If you were a child of the ‘90s and ‘00s, you most likely listened to the children’s music group The Wiggles at least a few times. With such timeless hits as “Hot Potato” and “Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car,” the Wiggles became icons up there with Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues in terms of preschool-aged entertainment.
However, you may be surprised to hear that the Wiggles have yet to go away, and are still a group after all these years. Though, the lineup that kids watch today are definitely a lot different. Plus, with the original Wiggles fans being a lot older now, we’re seeing a lot more than just their silly dance moves and costumes. Maybe that’s why Purple Wiggle John Pearce is getting a lot more attention from adult fans than the kids. Or maybe it’s because he’s attractive and his fitness videos on TikTok are going viral. But how exactly did Pearce join the Wiggles, and why is the Internet ready to rip that purple skivvy off of him?
Donning the purple shirt
Originally, the role of Purple Wiggle belonged to Jeff Fatt when the group was formed in 1991. Fatt remained with the group until he retired in 2012, alongside other original Wiggles Murray Cook and Greg Page. Fatt had heart surgery the year prior and was given a pacemaker, so he cited his health as the main cause of his retirement. When he left the group in 2012, the purple skivvy was then passed on to Lachlan Gillespie.
But in 2021, the Wiggles added 4 new performers to the troupe, all donning the same colors as the main four performers. The addition was meant to encourage diversity and gender inclusion within the musical group. These 4 singers were designated as “supporting members,” meant to sub in when one of the leads was unable to perform, while also participating in exclusive web-only Wiggles content. These four members were Evie Farris as the Yellow Wiggle, Caterina Mete as the Red Wiggle, Lucia Field (original Blue Wiggle Anthony Field’s daughter) as the Blue Wiggle, and Pearce as the Purple Wiggle.
Appearing as “Big Strong John”, Pearce’s Wiggle persona takes focus on health and exercise, encouraging the young audience to be fit and eat right. While parents praised the inclusion of Pearce for his promotion of healthy habits, his appearance thanks to those healthy habits is something parents are also a fan of. Especially parents attracted to men with muscles and tattoos.
“Was not expecting that kind of Wiggle”
John Pearce is 32 years old. For those who know how to do math, this means he was born the same year the Wiggles were formed. Most of the people who grew up watching the Wiggles are also in their early ‘30s or late ‘20s, and in many cases have kids of their own that are the perfect age to start tuning into the Wiggles. So as parents started to watch new Wiggles content and got a glimpse of just how bulked up Pearce was, naturally they started following him on social media. Then suddenly, Pearce was the newest obsession for TikTok to thirst over.
If you glance through Pearce’s TikTok page, it’s clear to see he enjoys posting content featuring his work outs as well as making content about being a Wiggle. However, if you read the comments on said videos, the viewers are looking at a lot more than his dance moves or technique during push-ups. No matter if they’re people who grew up with the Wiggles or parents discovering the group through their children, it seems like Pearce has a variety of different people ogling him digitally.
Whether it be jokes about how they’re “bringing my Chucky doll as my child” to one of the shows or if someone’s “allowed to just sit and watch” his workouts, the Internet’s thirst for the Purple Wiggle is strong. So strong even, that Pearce addressed his status as TikTok’s obsession earlier this year during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“I’m just making fun, quirky content that I enjoy and the people around me enjoy, and just keeping it Wiggly, keeping it myself.”
– John Pearce, Purple Wiggle
Sounds like he’s taking a similar approach to Pedro Pascal when it comes to thirst tweets, and that’s probably for the best. Pearce is happily married to his wife Jessie of 4 years, and she is regularly featured on his social media. So TikTok, make sure you thirst Pearce from a distance, as he unfortunately is already off the market.
Published: Sep 15, 2023 03:52 pm