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Wiggles, How Do I Hate Thee? Let Me Count the Ways
The Wiggles are Dead! Now let’s start the celebration!
Brian at Being Daddy has produced Wiggles Wiggle Out Of Wiggles, a delicious piece of satire that announces the demise of the execrable singing group. I swear I thought it was the Real McCoy. My heart leapt for joy! But when I followed his link to the real Wiggles website, which announced future concert dates, I realized that Brian was ‘having us on.’ Good on ‘ya, Brian, as the Irish would say. He had me going there.
Here’s some of what I wrote at Brian’s blog BEFORE I realized he had spoofed us all:
“I’m sorry to be such a spoilsport but I detest the Wiggles. Call me a snob, call me an overeducated, fun-hating adult…I just don’t care. I thought they were an insult to just about everything they tried to do or be: children’s entertainment, music, storytelling, you name it.
We were given a single CD by someone who thought they were doing us a favor. UGH! My son, of course, loved the video. It got to the point where I thought if I have to watch it again I’ll shoot myself. So I threw it behind the books in the bookcase & I’ve never heard a request for it since.
Wiggles–how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways:
1. lip synching
2. fake guitar playing
3. insipid, unimaginative stories, acting and songs
Need I say more? The Wiggles’ breakup makes me so happy I’m gonna go blog about it back at my blog.
Lest you think I’m a total misanthrope–there are lots of children’s cds and videos I (& my son) adore: HBO’s Goodnight, Moon, Dumbo, Peter Pan, Fantasia, Rikki Tikki Tavi, etc. There IS intelligent, thoughtful, entertaining children’s videos out there. YOu just have to do some careful research and careful buying.
At my blog, I’ve posted my entertainment recommendations at Children’s Video: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Kelley said:
Actually, that’s Greg’s really voice and he knows how to play guitar. Even in the concerts, that’s Greg’s LIVE voice while he’s dancing. He took breathing classes so he would be able to dance and sing at the same time. That, I and many others think, is pure talent. That’s more than I can say about people who sit around writing false stories just to make other people worry and want to know the truth. I think it’s a scam just so people will visit their site. I’m sure you all can think of something more creative to get people to pay attention to you.
Richard Silverstein said:
I take it all back, Kelley, you’ve convinced me that a performer who can sing and dance at the same time has “PURE TALENT.” I simply can’t think of another performer who’s ever lived who’s been able to do that!! I’ll never say another cross word about the Wiggles or your beloved Greg.
BTW, Kelley, the story wasn’t “false,” but a spoof. I guess true believers like you can’t stand a bit of irony. I for one think the world would be much poorer without such fun. Too bad you’re so serious you can’t join in the fun.
raoul duke said:
im with you Richard, my son is 17 months old and beginning to be entertained by videos and tv shows, and the Wiggles is one of the worst. i find it offensively low-brow (even for a childrens show, and i have watched “Barney and friends”!)and its thinly veiled homosexual imagery disturbs me greatly. i wont let my son watch it. it shocks me to see how many rabid Wiggles fans there are out there that dont see the true crap nature of this program.
gina said:
Overeducated?! I love that you had to state that! I can’t take it either after 600 shows on my vcr, but I’m not 15 months old. It was not made for someone of your superior intellect. It was made for pre schoolers. What a whiner!
Richard Silverstein said:
Let’s see, you say you “can’t take” the Wiggles after “600 shows” on your vcr. But you think your child can take the Wiggles pablum? You see, the Wiggles insult not only my own intelligence but my child’s as well.
What child entertainment alternatives does one have that engage, stimulate and excite a child without insulting their intelligence? The great Disney vintage cartoons and films (Dumbo, Fantasia, Bambi, etc.), Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, the Charles & Ray Eames Toy Trains video featured in this blog, Yellow Submarine, Wallace & Gromit (also featured here), Spirited Away…I could go on like this forever. The point is that the Wiggles are the equivalent of turning the TV on in your child’s bedroom as a babyminder while you go about your business.