Parents suddenly have a new favorite children's TV show thanks to a relatively new cast member who joined The Wiggles—the popular Australian kid-friendly music group from the early 1990s.
For those who grew up in the 90s, they may remember The Wiggles, comprised of men between the ages of 30 to 50 who wore monochromatic colored shirts and sang catchy kids' tunes like "Fruit Salad" on the Disney Channel.
The Wiggles newbie that has adults parched on the internet is a performer named John Pearce. He is turning heads while banging out family-friendly earworms for children of all ages.
He's the purple Wiggle.
And he's irresistible.
The group was originally formed in 1991 when its founding member Anthony Field had the idea to make a children's album.
He met his future Wiggles bandmates Murray Cook and Greg Page while Field was studying teaching & early childhood at Macquarie University. The group was complete with the addition of Jeff Fatt–who was in an 80s pop group with Field called the Cockroaches–and classical music composer Phillip Wilcher.
The group went through a series of phases, ultimately leading to a "New Wiggles" era in 2013 following the departure of retiring band members and the introduction of its first female performer—Emma Watkins.
In 2021, three additional women—Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris and Kelly Hamilton—joined the popular Australian group.
That was also when Pearce came on board.
You remember.
The purple one.
In a statement, founding member Field announced it was important that:
"The Wiggles continue to evolve along with our society."
Field added:
“The Wiggles were created during a time when early childhood educational concepts were the focus."
“As society has evolved, we have embraced the need for diversity and inclusiveness and want children all over the world to see themselves reflected on the screen."
He said the additional four members were the "first step" for the group to head in the "direction that truly represents and serves our community more inclusively."
It's nice to see the new and improved Wiggles include more representation and diversity than previous iterations of the group.
Tsehay Hawkins is originally from Ethiopia, Evie Ferris is an Indigenous Australian, Kelly Hamilton is Chinese Filipino Australian and Pearce is Filipino Australian.
While the other new members are worthy of praise for their respective talents and charisma, the internet couldn't contain their admiration for Pearce.
Since his induction, he hit the ground running.Pearce owns purple like a boss.
People couldn't help but comment on his Magic Mike vibes.
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
This is what Pearce looks like when not in purple.
He's inked too.
Can't stop.
Won't stop.
The internet is still swooning.
@johnpearce/Instagram
@johnpearce/Instagram
Field explained to NCA Newswire why change was necessary.
“I’d been thinking about it for the last couple of years and there’s no better time than now."
"Morally we have to do this."
And The Wiggles are now better than ever.
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