Television Wiki
Advertisement

The Wiggles first ever TV Series premiered on the Disney Channel in the United States, CBeebies in the United Kingdom, and ABC Australia in Australia on January 20, 2001 and on April 25, 2020. as such the sets are very similar, especially Wigglehouse, Wags World and Captain Feathersword's Dockyard. The exterior of Wigglehouse remains pink and orange in the episode Muscleman Murray, but was repainted to blue and orange in all its other appearances.

Episodes[]

  1. Anthony's Friend
  2. Foodman
  3. Murray's Shirt
  4. Building Blocks
  5. Jeff the Mechanic
  6. Lilly
  7. Zardo Zap
  8. The Party
  9. Wiggle Opera
  10. Haircut
  11. Muscleman Murray
  12. Spooked Wiggles
  13. Funny Greg

Format[]

Every episode was structured to a specific format, which consisted of the following

Opening Intro[]

The shows theme was a special recording of the second verse of Get Ready To Wiggle. Each Wiggle and their friends get their own introduction. It includes a lot of alternate takes or unused footage, most notably a "Balloon Chase" scene and a video for Romp Bomp A Stomp which looks to have been filmed at the same time as other music videos used for the series.

The opening was unchanged throughout the series. Although a single frame of an alternate character card for Captain Feathersword can be seen at the end of his updated one in every episode, it was never used in its entirety, as even the original airing of the first episode is like this.

Songs[]

There are three songs in every episode, one after the opening theme, one after the Wigglehouse scene, and one before the credits. The first seven episodes feature songs only from the 1998 versions of Wiggle Time! and Yummy Yummy, while the next two also feature exclusive music videos for Dorothy's Dance Party (ep. 8), Wake Up Jeff!, and O Epoe Tooki Tooki (ep. 9). Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car from The Wiggles' newest video at the time, Toot Toot!, was featured in the 10th episode, while the last three episodes only feature songs performed live at a concert.

By the end of episode 10, all songs from Wiggle Time! and Yummy Yummy were used once. The only songs to appear twice in the series were Hot Potato and Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep on His Pirate Ship (Quack Quack), although their later appearances are different versions performed live (in fact, Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship is in a lower key).

Songs from Yummy Yummy have their title cards appear exactly as they do in that video. For most of the songs from Wiggle Time!, as well as two of the music videos made for the series, an exclusive S.S. Feathersword title banner was used, while concert songs had simple text floating across the screen. Dorothy's Birthday Party, Here Comes a Bear and Rock-a-Bye Your Bear received Big Red Car banner titles, just like the ones from Yummy Yummy. Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car and Wake Up Jeff! were the only two songs not to feature a song title card at all.

Kaz the Cat / Kindergarten Text Types[]

Kaz the Cat featured new characters, including Kaz herself, Max Mouse, Benjamin Bird and their friend, Carolyn. It is the simplest segment, mostly featuring the characters talking in the same location, as well as the shortest. It has its own unique theme song, sung by The Wiggles and Carolyn Ferrie.

Possibly due to poor response of the Kaz characters, or wishing for Dorothy the Dinosaur to have a greater presence in the show (perhaps a bit of both), Kaz the Cat segments were dropped after the initial run on Seven/Prime Network, and all networks to run the series afterward, as well as all home video releases of the show replace them with segments showcasing kids doing things like painting and reading in kindergarten, as Dorothy tells of her visit to the school to Wags (neither character is seen, and Wags is never heard). These segments have no official title.

As the Kaz the Cat segments were used so rarely, they were largely considered lost for some time. Recently, 12 of the 13 Kaz the Cat segments have resurfaced online, in the form of VHS recordings of Seven and Prime Network airings of the original episodes. The only one that remains lost as of 2018/2019 is the segment from Lilly.

Wigglehouse[]

The Wiggles have adventures at their home, from throwing a party for the new schoolteacher, to famous actress Lilly Lavender searching for a new star, and even meeting the alien Zardo Zap. Simpler stories include Anthony having fun with his "imaginary" friend Morty the invisible giant turtle, Murray staining his red shirt and finding a new one, Jeff having to fix the Big Red Car before a concert, and Greg losing his sense of humor.

The theme song is a brief part of Get Ready To Wiggle, similar to the intro to the show, but in a different key.

Henry the Octopus[]

Henry's life in the sea, as he conducts his underwater big band, teaches his friend Jacques about the stars, holds a sea circus, and plays a rhyming game with all his friends. Henry's friends in the show include The Fishettes, Joey the Crab, The Catfish Brothers, Jacques the Shark, Tom the Purple Trout and Sam and Michael the Sea Snails, with all characters portrayed as puppets. It is narrated by Greg Page.

Its theme song is a short rendition of the song Henry the Octopus.

Captain Feathersword's Pirate Show[]

Featuring Captain Feathersword and Wags as they go to places like Pirate Park for a picnic, Slow Street while on a treasure hunt, and the Beach to have a swim. The primary locations of the segment are Wags World and Captain Feathersword's Dock.

The theme song is adapted from It's A Christmas Party, On The Goodship Feathersword.

The Chase (end credits)[]

As the credits roll on, we see a character be chased by the others after they take something, such as Wags running off with a pink towel that had been hung up to dry, a butterfly flying away with a net after Wags tried to catch it (accidentally getting Dorothy in the process), and Captain riding away on a bike with a ball The Wiggles were playing a game of tennis with.

The segment has never officially been given a title, but has been named by after the instrumental song The Chase which plays throughout it. An extended version of the song would appear on the North American release of the Yummy Yummy album in 1999. Part of the Chase segment used in the episodes Murray's Shirt, Wiggle Opera and Funny Greg, where Captain takes Jeff's keyboard, was used in versions of the video Wake Up Jeff! released outside of Australia/New Zealand, replacing the song Everybody Is Clever, without the credits text over it. The sequence is presented in a manner similar to chase sequences in the sketch comedy series, The Benny Hill Show.

Advertisement