Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Several months ago I set out on a mission to locate Meet the Wiggles to complete our collection of Wiggles videos and DVDs. After meeting with failure in local stores I searched the internet, ebay, half.com, Amazon and googled the night away, but came up empty.

So, imagine my surprise about a week ago when my best friend tells me that she rented "a really great Wiggles tape" called Meet the Wiggles from our local Blockbuster. I asked her when she was going to return it so that I could go take it out and she let me know. This was the perfect reason to use a free weekly kids movie rental coupon and go check it out, right away. Going into Blockbusters with a video hungry 2 year old in tow can be challenging, but in the name of Wiggles we went.

There it was on the shelf, right next to Wiggle Time.. Meet The Wiggles. The box looked promising and boasted 75 minutes of Wiggles. Of course, the song titles looked familiar but as with many of the Wiggles tapes the same songs are often included, so I didn't think much of it.

A SIDE NOTE to Video Renters Please be kind... rewind! When I put the tape in, it was not rewound! So of course knowing that my friend had just returned it I called her to ream her out for making my little one wait. (She said it was her 4 year olds doing, ahem.. yeah right!). Once rewound, I started the tape and my little Wiggler was quite happy.

Ready to Meet the Wiggles?
I wasn't paying attention to the movie at first, just going about doing my business but after a few minutes I started to watch the tape along with my 2 year old son. He was enjoying it immensely but I was having this immense sense of Deja Vu that I'd seen this video before. Not only, had I seen it - that it was one that we already owned. I don't think you can imagine how let down I was when I realized this..especially given my search mission to find this tape!

If you are a Wiggles fan and familiar with the different videos you will recognize right away the cloud like set that is used in both Wiggle Time and Yummy Yummy. Guess why? Because this tape IS Wiggle Time and Yummy Yummy. Released the same year, it appears that this program was split into two releases before it hit the retail market. I'm sure the decision to turn it into two tapes was financially minded. But, it also makes sense from a logistics standpoint. MTW is a full 75 minutes which is quite long (but not unrealistic) for the attention spans of little kids. Split up, Wiggle Time is 40 minutes and Yummy Yummy is just over 1/2 hour long.

If you are unfamiliar with the content of Wiggle Time and Yummy Yummy please see my respective reviews on the movies by clicking the following links: Wiggle Time & Yummy Yummy.

Meet The Wiggles Song List

Get Ready to Wiggle
Here Comes a Bear
Captain Feathersword
Uncle Noah's Ark
Ponies
Dorothy the Dinosaur
Whenever I Hear This Music
Henry the Octopus
Rock-A-Bye Your Bear
I Love it When it Rains
Quack Quack
Marching Along
Dorothy's Birthday Party
Wave to Wags the Dog
Five Little Ducks
Dorothy - Would you Like to Dance?
Medley (from live show)
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Hot Potato
D.O.R.O.T.H.Y (My Favorite Dinosaur)
Pufferbillies
Henry's Dance
Walk
Joanie Works with One Hammer
The Monkey Dance
Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes
Shaky Shaky
Havenu Shalom Alachem
Can You Point Your Finger and Do the Twist (with Puppets)
I am a Dancer
Go Captain Feathersword, Ahoy (with Puppets)
Fruit Salad


Our Thoughts
As you can see from the long list of songs above - this video has many of The Wiggles "Best of the Best". I've indicated using a dashed line where the break would be if you purchased the tapes separately. The funny part is that in my home the Wiggle Time video was received more highly than the Yummy Yummy one. Yummy Yummy includes 2 songs which include kind of scary looking Wiggles puppets. When my son was younger and just getting into the Wiggles these puppets absolutely terrified him - both in their looks and their scary voices. Now, at 2 years old he is content to watch the puppets and even finds them a bit silly.

Our favorite songs on Meet the Wiggles include : Rock A Bye Your Bear, Quack Quack, and Hot Potato -- all well known hits from The Wiggles. There are also songs with the Wiggles Friends - Dorothy the Dinosaur, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus, Captain Feathersword, even Officer Beaples is included. Expect lots of the usual stuff - Greg doing Magic, Anthony eating, Jeff Sleeping, Murray playing the guitar. As well, a bit of the wacky unusual stuff -- The Wiggles dressing up like Elvis to do the the Shaky Shaky. Kids might not "get" that one as much as the parents do.

The Wiggles choreography is simple and while many find the 4 grown men each wearing different colored shirts to be a bit freakish - I beg to differ. What is so great about The Wiggles is that they engage your child to get up off the couch or the floor and wiggle along with them. It puts a big smile on my face to see my 2 year old dance along and imitate the moves.

The songs are short and the tunes are catchy and not annoying to parents. I don't know how many times I have caught myself humming a Wiggles tune while I'm in the grocery store or driving in the car.

I hesitate to assign a recommended viewing age to this program. The Wiggles recommend it for kids ages 1-8 years. I personally have found that younger toddler and preschool audiences enjoy them the most, as well as the moms and dads - especially the moms. (Why not? These are, after all, some pretty atractive guys who have won the hearts of many many kids all over the world)

Purchase info
I have only seen this VHS video at Blockbuster, but it is not surprising that both Yummy Yummy and Wiggle Time are sold on the same DVD - so that is as close to Meet the Wiggles you are likely to be be able to purchase, at this time.

If your little one likes the Wiggles, or is interested in music, song and dance you might try renting this one the next time you are at your local Blockbuster. For over an hours worth of Wiggling it definitely is a good value. And if you find this one in the stores or available online - snatch it up! Its hard to find status makes it in demand for Wiggles fans near and far.

Visit The Wiggles website:
http://www.thewiggles.com.au


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4