THE WIGGLES: SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID

Australia’s most successful kids-genre entertainers, The Wiggles, have recently been in the news for slightly controversial reasons, and the public are collectively scratching their heads as to why and how this has happened.

For the uninitiated, Greg Page [the original “Yellow” Wiggle] left the group in 2006 due to an illness known as dysautonomia [symptoms being chronic fatigue and fainting]. His replacement, Sam Moran, slotted into the group without fault [he being an understudy to the “Yellow” Wiggle role for some years prior to his formal appointment], and for many youngsters around the globe, Sam Moran is THE Yellow Wiggle.

Recent media reports indicate that Greg Page has a clean bill of health, and he will resume the role of the Yellow Wiggle effective immediately. Page’s illness has been well documented [he has released an autobiography in recent years], and as a founding member of The Wiggles, it makes sense that he returns to the fold at this time.

However, the media have sensed a big story from the event, and hasn’t it opened a can of worms!!

The Wiggles “brand” has been one of Australia’s greatest success stories during the past 2 decades; The Wiggles are globally known and they display no sign of fatigue. The slightly “sinister” aspect of Page’s return to The Wiggles has been the treatment of the outgoing Sam Moran. Whilst Moran has been a diplomat in the truest sense of the word, it has been revealed that Moran’s severance pay amounted to “only” AUD$60,000.00, and he will receive publishing royalties of a similar figure per annum for the foreseeable future.

Additional probing into The Wiggles’ corporate empire has revealed that Moran held no equity in The Wiggles, rather he was an employee [albeit a highly prominent employee]. When Page left the group in 2006, he is rumoured to have sold his 20% stake in the conglomerate for circa AUD$20M, with the remaining 3 members of The Wiggles & their 2 managers acquiring his stake.

Is this controversial news? One would have to say not at all in the world of entertainment. The Rolling Stones are owned by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman are paid a salary whenever The Stones perform in concert. The same can be said for Kiss; Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley employ Ace Frehley and Peter Criss [or whoever wishes to don their respective make-up disguises] for concert tours.

Let’s sum up The Wiggles’ line up change; Page cashed in his chips in 2006, and now he is back as a salaried employee. Moran has a stable cash flow stream [via publishing royalties] for at least the next generation, and his entertainment career is certainly better for the experience.

The world should have been able to move on from this event, and return to enjoying The Wiggles for what they are; wholesome family entertainment. However, Anthony Field [the “Blue” Wiggle] has decided to use this opportunity to reveal his ongoing battle with depression. Whilst this is obviously a very personal matter and it takes considerable courage to announce such an affliction to the world, one must wonder what The Wiggles’ core fan base [i.e. children under the age of five] makes of these recent media reports. Do they truly understand the implications of these announcements? Is it for the benefit of their “older” fan base? [i.e. the children’s parents] Does the world wish for The Wiggles to be seen as experiencing real life issues, or should the fundamental reason for their amazing success [i.e. good old-fashioned entertainment] be upheld in this case?

Maybe [just maybe] The Wiggles should use this opportunity to review their Public Relations firm at this time. Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid…