The internationally-renowned children's musical entertainment group The Wiggles formed in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1991 as a five piece. The original members were Anthony Field (blue Wiggle), Murray Cook (red Wiggle), Greg Page (yellow Wiggle), Jeff Fatt (purple Wiggle) and Phillip Wilcher. Field and Fatt had been members of the Australian pop band The Cockroaches during the 1980s. Cook, who had also played in several bands met Field and Page at Macquarie University, where they were studying to become pre-school teachers.
Field was inspired to create an album of children's music based upon concepts of early childhood education, and enlisted Cook, Page, Fatt and Wilcher, a pianist and classical music composer, to assist him. Wilcher left the group after the album was completed. Billed as The Wiggles the four remaining members began touring to promote the album, and became so successful, they quit their teaching jobs to perform full-time.
Anthony Field's brothers John and Paul were also heavily involved with The Wiggles, John as a songwriter (he wrote arguably the group's best-known song 'Hot Potato') and Paul as general manager of operations.
As of 2016 only Anthony Field remains as an original member of The Wiggles. Other performers to appear with the group are Sam Moran (yellow), Lachlan Gillespie (purple), Simon Pryce (red), and Emma Watkins (yellow). Since 1991 group has toured consistently (for most of this time internationally) and released more than twenty albums and numerous DVDs containing all original material.
