The ubiquitous nature of devices in our lives became clear during the pandemic. It was also unfortunate good timing for Hellosaurus. The award-winning platform for children's content transition kids from passive observers to active participants through original programming, such as Tim Kubart's The Birthday Show. This week, Hellosaurus announced the launch of The Wiggles + You, an exclusive interactive series featuring the renowned Australia-based performers, who recently celebrated their milestone 30th anniversary.
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| The Wiggles: Lachy, Anthony, Emma, and Simon |
According to Hellosaurus founder James Ruben (former head of product for HQ Trivia), the platform makes interaction a critical part of the story through its proprietary technology, combining traditional gaming engineering with streaming video. “What would have required an entire engineering team in the past, can now be done directly by a creator, such as the Wiggles," Ruben explains.
For 30 years, The Wiggles have used technology to find new ways to connect with literally generations of fans. The partnership with Hellosaurus helps children learn through on-screen activities with all four Wiggles – original icon Anthony, plus Simon, Emma, and purple Wiggle Lachlan "Lachy" Gillespie.
The Hellosaurus invitation came at an opportune time, as the Wiggles had to cancel tour dates due to COVID protocols. "It was it was a weird year for everyone, but it gave us a chance to to do things like this, which have been so much fun," Lachy says. "You know, never, ever waste a crisis. We do really hope that everyone loves it. James is so musical about Hellosaurus that our whole team was very excited to talk to them. It's an exciting project. The Wiggles + You uses a brand new brand new technology that takes what we do as the Wiggles to a whole new scale."
The Wiggles + You features the quartet in six episodes, taking kids on epic playdates with their favorite Wiggle – on a silly safari, a fancy tea party, a detective day, an airport adventure, and more. The episodes use problem-solving skills and creative thinking to collaborate alongside The Wiggles. Children respond and react in real time by drawing, building, solving, and helping the performers along the way.
"In each episode, children play a main role in moving the stories forward. For example, they must wake up Lachy before the flight takes off and the whole gang flies the plane to go meet Dorothy," James explains. Through their experiences, children develop parasocial relationships with The Wiggles, who engage as trusted influencers. "Kids can imagine, pretend, and play in lots of different roles, fostering curiosity and developing confidence," he adds.
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| Lachy Wiggle as seen on The Wiggles + You |
The Wiggles are in the forefront of promoting diversity and positive values. The supporting cast in each of the six The Wiggles + You stories is comprised of all female characters. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the group released a collection featuring the new, inclusive song, "We're All Fruit Salad." As Lachy points out, "It's always about explaining a concept in a way that the child understands...every company, you know, across the world is doing doing the same things now."
Anthony Wiggle and an American friend crafted "We're All Fruit Salad" for the commemorative CD. "The song came together and we got our friends from all over the world to be a part of it," Lachy says. "That turned out really nicely and we're actually performing that show live during the set at the moment. "It's an exciting time for and one of Anthony's biggest strengths is the fact that he is always attempting and always changing."
As the world reopens, the Wiggles find themselves back on the road. "We did a wonderful two weeks in New Zealand and it was our biggest tour ever, actually, of the country," Lachy says. "And wow, we got through the whole it was like nothing's happened over there. It was quite amazing to see full audiences." The group is about to start shows in Western Australia that were postponed last year due to the pandemic.
In addition to the new series, The Wiggles have also licensed ten of their iconic music videos to be transformed into interactive experiences for kids. Children will participate in new immersive segments that promote positivity, friendship, and cooperation, right on their touchscreen. All six episodes of The Wiggles + You as well as the ten iconic music videos are available today exclusively on the Hellosaurus app, which can be downloaded on the App Store. Get a free 14-day trial of Hellosaurus by clicking here.
"Our act keeps moving and the Wiggles keep adapting with new ways to connect with children," Lachy says. "It's so exciting for the Wiggles. We've never done something like Hellosaurus before and we really hope that the families love it."
Here is a preview video about The Wiggles+ YOU:
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