The Wiggles want to make one thing very clear: they do not condone the use of MDMA.
After two of its members appeared in a controversial TikTok video, the group – which has entertained children around the world for decades – issued a statement over the weekend denying any suggestion it was endorsing drug use.
It came after controversy over a video clip of Australian singer Kelly Holiday’s song Ecstasy, which includes the lyrics: “Hey girl, dance with me/You and your pockets are full of ecstasy”.
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Holiday posted a TikTok video last week featuring “Blue Wiggle,” Anthony Field and his nephew Dominic Field, known as Tree of Wisdom, dancing behind the singer as the song plays.
The video was dropped by Holiday, the musical alias of Adam Hyde, who is also a member of the electronic music duo Peking Duk.
Fields’ appearance in the video was criticized online and by two child psychologists, who told The West Australian that it was a complete “lapse of judgement”.
But the Wiggles said they had no idea that footage of their dancing with Holiday, recorded during last week’s TikTok Awards in Sydney, where they also performed with the singer, would be used in this way.
A spokesperson for the Wiggles said the group understands the video has caused concern for many parents and professionals.
“The Wiggles does not endorse or condone the use of drugs in any form,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The content being shared was not created or approved by us, and we have asked for it to be removed.
“While Kelly Holiday (Adam Hyde) is a friend of The Wiggles, the video and the music added to it were made independently and without our knowledge”.
The spokesperson said that the Wiggles’ performance at the TikTok Awards was family-friendly and fun, and that the videos were edited together separately and without their awareness.
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