every time they would get a strike, they would turn to each other and do that finger wiggle. The next day, we were all saying to each other, ‘did you see that?’ and we were kind of laughing at it, saying it was kind of cute. I started doing it on stage, kind of as a joke, but the others picked up on it, and then it stuck.”
Cook added that while it was a complete accident, he later discovered a strange connection. “Strangely, in the 80s I was in a band called Finger Guns, and that connection never crossed my mind until years later.”
A Legacy of Connection and Inspiration
During The Wiggles’ peak success, the band recorded music with legends, including John Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater. Cook described the experience as extremely special, but his fondest memories were the times the band connected with neurodivergent fans. “One of the things that I really loved about The Wiggles is the connection we made with children with special needs, especially children with autism,” he said.
“I’m still in contact with some of them, and we hear from parents, some of these young people in their twenties and thirties who still love The Wiggles as much as they did when they were a kid.”
The Wiggles have sustained an iconic legacy for over 30 years, with their music helping raise three generations of Australians. Cook says that’s what the group had always wished to do. “It’s really amazing, but it’s also something that I’m immensely proud of – that we have shaped generations of children’s lives in a really positive way, and families’ lives too.”
“One of the things I’m really pleased about is that I’ll meet young musicians who are in bands and stuff, and they tell me that they got into music because of The Wiggles, or The Wiggles were their first concert. I’m immensely proud of that. I think it’s a real achievement and something we always hoped for.”
