Rolling Stone AU/NZ Declares 2022 ‘Year Of The Wiggles’

August 31, 2022 - The Wiggles, as you’ve never seen them before! If every decade has a trend, the Twenties have been hit with an injection of Nostalgia. Everything old is new again. It’s why — at least in part — The Wiggles have punctured pop culture. But how did they do it?

As the past and present collide, an outbreak of nostalgia has birthed a new generation of skivvy worshipers — with a contemporary twist. Lil Nas X wants to collaborate with them. Hollywood A-lister Steve Carell wants to join them. And hitmaker The Kid LAROI surprised his fans in June with a “Toot, Toot, Chugga Chugga” rendezvous (“This next guest is the f*cking Wiggles!”).

The next issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ, featuring multi-award-winners The Wiggles on a history-making cover, hits newsstands in Australia and New Zealand this Monday, September 5.

When the cover was revealed in July, it made global headlines. Despite being a mainstay for three decades, it’s the group’s first time to be anointed by Rolling Stone. Yellow Wiggle, Tsehay Hawkins, is also now the youngest person to ever appear on the cover of Rolling Stone AU/NZ.

The Wiggles granted Rolling Stone AU/NZ print editor, Jake Challenor, unprecedented access to their recent sold-out Australian arena tour and to their Hot Potato Studios in Sydney, as they worked on new music, rehearsed a brand new TV show, and made a viral video with Minions.

The 12-page cover story, featuring exclusive images, is a colourful take on a record-breaking two years for The Wiggles. It began with a mashup of “Fruit Salad” and Tame Impala’s “Elephant” (that topped triple j’s Hottest 100 in January), followed by the addition of Hawkins as the group’s first woman of colour, and a spectacular sold-out tour with all original members.

Rolling Stone AU/NZ print editor, Jake Challenor, said: “Just like Rolling Stone, The Wiggles have stood the test of time. Here is a band that, for three decades, has entertained and inspired future generations,” he said. “The last two years have been some of their best in history. The Wiggles are more relevant than ever, which is exactly why pop culture icons like Lil Nas X and The Kid Laroi are embracing them. Without a doubt, 2022 is officially the Year of The Wiggles.”

The September-November edition — which includes a Wiggles-themed adult colouring book — hits newsstands in Australia and New Zealand on Monday, September 5, 2022. Also appearing in the next issue are interviews with musicians Ben Lee, Eddie Benjamin and Teeks, plus Twitch streamer Whippy, and features on the climate crisis, niche influencers and much more.

Last year Rolling Stone Australia expanded its brand with the inaugural Sailor Jerry Rolling Stone Australia Awards, now in its second year, and, according to Roy Morgan data on the national magazine market, Rolling Stone Australia reached 191,000 readers in the six months to December 31 2021, ahead of staple Australian mastheads Golf Digest, Family Circle and Who. This year The Brag Media also announced the inaugural Rolling Stone New Zealand Awards.

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