Four Aussies, the Wiggles, Are Goofy and Entertaining

Video

“Hoop-Dee-Doo! It’s a Wiggly Party.” The Wiggles. HIT Entertainment. VHS, $15; DVD, $20; music cassette, $7; CD, $11. Ages 1 to 8.

Greg, Jeff, Anthony and Murray, the four Aussies who, as the Wiggles, are the mega-stars of Australian kids’ TV and kids’ music, return with another of their wildly staged musical romps. As goofy as they look in their 1960s lettermen-style pullovers and black slacks, that goofiness, paired with the quartet’s seemingly inexhaustible energy, pulls viewers into a colorful world of jokes and banter, short animations, loads of real kids to watch, skits, costumed characters and music, music, music.

Every choreographed and fully staged number is an invitation to viewers to bop along to folk songs and original tunes--where else can kids learn to “Move Like an Emu”?

The costumed characters--Dorothy, a demure dinosaur; Wags the Dog; and Henry the Octopus--are kid-pleasers, too, although a little Captain Feathersword, played by an actor who mugs up a storm in lacy pirate shirt and eye patch, goes a long way. Love the vest with magic buttons, though.

*

“Sheira & Loli’s Dittydoodle Works: Ditties for Little Kiddies, Vol. 1,” Rogar Studios. VHS, $13; cassette, $9; CD, $12. 44 minutes. Ages 1 to 6. (800) 99DITTY.

This modest edutainment for preschoolers is actually a 22-minute video that repeats itself, and that might be a bit more manufactured fun than parents can take in one sitting. Inoffensive, sprightly songs with worthy messages aside--”Be What You Wanna Be,” “Change Your Mind”--the show’s characters lack charm and the breathless pace is a little wearing.

Sheira and Loli, the rag doll twins, are played by actors in bodysuits wearing enormous doll heads that never change expression; their “Funkins” friends are two pink and blue, googly-eyed creatures with lolling pink tongues--more bodysuit costumes--while another regular, Professor Eeky Eeky Kronk, a very large man with incongruous gray curls and a doctor’s lab coat, capers about with a toothy grin.

The best thing about the video is the way it brings children into the mix for a few knock-knock jokes and musical numbers.

Audio

“One Little Sound, Fun With Phonics and Numbers.” Hap Palmer. Hap-Pal Music. CD, $14; cassette, $10. (818) 885-0200. www.happal mer.com

How many “chunks” do you hear in “Chipmunk”? “What can you knock that starts with D?” Hap Palmer proves again why he is one of the best educational music-makers in the country in this ear-pleasing, think-along, sing-along release. Breaking words like “Chickadee and Chipmunk” into “chunks” helps young listeners understand the concept of syllables; sounding out letters is the key to a “Secret Word” song; and listeners “Bounce” through initial consonants.

Other tracks lead the way through recognizing vowel sounds consonant blends, and concepts of simple subtraction and addition. Vocals and instrumentals in jazz, folk and pop styles are top-notch. A guide with lyrics and learning activities is included.

Musical Note: Children’s recording artist Ralph Covert, who has earned a national following for his “Ralph’s World” CDs--his newest release is the all-ages-pleasing “At the Bottom of the Sea”--will appear in concert at Storyopolis, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Plaza Level, Suite A, L.A., on Saturday at noon.

Children, $10; adults, free. (310) 358-2500.