When Anthony Field and his Wiggles cohorts started their act as a school project nearly 20 years ago, they weren't expecting to one day be named Business Review Weekly's top-earning Australian entertainers.

"We were playing birthday parties for 10 people," Field said during a recent phone conversation. "We never could have imagined it getting so big."

These days, the preschool-geared group--Field, Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt and Sam Moran--is playing much larger venues as it keeps up with an annual tour schedule of 200 shows spread across four continents. Since 2005, the group has performed over 300 shows in the US alone, playing to more than 1.5 million of its American fans.

The quartet's current road work includes an in-progress North American tour that continues tonight (10/28) in Binghamton, NY. (Details are shown at right.)

"The show at the start of the tour and the show at the end of the tour [are] very different," Field said of his group's traveling production, the latest incarnation of which is dubbed " The Wiggles [ tickets ] Go Bananas!" "We get better and better every day we do it. So my favorite part [of touring] is doing the shows and watching them evolve and watching the cast just work together and support each other and make it a better show.

"The downside of touring is being away from home too much," added Field, who has three young children. "That's the only downside. It's a great way to travel the world and meet people. It's fantastic."

Asked if it sometimes is a challenge to put on such an upbeat, child-oriented production when the inevitable bad day occurs offstage, Field said he's always able to separate the two.

"I might be having a really bad day, but it never goes on stage with me. When I get out on stage, it's a whole different thing; you just can't help but be uplifted by the audience ... because, a lot of the kids, it's the first show they've ever been to, and a lot of the parents, it's the first show they've ever taken their children to, and it's a lot of excitement. They've been planning it for a couple of months, maybe, you know? So, if you're having a bad day, it sort of disappears when you get on stage."

Field and Fatt--former bandmates in the '80s-era Aussie act The Cockroaches--formed The Wiggles in 1991 with Cook and former group member Greg Page. At the time, Field, Cook and Page were attending Sydney's Macquarie University, where all three were pursuing degrees in early childhood education. They put their knowledge to use in developing The Wiggles' music, television programs and live productions.

In late 2006, Page retired from the group for health reasons. Filling the void ever since has been former understudy Moran.

"There's a difference there; Sam's voice is different," Field said of adapting to Page's departure. "It's been a real challenge, but ... my little boy has grown up with Sam, because he's only two and Sam's been with us three years now. It's a different type of Wiggles, but I still think it's a very worthwhile Wiggles these days."

Losing Page also created a shift in the group's creative process, as the theatrically trained Moran doesn't share Page's background in early childhood education.

"It used to be Murray, myself and Greg, but now it's just Murray and myself doing the early childhood [input] ... looking over it all and going, 'OK, that's alright for kids,' or, 'Maybe that's not.'

"Sam, to his credit, he comes on with his beautiful singing voice and his theatrical background, so that's more where he is, whereas the early childhood focus, that's Murray and myself, really."

As for Page, Field says the former Wiggle is doing well.

"Greg's great. We saw Greg last week; we all caught up. We got awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Macquarie University. It was really a big thrill. It was all five of us there: Sam and Greg, and Murray, Jeff and myself. So that was great to catch up with Greg and he's doing really well. He's a lot healthier and he's really carrying on. He's been doing a couple of solo shows in Sydney--doing our music for a couple of charity shows. He said it exhausted him, but he enjoyed singing again, so that was good."

Seeing Page pass his yellow skivvy on to Moran inevitably raises the question of whether Field, Cook and Fatt will one day do the same, and keep the group going with new members in their stead.

"We bounce that around, for sure," the 46-year-old Field said. "That'll probably happen in the future sometime, but at the moment, I'm still loving it, and really looking forward to the challenges of putting on better shows and TV and things. But, yeah, down the track, for sure, I reckon I'll hand off the skivvy and try to keep The Wiggles going. But, for now, I'm still enjoying it, myself."

The Wiggles' television program airs in the US every weekday on Sprout. More information about the group--including international tour dates--is available at The Wiggles' website.