Wiggles Wanted in Japan

[Mulboyne]

Telegraph: Japanese Wiggles
POPULAR children's entertainers The Wiggles will expand their multi-million dollar empire next year with a spin-off group in Japan. The four men in skivvies – Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page – will search Japan in 2006 to find like-minded performers to take on the task of Japanese Wiggles. "Next year we will be auditioning for Wiggles in Japan and then filming them down here in Australia," said Wiggles general manager Paul Field. "That is the next big one for us and then we absolutely want to move into Europe"... The five time ARIA winners have already established Wiggle groups in Taiwan and Latin America..."If you are going to be a Wiggle you wouldn't use it as a stepping stone to go from Wiggles to soapie. It has to be what you want to do."

[Taro Toporific]

..."If you are going to be a Wiggle you wouldn't use it as a stepping stone to go from Wiggles to soapie....

I'm sure the Wiggles will make it to a soapie-land here in Japan.

[Mulboyne]

I've just seem an article on the Wiggles where they again mention an upcoming Japanese version so I can only presume they are still on their way.

Here's one guy who compares them unfavourable with manga:

Tezuka was asking "deeply philosophical" questions of a young audience even as far back as the 1950s, when Astro Boy was created. "Whereas in the West today we are left with the Wiggles," Brophy says.