Party

Yummy Yummy For the non-Australians out there, the Wiggles are a quartet of male songbirds reminiscent of the Monkees, but aimed at the Barney-watching set. The Down Under foursome sings about mashed bananas and hot potatoes, dances with the energy of fitness instructors, and makes mild attempts at being educational. (Three of the four met while studying early childhood education.) Their stab at multiculturalism results in the Jewish song "Havenu Shalom Alachem." Joining them are a big green dinosaur named Dorothy (seem familiar?), Henry the giant purple octopus, Wags the Dog, and a man in a pirate suit called Captain Feathersword. The songs are catchy, the dancing vigorous, and the outfits colorful approximations of the uniforms worn by the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. A couple of the haircuts look like they might have been acquired on the spaceship as well. The 15-song video runs 33 minutes long and claims to be appropriate for ages 1-8, but will most likely appeal to preschoolers and kindergartners. --Kimberly Heinrichs Dance Party The Wiggles, that wacky outfit wowing kids from Down Under, welcome preschoolers for a lively, loopy musical fiesta on their sixth release, Dance Party. In addition to Murray, Greg, Jeff, and Anthony, Oz's answer to the Fab Four, chiming in on this 15-song charmer of a dance- and sing-along are the usual wiggly suspects--Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog, Captain Feathersword, and the remarkably light-on-her-feet hostess of the party, Dorothy the Dinosaur. Along with all the fancy footwork, expect the frenetic pace of all Wiggles offerings (nobody's attention span is apt to be challenged by a 15-segment, 40-minute video), but also expect a less polished production than in previous titles. The gang's unfamiliar hair styles and other telltale clues bear the trappings of an early performance. Which in no way dilutes the fun-for-all delirium. In fact, the goofier-than-ever gags and graceful child dance troupes featured on a couple of numbers here propel this tape into top-shelf Wiggles territory. Songs include "Can You Point Your Fingers and Do the Twist?," "Wags the Dog," "Five Little Joeys," "Di Dicki Do Dum," "I'm a Cow," "Do the Flap," "On Your Holiday," "Hat on My Head," "The Magic Bag," "Brown Girl in the Ring," "Georgia's Song," "Our Boat Is Rocking on the Sea," "Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo," "Dorothy's Dance Party," and "The Big Red Car." --Tammy La Gorce