KEY POINTS:
They may be millionaires now but the Wiggles were once as hard up as any other young band.
The frugal early days of the successful children's entertainers are now paying dividends for the Australian National Film and Sound Archive, which this week was presented with the group's entire back catalogue of 27 master tapes.
The Wiggles said they felt it was time to preserve what they had created and the catalogue - dating back more than 16 years - is in good condition.
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field said the preservation of the tapes was a result of the band's attempts to save money.
"We had a really low budget in those days and it was more a cost thing, to redo them [tapes] would have been a big cost," he said.
"So they were kept safe and sound."
Jeff Fatt, the Purple Wiggle, added: "It's nice to know that you are being preserved in the archives."
Since their formation in 1991, the Wiggles have grown into one of Australia's biggest exports and are among the country's biggest-earning entertainers. They have sold more than 20 million CDs and DVDs and won many industry awards.
Red Wiggle Murray Cook said the key to the band's success was that they loved their work. "It was something we loved doing and we did it for the right reasons, so that's why we've been successful," he said.
But they had never lost sight of their beginnings. "Anthony and I talk about this quite often but we never lose track of where we came from," Cook said.
"Just the fact that it was something that we did as a hobby and it became our lives - we realise how fortunate we are."
Another original member, Yellow Wiggle Greg Page, was forced to retire last year due to illness and has been replaced by understudy Sam Moran.
- AAP
