Wiggles in NZ: Wiggles star Simon Pryce reveals life changing hospital encounter

Simon Pryce, Lachlan "Lachy" Gillespie, Tsehay Hawkins and Anthony Field talk to the Herald ahead of their New Zealand tour. Photo / Carson Bluck

The Wiggles have entertained and educated children for more than three decades - earning adoring fans, millions of Wiggle-induced screams and plenty of accolades to boot.

But according to one Wiggle, those fans and their stories fuel The Wiggles - more than fruit salad ever could.

Speaking to the Herald ahead of their New Zealand tour Anthony Field (blue), Simon Pryce (red), Tsehay Hawkins (yellow) and Lachlan "Lachy" Gillespie (purple) tell me when it comes to performing, they have had so many memorable experiences it's hard to pick their favourite or one that really stands out.

That is except for one particularly heartfelt moment Pryce experienced which almost brought him to tears as he reminisced on it.

"This moment has always stuck in my head," he explains. "We [Pryce and Gillespie] had only just started and we were visiting a kids' hospital on Christmas Day in Sydney and a young teenager with his dad came up, we were singing Toot Toot and the boy started singing along.

"This boy had additional needs and the dad started crying and said 'that's the most amount of words my son has said all year'," Pryce says as he visibly welled up.

"That impact of what we can do? That is what does it for me."

The Wiggles talk about their most memorable moments ahead of their New Zealand tour. Photo / Carson Bluck

And Kiwi kids are about to experience a little Wiggle magic of their own as the group is currently in New Zealand for their tour - which kicks off tonight in Auckland and winds up in Dunedin on August 28.

While there have been several line-up changes over the years, including going from four to eight Wiggles, OG fans will also have the chance to see the original four Wiggles in action.

"It's pretty wild," Field says of the additional adults-only shows scheduled for August 20 and 26 in Auckland and Christchurch.

"We do all The Wiggles hits. We do it pretty well like we would on the television and we don't go out of character but the audience is grown up now so they come and they're not drinking cordial anymore," he laughs.

Pryce adds, "They come in their T-shirts and Dorothy tails from when they were 3", causing the band to break out in laughter.

The last time the four original Wiggles - Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Greg Page - reunited on stage, the show sold out in just minutes and it's easy to see why.

After 30 years on television, Gillespie credits their success to the "warmth that comes across on screen".

"I think when people watch The Wiggles they kind of feel like they're watching a little family performance at home.

"It's like an extended version of mum and dad singing a song with the child and that's helped them for 30 years, and now in a cool way the original fans get to see their original heroes."

Kiwi kids who grew up in the 90s rejoice: the original Wiggles lineup is coming back to NZ. Photo / Supplied

It's something the band's youngest member, 16-year-old Hawkins knows all about having grown up watching the children's band on television.

"It's definitely surreal to be a Wiggle now," she said.

After being discovered through her Instagram account in 2020, the rising star was recruited into the cast of The Wiggles 'Fruit Salad TV' before taking over the yellow skivvy from Emma Watkins – who retired after 11 years with the troupe.

Hawkins describes her place in the band as a "dream come true".

"I absolutely love it. I think it's really cool that I get to do what I love and inspire children, and I get to be a part of The Wiggles because they're icons but so it's a really cool experience. I really genuinely think it's a dream come true."

She explains the cool factor hasn't slipped past her friends either.

"Well I guess if you think teenagers, they'd be like 'ugh I'm over The Wiggles' but as soon as it was announced I got messages like 'I grew up with The Wiggles can you tell Anthony I said hi'."

As The Wiggles enter their new era of expansion, they have made it their mission to reflect their audience through cast representation but it's also important to them to continue to evolve with technology.

Field admits after being in the business since 1991, children haven't changed a bit, but the way they interact has.

"A 2-year-old now can walk around with a phone or tablet and that presents challenges for us and parents to get children active," he says.

Tsehay Hawkins took over the yellow skivvy from Emma Watkins - who retired after 11 years with the troupe. Photo / Supplied

Thankfully, The Wiggles have a few moves up their sleeves like bringing on their new energetic members, Evie Ferris, Kelly Hamilton, John Adamo Pearce and Caterina Mete.

As well as a new character, Shirley Shawn the Unicorn who joins fan favourites Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur and Henry the Octopus.

And for their older fans, The Wiggles haven't forgotten about them and all their moments together either. They keep them moving by collaborating with relevant pop stars and social media.

Field says, "We did an album called ReWiggled and it features all these wonderful singers. We covered Tame Impala's 'Elephant', and we won the Triple J hottest 100 which was totally unexpected."

It comes after the band made an appearance at Kid Laroi's June 12 concert which Field describes as "sensational".

While more collaborations may happen in the future, they aren't making any solid plans. Pryce says "it kind of just organically happens", adding that no matter what the future holds, they just love writing music and performing for children.

"They're the best audience, you can't have a bad day if you're up on stage performing in front of children."

The Wiggles are touring New Zealand from August 20-28