In a rather unexpected turn of events on the popular children's show "The Wiggles", a rather unusual incident took place. An American mother, known by the handle @thefinalrebrand on TikTok, found herself in stitches as the cast of the Australia-based show engaged in a rather shocking behavior. Lanchy Wiggle, played by actor Lachlan Gillespie, along with Caterina Mete and Tsehay Hawkins, were seen performing the song "Where Is Thumbkin" with a rather unexpected twist. As Gillespie sang "Where is tall finger? Where is tall finger?", the performers lifted and flicked their middle fingers at each other in a rather blatant display. This gesture, which lasted for several seconds while Gillespie continued with the lyrics "How are you today friend? Very well, thank you. Run away. Run away.", left viewers both amused and questioning.

Social Media Reactions

The TikTokker, in her caption, humorously stated, "Welp, this got my attention." As she laughed throughout the clip, she replayed the video and zoomed in on Hawkins, the singer wearing a yellow shirt and sunflower headband. She captioned, "This was personal." The clip showed Hawkins smiling directly into the camera and making eye contact as she aimed her middle finger right at the lens, seemingly giggling as Gillespie sang "Run away. Run away." Social media commenters were quick to react. One person commented, "Wiggles just flipped us off." Another wrote, "Listen, I get it, but also, who thought this would go well?" There was also a debate about whether the gesture was a cultural clash or if the producers knew it could be considered inappropriate. One user questioned if the middle finger carried the same meaning in Australia, where the show is filmed, as opposed to the United States, debating if the gesture was intentional or a result of cultural differences.

Background on "The Wiggles"

The original children's show "The Wiggles" started in 1993 and has since had a series of spinoffs like "Wiggle and Learn," "Ready Steady, Wiggle" and other specials featuring brand new songs and "interpretations of the classics," according to producers. This isn't the first time the show has had adults wondering if there were hidden jokes aimed at them. For example, when the show released a song about bouncing balls and another when they released the song "Last Christmas" which had characters sing as former "lovers", which one Reddit user believed would have been "unthinkable" in the past.

Similar Incidents in Real Life

Social media users also pointed out how odd it was that they called it the "tall" finger instead of the "middle" finger. People debated if the gesture was a cultural clash or if the producers knew it could be considered inappropriate. @ thefinalrebrand/TikTok. One user questioned if the middle finger carried the same meaning in Australia, where the show is filmed, as opposed to the United States, debating if the gesture was intentional or cultural differences. Others suggested that kids in Australia see songs like this performed often. My mom was a pre-school teacher and the kids performed this. They flipped everyone off," someone commented. This isn't the first time the show had adults wondering if there were hidden jokes aimed at them. An example would be when the show released a song about bouncing balls and another when they released the song "Last Christmas" which had characters sing as former "lovers" which one Reddit user believed would have been "unthinkable" in the past.

Website vs. On-Air Discrepancy

Interestingly, the show doesn't feature this middle finger performance in the nursery rhyme montage for preschool and kindergarten kids on the direct website despite it making air. This raises questions about the intended audience and the decision to include such content on the show. It seems that there is a clear distinction between what is shown on television and what is available on the official website.