Australian children’s music group The Wiggles have issued a statement after being featured in a TikTok video alongside a song alluding to drug use.
The video was shared by the musician Keli Holiday, real name Adam Hyde, and was soundtracked to the singer’s recent single “Ecstasy”, which contains allusions to the popular party drug MDMA.
In the since-deleted clip, filmed at the TikTok Awards this month, Wiggles star Anthony Field (also known as the Blue Wiggle) and Dominic Field (known as the Wiggles’ Tree of Wisdom) can be seen dancing to the song.
The Wiggles, who create music aimed at young children, issued a statement denouncing the video, saying it had been created “without our knowledge”.
“We understand that a video circulating on social media has caused concern for many parents and professionals, and we want to address that directly,” a spokesperson for the group told The West Australian.
“The Wiggles do not support or condone the use of drugs in any form. The content being shared was not created or approved by us, and we have asked for it to be removed. While Keli Holiday (Adam Hyde) is a friend of The Wiggles, the video and the music added to it were created independently and without our knowledge.”
They went on to state that their performances to the TikTok Awards had been “family-friendly and fun”, and that the video in question had been “edited together separately and without our awareness”.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Hyde for comment.
It’s not the first time that the Wiggles have faced criticism over their association with a song.
A clip from 2014 of the Wiggles singing “The Pappadum Song” resurfaced in 2020, and prompted accusations of cultural insensitivity.
“I wrote the song, and directed the clip in 2014 (which was meant as a celebration),” he wrote on X, then known as Twitter.
“It was not my intention to be culturally insensitive to the Indian community, or to add value to ethnic stereotyping,” Field continued. “Apologies.”
The song in question featured the Wiggles singing the word “pappadum” on repeat, while an Indian performer danced silently alongside them.
The Wiggles formed in 1991, and went on to become one of the most famous and successful children’s entertainment groups in history. They have sold over 23 million DVDs and 7 million CDs throughout their career.
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