The Wiggles are back with a Big Show! tour, and a popular Yellow Wiggle in Emma Watkins

THE Wiggles have their yellow female recruit Emma Watkins to thank for winning back their fans, as they look to another tour this year.

IT took 18 months to win back The Wiggles fans who resisted the reboot of the iconic children’s group and their female recruit Emma Watkins can take much of the credit.

Ahead of revealing their tour plans for America and Australia for the rest of the year, the group’s creator Anthony Field said The Wiggles found it “hard going” until they returned to television with the new line-up.

Sales of DVDs and T-shirts featuring the classic line-ups outstripped demand for the new Wiggles until ABC brought them back to the small screen after a seven-year absence with the Ready, Steady, Wiggle series.

“At the start we were finding it hard to sell out anywhere until we were back on television in September,” he said.

“I knew without TV, without people being able to see them, they wouldn’t get to know them but the ratings were really good and the DVDs are selling very well, which is bucking the trend for DVD sales.

“We just sold out 120 of the shows on the regional tour and the kids are loving the new line-up, especially Emma.”

Field said the majority of their pint-sized fans rocked up to the shows dressed like the female Yellow Wiggle.

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The Blue Wiggle said Watkins’ popularity over him and newcomers Lachy Gillespie (Purple) and Simon Price (Red) was so remarkable it had been worked into the show.

“Every day we are making up a song about it like ‘I can see a sign looking at me; I love Emma, not the other three,” Field said.

Bouncing back with a tour ... The Wiggles pictured at Sky Zone in Sydney.

“Emma is quite amazing. She’s a master in filmmaking, she speaks French, she can sign, is an amazing singer and won dancing competitions.

“Simon is ex-Phantom Of The Opera so there are a lot of parents who know him too and Lachy is such a lovely guy all the mums are besotted with him.

“Me, I’m the grandparents’ age.”

The Wiggles have booked another national tour of Australia called the Big Show! in November and with Watkins capturing the fascination of the girl fans, dancing will take centre stage in the new production.

Popular with the girls ... Actress Emma Watkins of The Wiggles.

“Simon and Lachy are also proficient dancers as opposed to the classic Wiggles, who couldn’t dance for nuts,” Field said.

“So when we bring ballet into this show, they are going to be out there (doing it) so little boys can relate to.”

The Wiggles are also hopeful of reclaiming some lost ground in America with a tour later this year that they will announce tomorrow.

Field said they lost some ground after leaving the Disney channel but with their new home at Sprout TV now scoring wider distribution by Time Warner, he is hopeful they can rebuild their audience.

Change of the Wiggles guard ... The Wiggles members both retired and current.

“Disney basically wanted to own us and we wanted to keep it ourselves, so little bit by little bit we went off the channel which was sad. But that’s business,” he said.

“For the last six years or so, our popularity there hasn’t been as it was in the heyday but we can still tour there and sell out lots of venues and we are looking forward to seeing it grow.”

The Wiggles Big Show! tour goes on sale on Thursday from 10am, kicking off at the Derwent entertainment Centre in Hobart on November 15.

They also perform at the Princess Theatre, Launceston on November 16, Challenge Stadium, Perth on November 29, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on December 6, The Playhouse, Canberra on December 9, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne on December 13, Wollongong Entertainment Centre on December 16, Newcastle Entertainment Centre on December 18, Allphones Arena, Sydney on December 20 and Brisbane Entertainment Centre on December 23.

Originally published as The Wiggles are back with a Big Show! tour, and a popular Yellow Wiggle in Emma Watkins