The Wiggles and Trad Songs/Nursery Rhyme

Subject: The Wiggles and Trad Songs/Nursery Rhyme
From: Big Ballad Singer
Date: 25 Jul 10 - 07:36 PM

(Just in case anyone here is unfamiliar, the Wiggles are a quartet of Australian gents who are children's entertainers.)

What I have noticed over several years of watching their videos is that they do include quite a few trad songs and old nursery rhymes in their productions. There are a lot of their own compositions, especially in their first few videos, which feature Greg Page as the "yellow Wiggle". Greg is an accomplished songwriter, and his writing is usually quite witty, even if it is directed primarily at kids. Sam Moran, a friend and stand-in and worker (etc) within the Wiggles organization, is now in the yellow shirt, as Greg had to retire from full-time touring and performing due to health issues.

So, besides having a love/hate opinion about them, can anyone weigh in on the Wiggles and their contribution to preserving and presenting trad music and rhyme to the younger set? I, for one, am grateful... I can put on a Wiggles DVD and several times each showing, I can stop the show and share with my kids some bit of history or folklore from all sorts of cultures.

Regards,

BBS