Chances are that if you have a child you have heard of the Wiggles. In the field of children’s entertainment they have quickly become one of the most popular groups. The Wiggles consist of 4 men who each wear a different colored shirt. They originated in Sydney Australia and have gained even more fame here in America. The Wiggles use songs, dancing, fun characters, and visual effects to capture their little audience.
I recently had the chance to attend a Wiggles concert entitled “Wiggle Dancing” in Madison Square Gardens Theater on October 27th. Because I have a special needs child we were granted a meet and greet before the show
There were about 12 families who attended the Meet and Greet. Unfortunately, Greg Wiggle was out sick, but a wonderful man by the name of Sam filled in. The Wiggles and Captain Feathersword gathered behind 4 chairs and 1 family at a time got to meet the Wiggles. Each family also got a Polaroid picture taken with the group. Because my daughter and another little boy were using wheelchair devices, we were the last 2 in the meeting room, having to take the elevator instead of the stairs. This little boy, named Christopher, was so excited to see the Wiggles he could hardly contain himself. He had flowers for Dorothy the Dinosaur. We waited patiently for the crowd to die down. Then it was our turn. Murray, the red wiggle gave Noel (my disabled daughter) a big hug. Anna, my other daughter, gave Captain Feathersword a Thank you card. All the Wiggles were extremely friendly and it was evident they had a genuine compassion for all the children. Anthony (the blue wiggle) was even worried about Noel when she climbed up into the chair by herself. I put her on my lap for the picture. After the picture, I shook their hands and thanked them for taking the time to meet with our kids. Next, we were ushered in to the show and found our seats, which were in the middle front section. You couldn’t get a better view than that. They had 2 big screens on either side of the stage, which were playing Wiggles shows. Noel couldn’t figure out which screen to watch. Then the show began and I was amazed that the Wiggles sang everything live, and even come out into the audience to give high fives. During the show, they mentioned two of the children they had met at the meet and greet, one of them being Christopher. They called him up to the stage to give Dorothy a hug and the flowers that he had brought for her. As his father carried him up to the stage, I could see his eyes tearing up. This was his son’s dream come true after all.
What lead me to the show? My daughter has Angelman Syndrome. She can’t talk, is mentally retarded, and doesn’t have much of an attention span. After 2 1/2 years of not being still or watching anything on TV, a friend of mine brought over 9 Wiggles videos. I popped one of the videos in our VCR and was stunned to see Noel instantly glued to the TV. She loved the dancing and would bounce up and down for hours. I could finally sit down for a half-hour. I decided to visit the Wiggles website and I learned that there would be a concert in New York. I went to the websites forum and told them Noel’s story. I mentioned that her dream if she could ever talk would be to meet the wiggles. The forum members told me I could email a certain person and that the Wiggles grant meet and greets before their show to special needs and terminally ill children. I e-mailed this person and got the invitation back not too long after that.
In my review the Wiggles get an A+. I asked my daughter Anna what was her favorite part of the show. She said when the big blow up Murray kept falling down and knocking everyone over. I can tell you what the parents favorite moment was. When Murray tuned his guitar to the tune of “Stairway to Heaven”. I would encourage anyone who has a child under the age of 8 to get right out to one of these concerts. You will not be disappointed with the Wiggles talent and ability to capture our children’s hearts. And if you are anything like me, or the parents I met at the show, you might have just as much fun as the kids.
