Eurovision, But Make It Wiggles

The Wiggles have gone full Eurovision - complete with bagpipes, opera vocals, a drum line, inflatable worlds, confetti cannons and a song called Sparkle. Simon and Lachy go behind the scenes of WiggleVision, the brand-new Euro-pop inspired YouTube special built from a long-running fan joke about The Wiggles entering Eurovision, and unpack how one very silly idea became one of their biggest, brightest and most joyfully ridiculous productions yet. Because when The Wiggles sparkle, they do not do it quietly.

HOSTS
Simon Pryce
Lachlan Gillespie

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

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Apple Music 🎧 https://music.apple.com/au/artist/the-wiggles/7066283

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TikTok 🟣  http://tiktok.com/@TheWiggles

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About The Wiggles' Podcast - Wiggle Talk

Welcome to Wiggle Talk, the ultimate parenting podcast brought to you by The Wiggles! With over 30 years of experience in early childhood education and a global legacy of entertaining and educating millions of children, The Wiggles are now stepping into the world of parenting to share their journey as parents themselves. This podcast is designed for parents seeking expert advice, relatable stories, and practical tips on raising toddlers.

In Wiggle Talk, you'll join Simon and Lachy, beloved members of The Wiggles, as they explore the real-life challenges and joys of parenting. From handling toddler tantrums to nurturing your child’s early development, Simon and Lachy invite guests to share compelling conversations that will provide valuable insights that every parent can relate to. Whether you're struggling with sleep routines, picky eating, or simply looking for fun and educational activities to do with your little ones, this podcast has got you covered.

Every episode also features founding Wiggle and early childhood expert Anthony Field, who will answer listener questions on topics ranging from child behaviour to effective parenting strategies. With decades of experience and a passion for helping children thrive – as well as being a father of three - Anthony offers trustworthy advice to help you navigate the complexities of raising a toddler.

As parents, we know that the journey can be both rewarding and challenging. That's why Wiggle Talk is here to support you every step of the way. Whether you're a new parent or have been on this journey for a while, you'll find a wealth of information and inspiration in each episode. Plus, you’ll hear from famous friends of The Wiggles who share their own parenting experiences and tips.

So, tune in to Wiggle Talk and join The Wiggles as they swap their skivvies for candid conversations about parenthood. Let's work out this parenting thing together, with a little help from the experts in early childhood education!

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 p

Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Welcome to wiggled Talk, a podcast for parents. My name
is Lockie Gillespie. I'm the Purple Wiggle.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
My name is Simon Price. I'm the Red Wiggle. And
it's great to be here for another episode of wiggled Talk. Yes, okay,
so ashes at school. Yes, and he has to now
wipe his own bottom. Yes, you know, yes he does. Yes,
he's yep, because he's on his own now. Yes, when
we're at home I still help him out a video
or call and he'll say, you know, we got into
a poo and you know all that happens and stuff.

(00:47):
And then the other day he called me in he
was impressed what he'd done so far. Yes, he always
has to have a look. Yes, your girls have a
little look, little sneak peak. Yes, you know what's funny
since you've become a parent, whos are very different means
something that's the same. You know your hands are in there.
You just got to do what you've got to do. Anyway,

(01:07):
Ashes there, he's been the toilet for quite a while,
and he's starting to complain how his legs going numb
and stuff because he's been sitting there for a while,
and you know, but he's chatting him and everything. And
then he stops. He looks wide and he goes and
now for the big finish. What happened? He just didn't

(01:28):
he finish it off? Big finish. I've never spoken like that.
I mean, where does that come? As?

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Think there was there was just a bit more.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, it was a big finish. And so then a
couple of days later he's going to the toilet and
I said big finish. He said, no, not today, Dad, Wow,
no big finish today. But now now for the big
finish in control. He's hilarious. Is it amazing? Anyway? I
don't know. Ash is going to hate me when he's

(01:58):
older if he's any of this. Why am I talking
about this? It's terrible.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
I worry about the school and we did it.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
I think, Yeah, I never said I've said this before.
I never putd a school.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
No, I'll see. This is the thing. It's amazing the
time for years, you would have just gone as soon
as you got home.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Yeah. Yeah, Maggie dent talking about yes, give him a
sandwich and they need a sandwich and a poo pooh.
Yeah yeah, well nothing changes, does it anyway? The big
finish hysterical.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
He was just waiting for that.

Speaker 3 (02:32):
That is so he's so funny. We always kind of
do plan words and things with Asher, and he always
wants to make up little jokes and tell little stories.
And we've got one of those plants you know that,
you know, your plants in the household plant the green
leaves like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's in the

(02:54):
corner there, it's not in direct sunlight, but always forget
and coming back from overseas, yes, was looking really and
so I go and give the water the plant and stuff.
And as she says to me, do you know that
plants don't eat food, they only have water? I said yeah,

(03:16):
and he goes, isn't that drinkulous? Oh my god? That
is isn't that drinkulous?

Speaker 2 (03:26):
He's got your sense of humor.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yeah, that's a big finish anyway. This has probably set
the tone for today's episode, really, hasn't it. Well, yes,
that's awesome. Yeah, it's very funny. Today's a little bit
of a different episode lock.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Yes, we're joining you from Switzerland. What country shall we
be in?

Speaker 3 (03:49):
Oh? Yeah, Switzerland's good. I've always wanted to go. They've
never been there. But the reason why is because we've
had a recent release, yes, a song called Sparkle, with
an accompanying video on YouTube called wiggled Vision. Yes. And
the reason why all this has come about and the
reason why we thought we'd talk about it today because

(04:10):
parents might find all this sort of quite amusing of
how we got here because it is something very very
different to what we would normally do. But for quite
a few years during Eurovision time, which it is now
as well, we'd get a lot of comments saying, well,
the Wiggles should do Eurovision. Now we always kind of
laugh that off, But then one day a couple of
years ago, thought, well, what would a Wiggles Eurovision song

(04:33):
look like if we could throw all the rules out
the window and just do something for a bit of
fun in the style of Eurovision. And that's how this
song Sparkle, which has just been released, has come about.

(04:57):
We've had it kind of in the back pocket.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
For a while, yeah, sat in the computer, yes, for
quite a few years. But yeah, what would that sound
like and what would it have to feature? And I think,
what is it about three minutes that Eurovision song can
go for? So what can we put in that three
minutes to make the most impactful song. We've got so
many ranges of talents in the group, particularly now with

(05:20):
the eight, and I think this was a great time
to try something like this when you've got such a
vast amount of things you could go with. But yeah,
what do we do so much?

Speaker 3 (05:29):
You need opera, So we went through talents and I
have one opera and then Anthony of course on the bagpipes.
There's drum line, there's you and your beautiful vocals, there's dancing,
there's color, there's all kinds of things which have come
together to create this song and make this song called Sparkle. Now,

(05:51):
this was actually part of the early days of when
we started Sparkling ass give Give Me Too, which kind
of lent its self to this because we actually thought,
this is actually quite a nice thing. Let's actually get
a bit of sparkle in the Wiggles. And it actually
stemmed from creating and having fun with this song, and
it was probably one of the we spent a lot

(06:12):
of time on this song, a lot of time with
everything else we had going on. It was kind of
a little side project. It was always coming back and
forth from it, but it went through a lot of
different variations and versions, and we got dance music producer
Paul Mack. He came in to help us produce the
music and produce. That was a great experience and that

(06:35):
kind of lifted it to another level again and changed
it because this is way out of our normal realm
of music producing and creating songs, and so it was
great to have something like him involved to kind of
give it that sort of real dance style flavor.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, it's epic when you hear it, and it is
something so different, but it was so fun to work on.
So then we thought, well, what are we going to
do with the song? So why don't we then go
and create back from the song? The song is going
to be the finale point of the YouTube episode, and
then what would a YouTube episode look like?

Speaker 3 (07:07):
And we came up with wiggle Vision Vision Vision that's right.
How did we do it?

Speaker 2 (07:25):
The premise of that big that the every year in
Wiggletown the song contest happens. So we were sitting in
the lounge room discussing what's your favorite year of Wiggle Vision.

Speaker 3 (07:36):
You know what's funny about this whole episode is how
we were sort of in there thinking back about our
favorite Wiggle Vision episode. But the Wiggles have never appeared
in vision up until this. But some incredible artists have.
Oh yes in Wiggle Vision.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yes they have, including Data.

Speaker 3 (07:59):
Yes she's play on.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
But Dada did a great song back on Yonder.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
Called Portloo, which is a play on Portaloo, and of
course one of them, and that song is called number
ones and number twos.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Well, yes, that's the that was the theme for that year.
When Dada entered Portloo could sing that's Waterloo, that is Waterloo.
We wouldn't go anywhere near that, so we went Portloo.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
You better for ones than they are for two.

Speaker 3 (08:49):
One that year.

Speaker 2 (08:57):
And maybe Dada will become whatever became. But we we hired.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
We did it. There's a Portaloo in the clip.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
There is quite tricky to get in the building, but
we got it in. We wanted to make if you
have a look at the clip, we wanted to do
it kind of shut on the Abbo film, So do
the zoom ups at the Portloo and then the zoom
up of each data character and then our sound guy, Yes,
Alex Keller, who's been here for twenty eight years or

(09:23):
something remarkable, is in an Abba tribute group called Faberba.
He's an amazing bass player, so he plays bass in
the group. So then we thought, well, why don't we
we sneak him in the clip? Did he put his
father out for little feature?

Speaker 3 (09:36):
And he did? Look fab he did, and he came
out of the portal at.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
The end, one of the great, great great Cameo Cavios.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
I'm sure he's really happy about it.

Speaker 2 (09:46):
I don't think he was, but he did, he did participate.
But that was so that was entry number one. Was
your favorite year, Simon?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
My favorite year was Helmut von Schmiley And the the
theme that year was does anyone remember laughter? Now? That
line we've used a few times in Wiggles is a
reference to led Zeppelin. The famous line is anyway yes,
So that's good. That gets used every now and then.
So that was for that year.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
That year, Yes, you played Helmut.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
I wasn't me sorry, Helmut von Schmiley. Now, years ago
there was a viral video called the Trollo lol Man
and So we had actually years ago with you as
Jeff wasn't it wrote a song called do Do Do

(10:49):
Do Do? But in the theme of the trollo lol man.
So we repackaged that one and Helmut von Schmiley was
the winner with the do Do Do Do Do song
for Wiggle Vision that year because that helmet. You were

(11:13):
a real stand out that year. Helmet looks a little
bit like a drunk unk.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
We did, we did the backdrop and everything did we
We tried to find It's very hard to find that
exact backdrop. Yeah, gave it a good hit. Then then
who was Anthony's favorite?

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Yes? Of course. The theme that year was honk if
You're Happy, and the credible artist who won that year
was Hongus Dongfish. Now that's a that's a reference on that.
Another reference Hongous Dongfish. Just look it up.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's it's a video called who Did No that's the theme.
There's a guy on online that's covered in by.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
Corns by corns.

Speaker 2 (11:58):
Yeah, then uses his limbs to play the bike horns
and it's hysterical and it's it's brilliant.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
So there's a take off that's a take from Haungus
who won that year, Yes, Hoot and Jumpsuit and by Corning.

Speaker 2 (12:20):
Yes, And there's also a reference Lordie the Monster Rock
group entered Eurovision, so we did a we'll put Dorothy
yes with Fjordy, So that's not at all.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah, there are a lot of references. Something you have
to dig a little default. But we've had so much
as you can tell, we're you're laughing just talking about
it because we've had so much fun. And now that
it's out in the world, it's something of course that
your children will love because it makes you laugh, it
makes you smile, but it really is something for the
parents as well to have a laugh at and to enjoy.

(12:54):
And that's on YouTube now with our big song Sparkle.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
So then we in the lounge room, we're like, well,
how wiggles on? How can we what is our song
going to sound like? And how can we enter wiggle
Vision and try and win it? So we all put
our heads together. You and I did lyrics. We did lyrics, yes, Yes,
John and Evey did costumes. They did a very good job.
Anthony and Lucia did the music very good and Caterina

(13:22):
and so I did the choreography.

Speaker 3 (13:25):
Yes, which thankfully I did not have to partake him. Well,
you've got a beautiful line in the song thank you.
Look the world, the world.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
World is big, so big, we need some sparkly that's right.
We filmed that out at Penrith Panthers full lighting rig.
That's one of the biggest production pieces. We've got a drone,

(13:54):
we had inflatable worlds, we had confetti, confetti guys just
turned up at the end Blue the cannon.

Speaker 3 (14:05):
Story in my life. That looks fantastic. It was sparkling.
It's very different, like do anything we normally do. But
I think you really enjoyed it.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Such it was awesome and it looked looks a million dollars.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
It looks so good.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
And the song is something we're actually he's really really
proud of. It's a really good song and if we
were ever to.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
We'll see. Now we can't use it for Eurovision because
Eurovision has you have to have a song that's never
been released. We've got to do another one. Delta. Delta, Yeah, Delta.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
If they're going to do so well, that song is
already it's up there already.

Speaker 3 (14:47):
We're not part of Europe.

Speaker 2 (14:50):
No, they just invited us in nice, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah? Where is it? This year?

Speaker 2 (14:57):
Adult is over there already and she's the song is
epic and I'm really looking forward to watching it because
she is just gonna let rip.

Speaker 3 (15:04):
I wonder if Hongs Dongfish will be there. Yeah, maybe
Helmut von Schmiley.

Speaker 2 (15:09):
They might be their data because then we then we
cut back to the panel of judges are actually Helmut
and so then they judge us in Sparkle and they
give us well wait and see what score they give us.
But it's in Vienna, Simon.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
It should be nice to go there, wouldn't it. Yeah,
a lovely place.

Speaker 2 (15:30):
We're in Switzerland.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
We could just.

Speaker 2 (15:36):
Go Delta, go Australia in Vienna and go wiggle Vision.
Go wiggle Vision, yeah on YouTube right now, Well that's awful.
We will talk today. Please go and watch Eurovision and

(15:57):
watch Wiggle Vision on YouTube because it's it's good.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
Yeah. And as I always say, honk if you're happy,
love for honks don Yeah, all right, everyone, thank you
for listening. It's been wiggled talking. Yes, a little bit different,
but it's a podcast for parents still yep, you bet.
Goodbye bye