The Wiggles (TV Series 1)

TV Season 1 is the first ever Wiggles TV Series. Wigglehouse segments 'Funny Greg' and 'Muscleman Murray' were filmed earlier in 1997, as they are unique episodes. The Wigglehouse set bears many similarities to the one used in The Wiggles Movie. The rest were filmed in 1997. The songs are taken from the videos Yummy Yummy and Wiggle Time. 'The Party' and 'Wiggle Opera' include some songs filmed especially for the series in early 1997. The last three episodes exclusively feature live songs from a performance in early 1998. The series premiered on the Seven Network in Australia on 31 July 1998.

The episodes had a common run of segments, which ran thusly:
 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) Song
 * 3) Kaz the Cat
 * 4) Wigglehouse
 * 5) Song
 * 6) Henry the Octopus
 * 7) Captain Feathersword's Pirate Show
 * 8) Song
 * 9) Credits (Chase) and Closedown

Opening Intro
The shows theme was the second verse of 'Get Ready to Wiggle'. It introduced The Wiggles and The Wiggles' Friends. It included a lot of alternate takes or unused footage such as a balloon chase and a video for 'Romp Bomp a Stomp' which looks to have been filmed at the same time as 'Dorothy's Dance Party' from The Party and 'Wake Up Jeff' from Wiggle Opera. The opening was unchanged throughout the series.

Songs
There are three songs, one after the opening theme, one after the Wigglehouse scene, and one before the credits. The first seven episodes feature songs only from Wiggle Time and Yummy Yummy, while episodes 8, 9, also feature exclusive songs, episode 10 features 1 from Toot Toot!, and the last three episodes feature songs from a concert. The song titles for those not from Yummy Yummy either feature a Yummy Yummy-style song title, an exclusive S.S. Feathersword title banner, or just text floating across the screen (concert songs only). Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car and Wake Up Jeff! were the only two songs not to feature a song title.

Numbers Rhumba, Teddy Bear Hug and Baby Beluga (concert) were taken off of the Series 1 Collector's Box Set DVD because they were not written by The Wiggles or anyone affiliated with them. However, they were kept for the iTunes releases.

Wigglehouse
Looking much like the Wigglehouse from The Wiggles Movie with an attached garage, these involve the main story with The Wiggles on an adventure. It even has the same door from The Wiggles Movie. It's the Wiggles' own segment.

Henry the Octopus
Henry's life in the sea out of a puppet.

It's Henry the Octopus, The Fishettes, Joey the Crab, The Catfish Brothers, Jacques the Shark, Tom the Purple Trout and Sam and Michael the Sea Snails' own segement

Narrated by Greg Page.

Henry's friends in the show who are The Fishettes, Joey the Crab, The Catfish Brothers, Jacques the Shark, Tom the Purple Trout and Sam and Michael the Sea Snails.

Episode Guide

Captain Feathersword's Pirate Show
Featuring Captain Feathersword and Wags as they go to places like Wags Kennel, The SS Feathersword Dock, Pirate Park, Slow Street and The Beach.

It's Captain Feathersword and Wags' own segment.

Characters/Cast

 * Murray Cook
 * Jeff Fatt
 * Anthony Field
 * Greg Page
 * Captain Feathersword - Paul Paddick
 * Dorothy the Dinosaur - Leanne Ashley
 * Henry the Octopus - Charmaine Martin, Elyssa Dawson
 * Officer Beaples - Leanne Halloran
 * Wags the Dog - Edwards Rooke, Paul Field
 * Madame Bouffant, Dorothy's voice, Lilly, Ms Fez, host of Kaz the Cat, Doctor, radio voice-over, Penny Fleetfoot - Carolyne Ferrie
 * Zardo Zap, Lilly's Assistant, Mechanic, Sports Commentator - Nikki Owen
 * Child Dancer - Holly McGlinchy
 * Child Performers - Joseph Field, Clare Field, Anthony Silvestrini, Alyssa Bryce, Sian Ryan, Emma Ryan, Cassandra Halloran, Jessica Halloran, Amy Dunbar, Sarah Cornale

Crew

 * Producers - Bridget Thompson, Nick Pike, Paul Field (episode)
 * Directors - Martin Murphy, Graeme Haddon (puppet), Dean Covell (song), Chisholm McTavish (song)
 * Choreographer - Leanne Ashley
 * Writers - Greg Truman, Paul Field, Maria Silvestrini
 * Director of Photography, Steadicam operator - Borce Damcesvski
 * Production Design - Michelle Daddo, Adrienne Chisholm (puppet)
 * Production Manager - Ian McArthur
 * Assistant Director - Kimberly Lipschus, Sheryl Talmage (puppet)
 * Production Assistants - Lou Porter, Karen Smith, Matt Acland, Kimberly Lipschus
 * Continuity - Honor Bannister
 * Art Director - Juliet John
 * Props - Jane Shadbolt (buyer), RWE Conhoun, Hard Love (construction)
 * Art Dept Assistants - Narelle Wilson, Vaughan Alexander, Peter Baylor, Sarah Stokes
 * Head Scenic Painter - Gary Wade
 * Puppets - Balooga Puppets (construction), Sheryl Talmage (maintenance)
 * Puppeteers - Larissa Deak, Daminan Bradford, Gavin Sainsbury, Graeme Haddon, Melissa King, David Anthony, Matthew McCoy, Matt Acland
 * Costumes - Maria Petrozzi, Nikki Harrington
 * Camera operators - Murray Kelso, Jon Matthews, Barry Armstrong, Scott Preston, Martin Covell, Steve Rees
 * Camera Assistants - Jason Pangas, Grant Jordan, Hugh Thorpe
 * Lighting - Brad Landi, Scott Preston, Borce Damcevski, Jeff Field (assistant)
 * Gaffers - Ian Bosman, Scott Copeland, David Holmes (assistant)
 * Sound - Scott Watkin-Sully, Chris Brook, Eric Putre, Tony Douglass (mix), ACROM (design)
 * Studio Sound Assistants/Boom operators - Paul Miskin, Emma Jakovich, Matt Acland
 * Hair & Make-up - Jan Ziggenbein, Nicole Spiro, Adele Durno, Margaret Aston, Ascot Wigmakers (wigs)
 * Runner - Matt Acland
 * Signage - Evolution Signs
 * Catering - Set Menu
 * Post-production supervisor - Chisholm McTavish
 * Graphics - Tony Melov, Swampmagic Pictures (additional)
 * Editors - Steve Rees, Mark Tamone - Control Secret Headquarters
 * Sound Editors - Craig Abercrombie, Rohan Taylor, Tony Douglass (SFX)

Trivia

 * The series was shown each week on Channel 7, first airing on Friday at 3:30pm and then repeating on Saturday at 10:30am.
 * The series was later shown on the Disney Channel. A Wiggles TV series did not air on ABC for Kids until 2002, after they unsuccessfully created a pilot episode in 1995.
 * Kaz the Cat segments were replaced by Dorothy narrating a kindergarten scene, making Kaz the Cat a rarity. Until then, she was the only main character of The Wiggles to not have a main role in a segment. She appeared during songs and occasionally during Wigglehouse segments.


 * In the original aired versions, commercial breaks would appear in between Wiggly Trivia, after the Henry the Octopus segments, and after the Pirate Show segments. The iTunes version of Building Blocks contains a placeholder not aired or seen anywhere else in place of all these commercial breaks, containing the Toy from Wiggly, Wiggly Christmas counting down to the episode starting back up.
 * The Wiggly Trivia questions were taken off of the DVD release, due to the lack of commercial breaks.
 * Paul Field voices the trivia announcer during Wigglehouse segments.
 * In the theme song, footage of Murray from Big Red Car is shown, specifically from his introduction to Georgia's Song and Can You (Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?)
 * Clips from "The Balloon Chase" and the 1997 version of "Romp Bomp a Stomp" are shown in the theme song, but strangely enough, none of the episodes of this season have them in it. Also, these are the only songs or chase scenes to appear in the opening.
 * The Wigglehouse is the same house from The Wiggles Movie but it has a garage attached.
 * The garage's inside was never shown in the series, though it was in the original 1998 version of Toot Toot!.
 * Funny Greg and Muscleman Murray were likely the first episodes filmed, due to Greg wearing the watch he always wore from 1991 to 1997 and the Wigglehouse being pink in both, like it was in The Wiggles Movie.
 * Additionally, The Wiggles wore socks that matched their skivvies in all episodes, except Muscleman Murray and Funny Greg, where they wore black socks.
 * In Funny Greg's Pirate Show segment, "The Beach", Wags had his 1st costume from 1995-1996, but only for the second half, for unknown reasons.
 * This was the second Wiggles series aired in America, specifically in 2002, since Playhouse Disney premiered their newer series first in 2001.