Campaigns include collector coins featuring the childrens' group's founding and current band members, plus Facebook Live parties and activities
Collector coins and Facebook virtual birthday party are on their way from Big W and Woolworths to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of iconic Australian childrens’ group, The Wiggles, this month.
Woolworths has partnered up with the Royal Australian Mint to produce 8 million celebration collector coins for the occasion, available from 6 October 2021. The collection includes four unique $2 coins, released each week over a four-week period, along with a collectors’ album available for $15 in-store or online containing all the coins plus two commemorative $1 coins featuring the original and current Wiggles group members.
As well as the core group, the coins feature a cast of characters from The Wiggles shows and performances including Captain Feathersword, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and Dorothy the Dinosaur.
“The Wiggles are a much-loved Aussie icon not only for kids, but a whole generation of parents who grew up singing and dancing along to their songs,” Woolworths chief marketing officer, Andrew Hicks, said. “We’re excited to be part of their 30-year anniversary celebration with these limited edition coins, which will allow our customers to own a piece of Wiggly history and share it with their family.”
It’s not the first time Woolworths has taken to coins to recognise milestones. Previous work with the Royal Australian Mint includes the 2020 Tokyo and 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic coins, as well as 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Wallabies, Mr Squiggle and Possum Magic.
Big W is also getting in on the Wiggly act, with a special 30th anniversary virtual birthday party planned via its Facebook page. The event is slated for 1 October at 9am AEST and is set to be a live celebration for kids recognising birthdays missed with families and friends this year.
In the lead-up, Big W has created a number of downloadable activities via its ‘Big Days at Home’ hub, set up last year on Facebook as a virtual engagement mechanism with customers. The retailer is offering downloadable activities such as creating a party hat, making birthday cards and pinning the tail on Wags the Dog. Big W has also worked with Michelle Bridges, Zoey Foster- Blake and others on the hub, which recorded 68,000 page views in its first debut week.
Credit: Big W “What better way to bring everyone together for one BIG party than with Australia's most loved entertainers, The Wiggles. We can't wait to host kids from all over the country to wish you all a Happy Birthday,” Big W general manager of marketing, Kristen Linders, said.
Blue Wiggle and one of the founding members of the group, Anthony Field AM, noted his own early days of working in Woolworths’ fresh produce department back in 1981 as he thanked the retailers.
“The Wiggles virtual concert and collector coins are a great opportunity for our fans to reminisce about their memories over the past 30 years and make new memories with our new Wiggly family,” he said. “The band, the songs and even the experiences have changed over the years, but our focus has always been the same - educating children through inspirational music and creativity.”
In honour of the milestone, the group recently released a 30th anniversary album plus new single, ‘We’re all fruit salad!’ as a play on their iconic tune. It features several other notable artists including Ritchie Allan, Lou Diamond Phillips, James Harkness and Evie Ferris.
Also marking the 30-year anniversary of its distribution partnership with The Wiggles this year is the ABC. In July, the pair struck a global exclusive licencing agreement for the group’s catalogue of premium television content, quality video productions and music. This includes future releases for The Wiggles current lineup and their back-catalogue, allowing ABC Commercial rights to distribute to international broadcasters and streamers in the UK, US, Canada and other English-speaking territories.
Earlier this month, cutting machines manufacturer, Cricut, also partnered up with Yellow Wiggle, Emma, to allow consumers to make their own Wiggles-approved creations on Cricut machines at home. The Wiggles have also been regular figures on the latest series of Uber Eats campaigns alongside ‘Grey’ Wiggle, Simon Cowell.
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