A night with the Wiggles; what I learned about today’s kids

The Wiggles and me

I and my entourage, consisting of my girlfriend, two adults in their 30's and two children age 3 and 5 (my first entourage) made our way into the Izod Center at the Meadowlands. We were there to see the Wiggles, both on stage and up close and in person.

I wanted to go for five reasons:

1. It would make me a hero to my girlfriend
2. I wanted to learn more about the Wiggles
3. I wanted to get a firsthand look at how 21st century children react to music and fun
4. I wanted to be entertained
5. It would make me a hero to my girlfriend

First let me say that the Wiggles are really nice guys. I don't mean like, "we're going to try to appear to be nice guys" kind of nice guys, but really nice guys. They were gentle and fun with the two children we brought and even put up with having their picture taken with me (see above picture, I am the Wiggle in the pink shirt).  On stage, they were full of energy, compassion and passion. They were a great show.

But the really great show...was the kids. Most of these children appeared to me to be between the ages of 2 and 6. They had absolutely no inhibitions. There wore tutus, dog hats with long ears, funny shirts, and more. The Wiggles say that this is a child's first rock concert and, well, these kids let it all hang out.

They dance, and I mean they really dance. That kind of crazy dancing that little kids do where they, unlike anyone over 6, do not care what anybody thinks of their moves. They know there cool.

Well, actually, the kids weren't the only real stars. Their parents were as well. They seemed to like it more than the kids. They sang along to the music and when the rose loving dinosaur, Dorothy (a true Diva), came out they made sure their kids had real bouquets of roses to give her. Maria Callas would have wished to get such a reception.

I think the parents liked it because they were getting the "wink" from the Wiggles. If you will recall, I define the wink as when a song, a book or a toy speaks to the adult without the child knowing. It is usually sly, a little funny and knowing.

The biggest wink of all, however, was the music. Their manager, Mike Conway, told me that their inspiration was the Beatles, Stones, and Monkees among others. You can hear it in the music and the parents felt that familiar rhythm.

People Magazine calls them "The Choice for Celebrities", not only in the seats, but on stage. Leo Sayre, John Fogarty, Keith Urban and Kylie Minogue have all performed with the group. Check out this video of the band doing "You make me feel like dancing" with Leo Sayre and you will see why.

The group got their start when Wiggle Anthony was working on a degree in early childhood education. He and some fellow students started the group as a school project and the rest, as they say, was history.   You can see the sensitivities and values of an early education teacher in the way they present their entertainment and run their show. It's interactive, it's positive and it's engaging.

The Wiggles are doing great and the license is alive and well. Mike Conway tells me that they get into 50 million homes through the Sprout network, have video games coming out on Wii and Sony SingStar and have Wiggles Worlds in the Six Flag parks.

Bottom line for me was that small children, despite all of the technology, have not really changed. They still love to sing and they still love to dance. It's just that the music has changed...its better.