Latest news with #Wiggle
7NEWS
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
The Wiggles launch Backseat Brainiacs to combat children screen time on road trips
Road trips with children can be tough at the best of times, with parents usually resorting to screen time to occupy restless kids on the road. However, Australian parents have revealed their children now spend a staggering amount of their time on tablets and smartphones, prompting children's music group The Wiggles to push for change. 'We live in a digital world,' mum and red Wiggle, Caterina Mete, told 7NEWS. 'So children need to be familiar with that, but it shouldn't be everything.' Mete said she didn't know what to anticipate when it came to navigating screen time as a new mum after giving birth to her twin girls, Dolly and Gigi, in 2024. 'I didn't know what to expect,' she said. 'I know it can help a lot for parents to have a screen. 'Especially if they need to have a shower. I know that helps me. 'But I think also just making sure that you monitor it, and it's a healthy amount, and it is not overdone because children love to play.' Most Australian children spend more time on screens than is recommended, according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Estimates from primary research suggest only 17–23 per cent of preschoolers and 15 per cent of five-to-12-year-olds meet screen-time guidelines. In an attempt to curb the screen time trend, The Wiggles has partnered with car rental company Thrifty to launch Backseat Brainiacs, a screen-free car game aimed at reducing the amount of screen time for kids on road trips. 'There's a staggering amount of screen time used in cars, and it's nice if we can just get away from that a little bit and just look at the beauty of nature,' Mete said. '(Backseat Brainiacs) makes car rides more engaging for the children in an interactive and fun family way. 'Children have got the best imaginations. They come up with such wonderful things, and being able to do that in a car ride is pretty special, I think.' The Wiggles activity pack includes memory card matching games, a road trip scavenger hunt, and the listen-along Backseat Brainiacs audio quiz read out by The Wiggles. 'There's a scavenger hunt where children can tick off things they've seen on the car ride,' Mete said. 'It might be, you know, a kangaroo, and they can tick that off, and it keeps them looking out the window and looking at the Australian landscape and beautiful of always relying on screens.' Mete said her favourite road trip game as a kid was 'I spy'. 'It's still a great game for children. You know, it's a game that will last forever.' Damien Shaw, Vice President at Thrifty Asia Pacific, said they wanted to create something that turns the car ride into a shared experience for the whole family. 'As a parent, I know how tough it can be to keep children engaged on long drives,' he said. 'With Backseat Brainiacs, we wanted to offer something that goes beyond the usual screens and snacks.' Backseat Brainiacs and the accompanying The Wiggles travel packs will be available from July 14 at participating Thrifty Car Rental locations across Australia and New Zealand Non-Thrifty customers can head to or to download and print off the road trip scavenger hunt or access a link to the Backseat Brainiacs audio quiz.
Perth Now
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
‘I will always love you': Excited Wiggles meet legend Dolly
Australian music legends The Wiggles have saddled up with country superstar Dolly Parton in a meeting that was extra special for one Wiggle. After collaborating on two songs together remotely, Friends! and We Will Always Be Friends, the country legend and Aussie performers finally met up in Nashville, Tennessee. They had the chance to link while The Wiggles were performing in Parton's home State during their USA tour. 'From growing up singing her songs to actually singing with her, this was truly a dream come true,' The Wiggles said on social media. 'Meeting Dolly in Nashville felt like a big warm hug. Her kindness, joy and sparkle are everything we imagined and more. 'Dolly, you're a legend, a light and a friend for life.' It was an extra special meet up for Red Wiggle and super fan Caterina Mete, who has a tattoo of Parton on her forearm, which the country music singer signed. The Aussie music group met up with the country megastar. Credit: The Wiggles Mete brought along her twins — Dolly and Gigi — with the former named after the country sensation, who Parton was delighted to meet. 'Hello Dolly, I'm Dolly,' the 9 to 5 singer said to the one-year-old. The Aussie music group met up with the country megastar. Credit: The Wiggles After meeting all the current members of The Wiggles, the group came together for a photo with Parton showing her appreciation for the Aussie icons. 'Thank you for being part of my life,' she said. 'Let's get a picture, let's get famous together.' Before saying cheese, the group had to teach Parton how to do their signature 'Wiggle Fingers'. The Wiggles are currently on the US leg of their Bouncing Balls tour, fittingly for their country music album Wiggle Up, Giddy Up where Parton featured on two songs. The album has cameos from other Aussie and international country music singers including MacKenzie Porter, Troy Cassar-Daley, Morgan Evans, Slim Dusty and Travis Collins.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
House of Wiggle fire: Owner speaks out after devastating fire kills dozens of animals
The Brief There is precious little left of a beloved farm animal rescue in Montgomery County after a fire ripped through and destroyed it, killing dozens of animals. The owner spoke with FOX 29 of the heartbreaking loss at the property and suggested they won't quit, despite their loss. UPPER GWYNEDD TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Flames poured from a barn of a Montgomery County animal rescue Wednesday morning, destroying the structure and killing dozens of animals, while injuring several others. Devastating scene Smoke rises from the rubble of the barn that's served as a sanctuary for farm animals in Montgomery County for eight years. Known as the House of Wiggle, Goats Farm Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in Lansdale, it was early Wednesday morning when a motorist on the nearby turnpike noticed flames and called 911. "This has to be heartbreaking for you?" FOX 29's Jeff Cole asked. "This is absolutely devastating," owner Erin Wiggle replied. "This is every farmer's worst nightmare. This is the reason we get up in the morning to do what we do. Now it's been swished away from us." What we know With no hydrants nearby, the fire crews had to haul water to battle the flames that collapsed the barn built in 1857. About 120 farm animals were on the property, many inside the barn when the floor gave (way). Wiggle explained, "We had about 40 losses, most of them being goats, a couple of pigs when the floor collapsed that trapped a lot of them in the barn." As firefighters doused hot spots Wednesday morning, volunteers moved some of the surviving animals to temporary new homes while others, injured in the blaze, were taken for veterinary care. Big picture view Volunteer Allyson Stephens came to help, saying, "It made my stomach hurt. It's gut-wrenching to see something like that, especially folks who are trying to help animals." Erin Wiggle and her husband, both retired from the military, say this sanctuary is a true labor of love supported by their grit and the generosity of the like-minded. They say a barn will rise again as they go on with their mission. "It's just - it's going to be a lot, and I don't know how we'll recover, but we'll recover, we'll rebuild. We're going to get right back at it," Wiggle said. What you can do Perkiomen Feed Company is currently accepting donations for feed, bedding and supplies to help the affected animals. A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help the Wiggle family, and support the animals' care after the fire.
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Emma Memma is making her anticipated WA return and bringing along the Island Dance Party
Emma Memma is back — this time for a fabulous underwater dance party. The beloved children's entertainer and former Wiggle — whose real name is Emma Watkins — is returning to the west coast in July for three magical performances of her spectacular new show, Island Dance Party. The production will feature special guests Waffles the Wombat, Elvin Melvin and BB Butterfly, while singing hits like Crocodile Snap, Jellyfish Blob and Turtle Hide and Seek from her latest album, Island Dance Party. Watkins described the show as '50 minutes of complete interaction' and said it struck a balance between education and entertainment. 'We have a lot of parents reaching out to us, especially educators, letting us know that they're using our content in schools or pre-school settings or community centres, which is awesome,' she told The West. 'People are using our content for educational reasons, but at the end of the day, the Dance Island Party is what it is: a party. 'Elvin (Melvin) is actually profoundly deaf, so he performs the entire show in sign language which is incredible.' Watkins, who has performed on Telethon since 2023 and was a special guest at the 2024 Christmas pageant, said WA was a 'special place'. 'Perth has been a really special place for Emma Memma over the last couple of years, and I think it's lovely for us to be able to come back,' she said. 'We do get a lot of feedback that people are genuinely super grateful that we've come over to the west coast. 'A lot of shows don't get over there (to WA), especially kids shows, and why should they miss out? 'We want to make sure that we're bringing our show to every corner in Australia.' And with still more than a month to go, Watkins said dozens of children were already counting down the number of sleeps and creating colourful costumes and placards to bring to the show. 'On social media I get a lot of parents tagging me in their countdown calendars,' she said. 'It's nice to know the show isn't just a show — the children are learning the songs, watching new YouTube videos and learning the choreography, so by the time they get to the show, they've already done an incredible amount of research. 'Children want to wear their favourite Emma Memma outfit or Waffles the Wombat costume, it's a huge part of the lead up to our show.' Dance Island Party will be showing at Bunbury Entertainment Centre on July 6 and Riverside Theatre on July 7.
Perth Now
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Former Wiggle bringing her Island Dance Party to WA
Emma Memma is back — this time for a fabulous underwater dance party. The beloved children's entertainer and former Wiggle — whose real name is Emma Watkins — is returning to the west coast in July for three magical performances of her spectacular new show, Island Dance Party. The production will feature special guests Waffles the Wombat, Elvin Melvin and BB Butterfly, while singing hits like Crocodile Snap, Jellyfish Blob and Turtle Hide and Seek from her latest album, Island Dance Party. Watkins described the show as '50 minutes of complete interaction' and said it struck a balance between education and entertainment. 'We have a lot of parents reaching out to us, especially educators, letting us know that they're using our content in schools or pre-school settings or community centres, which is awesome,' she told The West. 'People are using our content for educational reasons, but at the end of the day, the Dance Island Party is what it is: a party. 'Elvin (Melvin) is actually profoundly deaf, so he performs the entire show in sign language which is incredible.' Emma Memma. Credit: Jared Lyons / Jared Lyons Watkins, who has performed on Telethon since 2023 and was a special guest at the 2024 Christmas pageant, said WA was a 'special place'. 'Perth has been a really special place for Emma Memma over the last couple of years, and I think it's lovely for us to be able to come back,' she said. 'We do get a lot of feedback that people are genuinely super grateful that we've come over to the west coast. 'A lot of shows don't get over there (to WA), especially kids shows, and why should they miss out? 'We want to make sure that we're bringing our show to every corner in Australia.' And with still more than a month to go, Watkins said dozens of children were already counting down the number of sleeps and creating colourful costumes and placards to bring to the show. 'On social media I get a lot of parents tagging me in their countdown calendars,' she said. 'It's nice to know the show isn't just a show — the children are learning the songs, watching new YouTube videos and learning the choreography, so by the time they get to the show, they've already done an incredible amount of research. 'Children want to wear their favourite Emma Memma outfit or Waffles the Wombat costume, it's a huge part of the lead up to our show.' Dance Island Party will be showing at Bunbury Entertainment Centre on July 6 and Riverside Theatre on July 7.
