Like most Gen Z-millennial cusp Australians, I grew up watching The Wiggles. Ever since I’ve had a very soft spot in my heart for the four smiley blokes who sang about hot potatoes, big red cars and of course, getting wiggly. But recently, thanks to the release of their documentary Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles on Amazon Prime, I’ve realised something that only adult eyes can truly see – they were hot.
I’m not talking about John Pearce, the purple Wiggle who used to be in Justice Crew that all the yummy mummies are drooling over on TikTok.
I’m talking about the OG wiggles – Greg Page, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field and Murray Cook.
Yep, the dudes that chucked on skivvies and sang little songs on stage were lookers.
Don’t believe me? Check out these pics.
I’m not the only one who thought so either.
A bunch of people on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, reported their surprise when they watched the doco. Plus, when I asked my mum she told me that she thought that “Greg and Anthony were hot potatoes” back in the day.
Like mother like daughter, I guess.
Recently, thanks to their new doco, I had a chance to sit down with the OG Wiggles.
Of course, I just had to ask whether being hit on by parents of the young kids they were entertaining was an everyday part of their lives. After all, they were all young male performers whose enthusiasm and love for children’s education made them perfectly fit into the complex maze of the female gaze.
But when I asked them, they played it coy, giggling over being called “hot potatoes”.
“I would have to defer to the hottest potato around, Mr Cleo Bachelor Of The Year,” Jeff said, gesturing to Anthony.
In 1999 when I was genuinely four years old, Anthony was named Cleo magazine’s Bachelor Of The Year. It was an experience that he is still a little bit embarrassed about today.
“Cleo bachelor of the year, oh man,” the blue Wiggle laughed.
“I’m sure the judges were taking the mickey. I’m certain they did it for publicity because when the camera was coming towards me, I was thinking that sure I wouldn’t be the Bachelor of the Year. I was thinking that it should be the heart surgeon next to me who’d done all this impressive work. But they came and stopped at the Wiggle.
“It was the most embarrassing time of my life and I was so glad we got on a plane to America very soon after.”
Maybe it’s the fact that these lovable larrikins have been in the public eye and the media for almost 30 years, but I get the feeling that they get these comments a lot. Or at the very least, know how to handle themselves through a silly little interview.
If you want to take a welcome walk down memory lane (and see what I mean 😏), you can check out their documentary Hot Potato: The Story Of The Wiggles on Prime Video.
The post If You Learn One Thing From The Wiggles Doco Pls Let It Be That The Fellas Were Hot Potatoes Back In The Day appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
