The Wiggles notch up another record and book big arena tour

The Wiggles have wrestled one of the biggest challenges of their career with their epic next record. See the list.

The Wiggles have wrestled one of the biggest challenges of their career – to pick 100 songs for their 100th album.

The children’s entertainment giants culled their catalogue of 2500 recordings over 33 years for the milestone album Wiggle and Learn: 100 Education Songs for Children.

It is believed Slim Dusty holds the Australian artist record for the most albums with 122 records to his credit.

The Wiggles’ 100th record comes in the middle of another big year for the beloved entertainment brand who have also booked a summer arena tour and are amassing millions of views for their new Wiggle and Learn web series on YouTube. They already have more than 4.6 billion views on the platform for their videos and songs.

The Wiggles announce 100 songs for their 100th album. Picture: Richard Dobson

In between recording 20 hours of content for the web series over the past six months, there was also their big kid record release.

The Wiggles Soundsystem: Rave of Innocence dropped in April, the work of Australian DJ and Justice Crew member Lenny Pearce (the twin brother of current purple Wiggle, John Pearce) who teamed up with DJ Dorothy The Dinosaur to create techno remixes of Wiggly classics including Fruit Salad, Hot Potato and Rock-a-Bye Your Bear.

And the next gen Wiggles including John Pearce, Tsehay Hawkins and Field’s daughter Lucia have built strong followings of hundreds of thousands of fans on social media.

A “very tired” Head Wiggle Anthony Field, who was in the middle of three shows a day in Melbourne last weekend, said the group’s filming, recording, performing and content creation schedule is relentless but “serious fun.”

“The Wiggles is a big ship to turn around; we’re having the best time, but we’re serious about everything we do,” Field said.

“We decided we wanted to focus on YouTube over the past couple of years because children are watching more and more on YouTube and less television.

“We don’t do TikTok or Instagram for the children, that’s for the parents to find out what we’re doing so they can then go play a new song or video.”

The Wiggles made their 100 songs playlist choice a little easier by deciding they would be “educational” numbers to help little ones learn numeracy and language skills, encourage social and emotional development and introduce healthy habits.

So Fruit Salad and the Hottest 100 winning remix Elephant are out and the Handwashing Song and What’s In The Craft Box are in for the two and a half hours long album.

“Over the years, The Wiggles have had so many great songs – and we don’t get airplay! I was listening to the album the other day and I thought it was really refreshing – and as an adult, honestly, it’s not annoying,” Field said.

Red Wiggle Simon Pryce said the Wiggle and Learn collection has also served as a musical tool for him when charting the developmental milestones of his three and a half year old son Asher.

“The album, the Wiggle and Learn series, the Big Show at the end of the year, it encompasses everything about The Wiggles not only entertaining children but being a part of development and early learning,” Pryce said.

“And I understand it now, first-hand, having a child about all those milestones like when they clap their hands three times when they’re told to or put their hands up in the air, and all those things become really, really important as a parent when you see children doing those things.”

The Wiggle and Learn album will be out on August 16 with all eight Wiggles cast Anthony, Lucia, Simon, Caterina, Lachy, John, Tsehay, and Evie, listed to be performing at the Big Show gigs in November and December.

Caterina Mete welcomed her twin daughters Dolly and Gigi in June and John Pearce just announced he and wife Jessie are expecting their first child in December.

Tickets for the arena tour go on sale on July 11 at 11am via www.thewiggles.com/live

Wiggle and Learn Big Show dates

November 9, RAC Arena, Perth

November 16 – Adelaide Entertainment Centre

November 23 – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

November 30 – AIS Arena, Canberra

December 7 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

December 11 – Newcastle Entertainment Centre

December 14 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

December 21 – ICC Sydney

Originally published as The Wiggles notch up another record and book big arena tour