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This is the second part in a three part series on The Wiggles, why they’re so successful, and why I hate them. Part 1 went up yesterday, and part 3 will follow tomorrow.

Reasons 3, 4, and 5 why The Wiggles are so successful.

3) They consistently deliver.

Kids love repetition and predictability. This is why they can watch the same cartoons and movies over and over again. The predictability is comforting. The Wiggles know that, and they deliver. By the time we were back from Florida, I was pretty sure The Wiggles actually only perform 5, maybe 6, different songs. They just do them over and over again, in different styles. Their supporting cast has their selection of songs they do from show to show. It’s all part of the repetition.

The kids know when they watch The Wiggles what they’ll get. The same four guys wear the same clothes and tell the same jokes, the pirate guy (oh, yeah, there’s a pirate guy: Captain Feathersword) will be the same dope, there will will be a few songs, at least one animation, and a number from a Wiggles concert. Every time.

Consistently deliver the goods.

4) They surround themselves with talent.

The show isn’t just the four guys doing all the work. They have help. Beside the aforementioned Captain Feathersword, they have a large supporting cast of performers who sing and dance and run the skits.

But that’s just the obvious help. There are animators doing the cartoons, effects techs doing driving sequences, songwriters, lighting crews working the concerts, stage hands making sure all the props get where they need to be… A Wiggles show is a major undertaking, but when you see it, it runs like a well-oiled machine. That doesn’t happen by luck.

Surround yourself with talented help. This will also help you with reason 5.

5) They delegate what they don’t do well.

How many small business people—especially freelancers—do you know who try to do everything themselves? That’s just asking for trouble, because it guarantees some stuff will get done badly. Early on, The Wiggles “recognised that further growth and development of The Wiggles required formal business management.” They did not create a worldwide children’s entertainment empire all by themselves, or even by using people who did the leg work for their plans. Not knowing how to expand globally, they hired someone who did. They paid out their own pockets to hire this person but, hey, 50,000,000 AUD in 2006, remember? Good investment!

Plus, as business grows, trying to everything yourself will get to be impossible, and trying will just put you on the fast track to heart failure.

If you need to get someone else to get the job done right, get them.

Tomorrow, the conclusion. And a suggestion for improvement that will never happen.

I’ll wrap up the series tomorrow with the last 2 reasons The Wiggles are hugely successful, and I’ll top it off with a suggestion for improvement that doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance. And don’t forget Casual Friday on, um, Friday!

(So, what do you think? What’s driven the success of four guys who used to do kids’ birthday parties and mall openings? Share your thoughts in the comments!)