Dear Wiggles: The Only Boy in the Room

Alfie loves musical theatre - but being one of the only boys in the room is starting to get to him.

His mum asks Simon and Lachy for advice in this Dear Wiggles episode about boys, performing, confidence, and sticking with the thing you love.

To submit a question for the ‘Dear Wiggles’ segment, email us at [e-mail] or send us a DM on Instagram.

HOSTS
Simon Pryce
Lachy Gillespie

PRODUCERS
Produced by The Wiggles and Mylk Media
Madeline Joannou
Nick Webb

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About The Wiggles' Podcast - Wiggle Talk

Think you’ve got parenting figured out? So do Simon and Lachy - until the toddler throws a curveball. On Wiggle Talk - a podcast for parents, Red Wiggle Simon Pryce and Purple Wiggle Lachy Gillespie tackle the tricky, funny, and unexpected moments of raising little humans.

Simon, dad to son Asher, and Lachy, father to twin daughters Lulu and Lottie and stepdad to Jasper, share the highs and lows of parenting in the early years. Alongside their own stories, they welcome guests - from parenting experts to well-known personalities - who bring fresh perspectives and practical wisdom to the table.

Each week also features Dear Wiggles- where listeners send in their questions, the things that keep them up at night, or the dilemmas they’d love another parent’s take on. Simon and Lachy talk it through with honesty, and when needed, they call in expert friends to help provide thoughtful advice and reassurance.

With decades of experience in children’s education and entertainment, The Wiggles bring their trademark warmth and playfulness to conversations on everything from sleep and routines to tantrums, play, and the big feelings that come with family life.

Two dads, no filter, figuring it out as they go.

About The Wiggles

For over three decades, The Wiggles have been a beloved cornerstone of children's entertainment, captivating and educating millions of preschoolers—and their parents—around the world. Known for their high-energy performances, catchy songs, and colourful characters, The Wiggles have built a global legacy rooted in the power of music and movement to inspire early childhood learning.

With a mission to make education fun, The Wiggles create content specifically designed for pre-K, preschool, kindergarten, and nursery school age groups. Their unique blend of music, dance, and educational content not only entertains but also helps children understand the world around them. Generations of fans who grew up watching The Wiggles are now sharing that same joy with their own children.

The Wiggles’ impact is truly global: they’ve achieved billions of music streams and YouTube views, and have sold more than 30 million albums and DVDs, along with eight million books worldwide. The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. Their live shows consistently sell out across three continents, and their videos are enjoyed on countless broadcast and digital platforms in over 190 countries.

The Wiggles continue to dominate the preschool entertainment scene, connecting with new generations through various platforms. You can watch them on ABC Kids, Netflix, Prime Video, and Stan, and stream Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles on Prime Video. Stay connected by visiting www.thewiggles.com, subscribing to their YouTube channel, and following them on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

The Wiggles' enduring appeal proves that their fun, educational approach to children's entertainment remains as relevant and beloved as ever.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Wiggles acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia
and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay
our respects to elders, past, present and emerging.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Howdy, welcome to Wiggle Talk. It's a podcast for parents.
My name is Lucky Gillespie and I'm the Purple Wiggle.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Hey y'all, Lucky, I'm Simon. I'm the Red Wiggle. And
the reason why where hey yowling and howdie is because
lock he's got a cowboy head on again.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Thank you for noticing.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
We need to get a bigger room. Hey, Lockie, we
went bowling the other night, tenpin bowl?

Speaker 4 (00:43):
Ten pin?

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Have you done it with the girls? No?

Speaker 4 (00:45):
I actually haven't that I'm going to do it.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
It's actually it's so much fun.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
How cool.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
And we used to go sometimes on tour. I remember
we'd go. I haven't done that for ages. We should
do again. But now you go to the front desk
and you give your names over and they put it
all in and who the children are, and it all
gets put into your lane already. Yeah. So yes, years
ago you had to kind of go there and punch
it in yourself and try to figure it out six letters.

(01:12):
That's what you meant automatically. When it's the children's turn,
the bumpers come up, Oh no way, yeah, all on
their own. Do you still get the and you get
the little rampy ramp and a couple of ash had
a few goes where he tried to throw it down himself,
but it's like he loved it.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
Oh that's awesome. I'm definitely going to do that.

Speaker 3 (01:31):
Yeah, it was just one game because it goes.

Speaker 4 (01:34):
Yeah, it does take it.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Yeah, you can't. I actually feel like a game is ten,
like a heel thing. Ten games. You need twelve.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
I think bowling's too short for one, but then too
long if you do too whole.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Yeahs with the kids, do you get you get a
few more if you've done a good round.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Don't you get a strike? You get an extra get.

Speaker 4 (01:54):
An extra few at the end if you do Yeah,
did you do the leg spinners?

Speaker 3 (01:58):
I'm more of a glider. Okay, Laws is a spinner,
she's the professional. The control is a little but she
spins it naturally spins it.

Speaker 4 (02:08):
Wow.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
I kind of glide.

Speaker 4 (02:09):
Okay, so you're more like straight into the middle pin.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
And you know, yeah, straight which isn't ideal because you
need to angle for the s Yeah. And you know
what I was really pleased about. I didn't have to
get the shoes. You know how you always have to
get because I had runners on with a rubbery soul
and that's fine.

Speaker 4 (02:26):
Now, I've never heard of that. We always have to
get there.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
I know, because otherwise we're going to wear six pairs
of socks. Get the US fourteen sock just because of
the germs. That's a problem, you reckon.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
Well, the thirteens might not be used very ten and
a half.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeahs in there.

Speaker 4 (02:50):
I'm going bowling Desperayeah, let's go.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
It's a really good thing to do.

Speaker 4 (02:53):
Find the local what do you call it? Lane bowling?

Speaker 3 (02:59):
You know.

Speaker 4 (02:59):
One of the reasons for the wiggle fingers that I
think the OG's watched a lot of bowling crazy guys.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
But you know how, you know they classic seam America
bowling guys and they do the hands and when they
get a strike.

Speaker 3 (03:14):
I do remember that. He's one of the reasons because
I just thought it was funny.

Speaker 4 (03:25):
I'm assume it it wasn't an American team. I'm assuming.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yeah, you should never make a Wigle.

Speaker 4 (03:30):
Talk, Talk Talk, Wigle Talk.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
It's Dear Wiggles, authorized by Simon Lockey.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
This is a question from Camilla. This is all about music,
theater and your son. It says, Hello, Wiggles. My six
year old son, Alfie has been a massive fan of
yours since he was a baby. Since starting school, he's
developed a deep passion for performing. He has started music
theater lessons last September and it's one of the activities
he truly lights up for. I have never persuaded him

(03:59):
to go. However, as he's now getting older, he's becoming
more aware that he is often one of the only
boys in the room during big rehearsals, the older male
performers are almost non existent. He started to feel like
he shouldn't be there, and his school friends won't join
him because they claim performing is just a girl thing.
As male performers and parents yourselves, I'd love to hear

(04:21):
your perspective.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
What advice do you have.

Speaker 2 (04:23):
For young boys who want to pursue the arts even
when it feels like he's going against the norm. Could
you offer a few words of encouragement to Alfi so
he knows that performing is for everyone. Best wishes Camilla,
that's a beauty commandment.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
That's a great, great email to receive, Camilla and Alfie,
you know, good on you basically because it's a great
thing to do for so many, so many different reasons,
even if it's not something you end up wanting to
pursue in the future, Performing and putting yourself in that
environment is so good for your self esteem, for your confidence,
and for who you are as a person, and for

(04:56):
your social skills. Outside of anything else, regardless of what
abilities you have, talents you have, what it can do
for you as a person is one of the best
things you can have to set you up for your life.
And I think it's a great thing to do, Alfie,
and something you should definitely continue doing, and more boys
should do it because there still is that stigma around
it's a girl thing when it's not at all. And

(05:18):
you'll find ow if you stick with it as you
get older, you'll become very cool because of what you
can do, because you can sing, you can dance, you
can talk in front of people, you can do all
these things that other people wish they had the skills
to do, and you'll be able to do it and
you'll be very very cool amongst your friends.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
So true, Alfie, did you know that Anthony tells a
story that when he was at university studying to be
an early education teacher like a preschool teacher, it was
only him and two other boys, and the rest of
them were females. And if he hadn't stuck with it,
he probably wouldn't have ever been a wiggle because he
loved it so much. He loved performing so much, and

(05:55):
he loved teaching children so much that he stuck with
it and then he created the Wiggle. So that's so
that's a pretty cool.

Speaker 4 (06:01):
It's pretty good lesson, I think.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
So you keep going and you can be friends with
some of the girls in the class. And you know what, Also,
they need to cast boys in roles for shows, so
if there's not many other boys.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
You'll get cast and you'll get a roll.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
And how cool will that feel once you've done all
the practice and then you get into a show because
you've stuck with it, So that that's pretty cool.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
When I was maybe twelve thirteen, I think I've said
this to you before I went and joined the Robin
Betts School of Classical and Jazz Ballet. Yes, I did,
and that I played footing at school. I did all
that kind of what we were class as you know
back then, the boy things and then, but I wasn't satisfied.
I want to do something else, and dancing really interested me,

(06:46):
as did singing, you know, you know, and performing, I
guess in general. And so I decided that if I
wanted to be a performer, then I should learn a
bit more about dance. And so I went to Robin
Betts School of Classical and Jazz Ballet where I grew up.
And I went there two or three nights a week,
and yes, I had my close friends accepted it. I

(07:07):
had other people within the school who I was friends
with a lot of people, but they weren't my friends,
and they would make fun of me. But you know what,
I just didn't care because I knew that for me,
it was something important for me to do and I
knew how much enjoyment I was getting out of it
by doing it. Now you might not know these days
that I had any dance training. Oh no, we do

(07:29):
the years, you know. But it was such a great
thing for me to do, and I'm so actually proud
of myself that I stuck to it. Because I could
have easily stopped, because you do get a bit of criticism,
people make fun of you a little bit. But now
that I did that, I've always been so proud of
myself that I stuck to that and I did it,
and because I had so much enjoyment out of it.

(07:50):
And in the end, all of the people, a lot
of people that went to school with that, they all
came to the concert Christmas concert at the end of
the year and cheered me on and we were all supportive.
In the end. It's just something a little bit different
that some people might also wish they could do it themselves,
that don't have the courage to do themselves, and so
they can sort of, you know, sometimes be a little
unkind with what they say. But it's really important if

(08:11):
you enjoy it, if you love it, stick at it
and keep going.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
Yeah, go Alfie. That just reminded me, Alfie.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
I went to an all boys school and in year eleven,
I got up with a three piece band and saying
easy like Sunday morning, and I was so nervous. Yeah,
the whole there was like a thousand boys sitting there
going what is this guy.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
About to do?

Speaker 2 (08:35):
But you know, what I just did the song, and
afterwards so many boys came up and said I had
no idea you could sing, and they loved it. These
are all sporty boys, boys that were probably laughing at
the start going wiser band on stage of boys that
go to the school, but they loved it. So keep going, Alfie,
you champion. If you love it and you get a
really good feeling about doing musicals and singing, then keep

(08:58):
going and one day you'll be a performer like us.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Yeah, that's right, and you could wear a hatbat lockie yep,
or just a hair like someon whatever you want. We've
got back to hairspray again. And Camilla, great question. Keep
supporting Alphae you with whatever he wants to do, because
he loves it and that's ultimately the most important thing,

(09:21):
regardless of what happens in the future. He's loving it,
and so Alphae keep doing it. Well done, Good on you, Alfie.

Speaker 2 (09:27):
Well thank you, Camilla. And if you've got one of
those great questions, send us an email at podcast at
the Wiggles dot com dot au.

Speaker 3 (09:34):
And if you're loving wiggle Talk, hit follow or subscribe
so new episodes land right where you listen. Right here,
right now in the pot. And that's it for another
d Wiggles episode.

Speaker 4 (09:44):
Thank you for listening, Thank.

Speaker 3 (09:46):
You, it's a podcast for parents.

Speaker 4 (09:47):
Goodbye.