In a 2011 interview with the Independent, the original members of the Wiggles were asked about whether there were plans to pack it in and enjoy a well-earned retirement. Jeff Fatt, a.k.a. the purple Wiggle, said there were "no plans for us to retire just yet," adding, "We may not be as young as we once were, but we do keep fit."

The following year, however, Fatt and two of the other Wiggles were singing a different tune. According to a 2012 report from Australia's ABC News, Fatt and fellow Wiggles Greg Page and Murray Cook announced they were indeed retiring. They also announced that The Wiggles would continue without them; Anthony Field would remain as the blue Wiggle, but the other slots in the group would be passed on to new, younger performers.

That same report also announced that newcomers Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie, and Simon Pryce had been "handpicked by the group" to be, respectively, the new yellow, purple, and red Wiggles.