The Wiggles have officially become too commercial.
Or maybe that’s not the right way to say it. They’re too…perfect.
With the unfortunate departure of founding member Greg Page, the Wiggles have added another perfectly fine new yellow-shirted wiggle, Sam Moran. He's about 20 years younger than the oldest member, but seems to fit in nicely. He can sing, he’s lovely and all that, but it’s not the same without Greg.
Something else has changed, too, and it may be a coincidence with the timing of Greg leaving and Sam joining. But The Wiggles have become so slick and shiny that they have lost what made them so much fun. Previously their videos were somehow imperfect, kooky, and kind of slapdash in places. The Wiggles seemed like real people, not characters. Not anymore.
In their DVD entitled Pop Go The Wiggles, the music is highly orchestrated, the whole thing is filmed on shiny pretty film, not video, and the editing is far superior to anything that they’ve put out before. It’s all songs all the time. Gone are the little vignettes and corny introductions to songs. This DVD just flows seamlessly from one song to another.
Having seen a DVD of one of their live performances (but never one in person) I could see that they had gotten tighter. Their timing was better, their dancing was pretty darn good, and their pacing was really on point. So I knew things were changing. I just didn’t think things had changed so much. The Wiggles are now virtually indistinguishable from the other plethora of candy-colored shiny children’s entertainment.
As I watched Pop Go the Wiggles for the first time, I felt a sinking dread. These are not The Wiggles I learned to tolerate and which my children love. They aren’t obnoxious, rowdy or goofy. They’re so smooth they slide right off the TV screen.
One of the things that was charming about The Wiggles was their rough-hewn quality. You knew they were dads/educators who just wanted to entertain kids so they decided to just do it themselves. And remember, if you will, the real kids, extended members of Wiggles themselves, who would be on the early DVDs babbling or looking distracted, picking their noses or staring at their parents off-screen. The old Wiggles DVDs were really rough around the edges. You could actually SEE the duct tape holding Dorothy the Dinosaur’s white gloves on.
In earlier videos, there were some kids who danced with the professional dancers, who were pretty good and getting better every new release. But now, with Pop Go the Wiggles, things have changed, and not for the better. Gone are any amateur dancers. No more goofy cute kids with moxie and talent. It’s all been streamlined. It’s depressing somehow.
I wonder if Dorothy has a voice double, because she’s never sounded this fabulous.
That’s ultimately the problem with this newest incarnation of The Wiggles, or at least this video. It’s too perfect.
I never expected The Wiggles to teach my kids anything. I mean, most kids’ entertainment is pretty vacuous, but now somehow it’s worse. The Wiggles were kind of the kids’ performer underdogs. They were do-it-yourselfers and that held a certain manic charm. Now they’re just like every other group on Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney: pretty and somewhat indistinguishable fluff that doesn’t have much of a personality. Theses talented and lovely performers have gotten too good at their job.
And that’s too bad.
Or maybe that’s not the right way to say it. They’re too…perfect.
With the unfortunate departure of founding member Greg Page, the Wiggles have added another perfectly fine new yellow-shirted wiggle, Sam Moran. He's about 20 years younger than the oldest member, but seems to fit in nicely. He can sing, he’s lovely and all that, but it’s not the same without Greg.
Something else has changed, too, and it may be a coincidence with the timing of Greg leaving and Sam joining. But The Wiggles have become so slick and shiny that they have lost what made them so much fun. Previously their videos were somehow imperfect, kooky, and kind of slapdash in places. The Wiggles seemed like real people, not characters. Not anymore.
In their DVD entitled Pop Go The Wiggles, the music is highly orchestrated, the whole thing is filmed on shiny pretty film, not video, and the editing is far superior to anything that they’ve put out before. It’s all songs all the time. Gone are the little vignettes and corny introductions to songs. This DVD just flows seamlessly from one song to another.
Having seen a DVD of one of their live performances (but never one in person) I could see that they had gotten tighter. Their timing was better, their dancing was pretty darn good, and their pacing was really on point. So I knew things were changing. I just didn’t think things had changed so much. The Wiggles are now virtually indistinguishable from the other plethora of candy-colored shiny children’s entertainment.
As I watched Pop Go the Wiggles for the first time, I felt a sinking dread. These are not The Wiggles I learned to tolerate and which my children love. They aren’t obnoxious, rowdy or goofy. They’re so smooth they slide right off the TV screen.
One of the things that was charming about The Wiggles was their rough-hewn quality. You knew they were dads/educators who just wanted to entertain kids so they decided to just do it themselves. And remember, if you will, the real kids, extended members of Wiggles themselves, who would be on the early DVDs babbling or looking distracted, picking their noses or staring at their parents off-screen. The old Wiggles DVDs were really rough around the edges. You could actually SEE the duct tape holding Dorothy the Dinosaur’s white gloves on.
In earlier videos, there were some kids who danced with the professional dancers, who were pretty good and getting better every new release. But now, with Pop Go the Wiggles, things have changed, and not for the better. Gone are any amateur dancers. No more goofy cute kids with moxie and talent. It’s all been streamlined. It’s depressing somehow.
I wonder if Dorothy has a voice double, because she’s never sounded this fabulous.
That’s ultimately the problem with this newest incarnation of The Wiggles, or at least this video. It’s too perfect.
I never expected The Wiggles to teach my kids anything. I mean, most kids’ entertainment is pretty vacuous, but now somehow it’s worse. The Wiggles were kind of the kids’ performer underdogs. They were do-it-yourselfers and that held a certain manic charm. Now they’re just like every other group on Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney: pretty and somewhat indistinguishable fluff that doesn’t have much of a personality. Theses talented and lovely performers have gotten too good at their job.
And that’s too bad.
Oh no!! You're right--I love (wait,not really, but you know)the roughness and quirky Wiggles! I admit I have not seen any since Greg's departure, but now I sure do not want to!
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