Emma Watkins is a singer, dancer and actor who rose to fame as the first female Wiggle. Having debuted her new character, Emma Memma, in 2022, she will be appearing in the 2022 Legomaster Bricksmas Specials.

First things first: do people still call you Emma Wiggle, and how angry does that make you?
(laughs) No, it’s mostly, “EMMAAA!” It’s very cute. And I think because children know me as Emma anyway, it’s basically the same for them. “EMMA!”

Is it hard, though, for you, in that you’re not a Wiggle anymore, you’re doing other things, but people are always going to identify you with the skivvy?
I think I’m grateful for it. Really it’s how I met so many people and so many children, and it’s the reason why they connected with “EMMA!” Because they know me from the Wiggles. So I’m really grateful.

Before you were a Wiggle, back in the days when you were trying to get your big break, did you always foresee yourself as entertaining children?
Definitely not entertaining children, but I was teaching dance, so because I was teaching jazz ballet and tap to six-year-olds for years, it was pretty much always my favourite age group, and I was always nominated to teach that age group at my dance school. So when I finally got my audition for the Wiggles I was like, that seems pretty suited to me. Because the call was ‘a ballet-dancing fairy’, and I thought yeah I can do that, that’s right up my alley. Just before that I’d auditioned for Rock of Ages and obviously didn’t get that.

That’s not obvious to me – I can see you belting out Pour Some Sugar On Me.
I think I sang Hit Me With Your Best Shot for the audition, and it clearly didn’t go down well. And that’s OK. I do remember the musical director saying to me, “Why did you choose that song? It doesn’t show your range.” And I said, “I don’t have a range. That’s why I chose it.“

But you did get the part in the Wiggles, because obviously there’s something about you that connects with the young generation.
I never auditioned to be a Wiggle, either – at the time I was just so excited to be part of the show, which didn’t even involve the Wiggles. I was in a Dorothy show, like a side show. So I was like, nailed it! And then when I got asked to do the Wiggles show as a Wiggly Dancer, I was like, that’s it, this is my dream come true, this is ridiculous, I never thought I would have this role. So as things went on they became more and more wondrous, because I never expected this really.

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It’s nice that the Wiggles have that career path there. It’s like going from the mailroom to the boardroom. You start out in the side circuit with Dorothy, then you move up to a Wiggly Dancer, and then eventually if you put in the hours you get the skivvy.
And I think at the time, when our lineup was introduced, that kind of pathway probably wasn’t there. When we took on board that new adventure, it was a shock to everybody, because it was like, “No! It needs to be the same!” Whereas now, the fact that it’s ever-changing and evolving is a beautiful thing. Not just for children, but for the company itself.

Tell me about the moment when you did step up to the big league, and became a Wiggle.
Once I’d auditioned for Rock of Ages, which obviously clarified that I didn’t have a great range, when Anthony asked me to be a Wiggle, I had to stipulate, “I can’t sing”. Because at the time, traditionally, the Yellow Wiggle was known as the lead singer. I said, I just want to stipulate, I won’t be able to lead the group. Especially with people like Lachie and Simon, who are ultimately some of the best singers this country has.