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Big Red Car Through the Years

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The evolution of the Big Red Car.

Cardboard and Plywood (1995-1996, 2020-present)[]

The very first incarnation of the Big Red Car was built by Jeff, first appearing in the video Big Red Car. It's made out of plywood and cardboard. Three funnels at the back give the appearance of a retracted roof.

The design of the car has to be separated apart. It connects with hinges, and it's fitted in small vehicles for every tour.

On 14 December 2020, The Wiggles posted a video to their social media with Jeff, Anthony and Greg standing behind the original plywood version of the car (funnels painted in green), wishing Murray well as he recovers in hospital.

This car also appears in the Christmas medley of the Wiggly Christmas Show, Ready, Steady, Wiggle! (TV Series 3), The OG Wiggles Reunion Tour!, Falls Festival and The OG Wiggles Reunion for Heart of the Nation and is still being used for future projects.

The prop is currently at the Hot Potato Studios storage unit.

Appears in[]

Dune Buggy (1997-2002 (video)‚ 2002-present (various exhibitions)[]

The first motorized version of the Big Red Car was constructed for The Wiggles Movie in 1997 by dune buggy technician Godfrey Reade. The first car model to be driven by a Yellow Wiggle. Being the first of its kind, it bears features that carried over into later Big Red Car iterations, such as coloured seats, a windshield, and hubcaps with a Wiggle-coloured Battenberg pattern. Conversely, a feature of this car that did not carry over into later iterations is the large yellow front bumper. Decals of The Wiggles Logo appeared on each side of the vehicle but not on the front bonnet. When this model returns in Wiggly Safari, the logo was added to the front bonnet and rear back, along with "BIG RED CAR" written in the P22 Daddy O Hip font, though the windshield was absent with this update.

Fun Fact: this is the only vehicle that has never been used during "Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car".

In 2010, during the Dreamworld Parade Event, the car broke down due to malfunction, and they had to push to continue the event.[1][2] And again in 2016, with Charli Robinson (former star of Hi-5) and Dorothy the Dinosaur in Cruise Mode.[3] This car was displayed at the Australia Zoo from 2002 to 2004, and it was last seen at the Wiggles World area of Dreamworld, parked outside of the Wigglehouse from 2016 to 2017.

The vehicle is currently at the Dreamworld storage unit.

Appears in[]

Second Motorized Version (1997-2008)[]

1997-1999[]

This version of the Big Red Car debuted on The Wiggles Big Show tour. It is shorter than the first motorized car and omits the yellow front bumper that that version had. This car was the first since the original design to emblazoned The Wiggles Logo on the front bonnet (albeit with a blue dot over the lowercase i instead of a green one) and text reading THE BIG RED CAR underneath it. However, the "THE" was omitted sometime before Toot Toot! started filming. The windshield is different from the rest of the car, appearing to be foam-covered in lycra.

Appears in[]

1999-2001[]

The vehicle was repainted a deeper shade of red, and the BIG RED CAR text on the front changed to a thinner typeface, ostensibly a variant of the Arial font. The logos on the sides and front are also visibly different, being brighter in colour and somewhat smaller in size. Around early 2001, the lycra windshield was removed, sometime during the production of Hoop-Dee-Doo it's a Wiggly Party. Around mid-2001, a wire-rod windshield was added, and the following variation of this model would use that. The vehicle with this look could only be in the group's appearances on Neighbours and Ground Force.

Appears in[]

2001-2008[]

In late 2001, the "BIG RED CAR" text was changed to the Daddy O'Hip typeface, and the logo on the right hand side drastically altered in shape. In 2003, the old headlights from the first to second design (Cibie Oscar Plus) were replaced after Whoo Hoo Wiggly Gremlins! with new ones (Narva Halogen), which first appeared in Cold Spaghetti Western.

Around mid-2007, during the Racing to the Rainbow tour's US leg, the car was repainted again, this time to matte red, and the "BIG RED CAR" text was removed completely. The logo on both sides and the front were also replaced by more standard variants. In 2004, the vehicle was transferred over to the USA to be used for every USA tour until the vehicle was officially retired altogether after the Pop Go The Wiggles! tour in 2008.

If still around today, the vehicle is most likely at the Hot Potato Studios storage unit.

Appears in[]

Minor Appearances[]

Third (2004-2011 (video and stage performances)‚ 2011-2013 (secondary))[]

The first model built by Rosemont's & Co. and making its debut in 2004 on the Santa's Rockin' tour, this Big Red Car is visibly longer and rounder than any previous incarnations. This iteration features rounder hubcaps, a yellow windshield, and a back fender, complete with a sculpted-on license plate with WIGGLES printed on it. Additionally, from this iteration onward, the steering wheel is black instead of red. The typeface reading "BIG RED CAR" was initially a variant of Times New Roman (Americana Extra Bold) but was changed to the Wiglet font sometime before Racing to the Rainbow began production.

When Sam became the Yellow Wiggle, an "L plate" (which stands for "Learner") was added to the front for the Racing to the Rainbow Show, referencing that he's the new driver but still learning to drive the car. At some point in 2007, The Wiggles logo on the front drastically shrunk in size, before returning to it's previous size at some point in 2008. In 2011, this car became a photography prop for events, with the engine removed, the steering wheel replaced, and the wheels replaced by wooden copies, with trolley wheels being added.

The vehicle is currently at the Hot Potato Studios storage unit.

Appears in[]

Fourth (2009-2012)[]

The smallest of the Big Red Car designs, this car was the first to utilize left-hand drive (commonly used in North America & Canada). The headlights appear to be non-functional. This model debuted during the North American leg of The Wiggles Go Bananas! Live in Concert tour in July 2009 and for the following tours of Australia and the United States.

With the exception of Surfer Jeff, this vehicle was almost exclusively used in concerts. It was retired after the Getting Strong Live in Concert! tour. As of 2024, its current whereabouts are unknown.

Appears in[]

Fifth (2012-present)[]

The second car to be built by Rosemonts & Co., this version of the car made its debut during the North American leg of The Celebration Tour! in the summer of 2012. The front is more pronounced than the last iteration, and the sides are bigger and longer. And the retracted roof has been recycled from the previous vehicle. This model was also the last car to be driven by the original line-up of The Wiggles. The back of the car has a decal of The Wiggles Logo. Starting with Wiggle Town!, the vehicle was upgraded with black seatbelts, though they would become Wiggle-coloured starting with Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle!.

In 2022, for the Fruit Salad TV Big Show, Tsehay's first tour as the Yellow Wiggle, L plates were placed on the front and side of the vehicle, similar to Sam's first tour as the Yellow Wiggle. In 2023, the vehicle was displayed at South by Southwest Sydney in Darling Harbour for the premiere of the documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles.

The vehicle is currently at the Hot Potato Studios storage unit.

Appears in[]

Non-motorized attraction (2011-2021 (The Wiggles Powerhouse Exhibition) 2022-present (video))[]

BiggerRedCar

The design was recycled from the attraction from The Wiggles Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Like the original plywood design, this version doesn't have a motor. The Fruit Salad TV Wiggles can also fit in this version because the seats were already wider for families to fit in. There are no doors on either car, which has never happened in previous designs. The attraction also already had the steering wheel moved back to the right-hand side of the dashboard.

Appears in[]

Alternate Models[]

Taiwanese Version[]

Fabricated in Taiwan and used exclusively for the first run of The Taiwanese Wiggles. It used a left-hand drive and appeared in every Taiwanese Wiggles video except for Lights, Camera, Action!. The typeface reading "BIG RED CAR" was written in Helvetica font.

Volkswagen Big Red Car[]

Made in partnership with car automaker Volkswagen, this Big Red Car is a "Wiggle-fied" version of a 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Cabriolet. It features The Wiggles Logo on the hood and side doors, the Wiggle-coloured hubcaps that all Big Red Car designs since 1997 have carried, and a yellow sunroof cover. The front license plate reads "BIG RED CAR", while the back license plate reads "The Wiggles". The car was auctioned and sold in December 2012, with all proceeds from the auction going to SIDS and Kids before its sale, and seen parked outside of arenas that The Wiggles would play in at the end of the year in 2011 and 2012.

Following the partnership between BIG4 Holiday Parks and The Wiggles, a new Volkswagen Beetle Big Red Car dubbed the BIG4 Red Car has parked in the South Durras Holiday Park.[4]

Inflatable version[]

Used in the early 2000s and 2014 concerts for the Apples & Bananas Tour. It also appeared on the 1999 edition of Carols in the Domain, as well as the American sitcom, Yes Dear.

Big Red Electric Utility Vehicle[]

Maintanence cart 1

In a unique circumstance where the actual vehicle was unavailable for a performance of the Wiggle Pop! Big Show at the RAC Arena in Perth, this one-off variation saw the Big Red Car take on the form of a Taylor-Dunn electric utility vehicle covered in red duct-tape and cardboard, with The Wiggles logo being printed on A4 paper and taped on the sides and front.

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AQYzpOZ_ZU&ab_channel=allilw79
  2. ↑ https://youtu.be/KPK9ql1s6zE?feature=shared
  3. ↑ https://youtu.be/QDoWuXPxY60
  4. ↑ https://www.big4.com.au/caravan-parks/nsw/south-coast/south-durras-holiday-park/facilities-and-activities/big4-red-car
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