The Wiggles’ Hottest 100 win was a hot potato on Twitter
The Wiggles taking out triple j Hottest 100 wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but it certainly had socials running hot.
The colourful kids’ entertainers scooped the grand prize in triple j’s annual countdown on Saturday (Jan. 22) and it won Twitter as conversations on The Wiggles blew up by 675 percent on the day, new data reveals.
Based on data shared today (Jan. 24) by Twitter reps, the top hashtags used in these conversations were #hottest100, #TheWiggles, #triplej, #TheWigglesForHottest100 and #wiggles, respectively.
Naturally, tweets on the skivvy-sporting performers spiked between 7-8pm as the Hottest 100 reached its crescendo, with ‘Stay’ by The Kid LAROI featuring Justin Bieber and ‘Lots of Nothing’ by Spacey Jane nabbing podium spots.
The Like a Version rendition of Tame Impala’s Lonerism classic was a boilover which broke the mould in several ways. It was the first time a cover had won the Hottest 100, and the first ever appearance of The Wiggles, who on this occasion banded together with a dream-team lineup.
Watch The Wiggles cover Tame Impala’s ‘Elephant’:
The result was a surprise for many (a bad joke for some), but it wasn’t a fluke.
In the lead-up to the big show, Nicholas Whyte’s Warm Tunas accurately predicted that the ‘Elephant’ LAV would top the countdown.
How so? By analysing social media posts related to the poll, albeit studying just a tiny sample of the 2.5 million-plus votes cast this time.
The Wiggles, who’ve made millions from their syndicated TV shows, by filling arenas around the globe, selling merch and of course, their songs, which include ‘Hot Potato,’ ‘Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car’ and ‘Fruit Salad,’ are celebrating their 30th anniversary.
Since forming in Sydney back in the early 1990s, the outfit has sold more than 30 million albums and DVDs worldwide, and their TV shows are broadcast in more than 100 countries.
Late last year, The Wiggles signed with Universal Music Publishing Group for their first exclusive, global publishing deal.
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.