IT'S A WIGGLES WORLD FOR WEE ONES.

Byline: Anissa V. Rivera Staff Writer

Hot potato, you say?

You know you're a parent of a preschooler if the mere mention of the edible root sets you off into song.

Cue the Wiggles, the Australian children's entertainment group that has millions of parents and children singing and dancing to tunes such as ``Hot Potato,'' ``Fruit Salad'' and ``Rock A Bye Your Bear.''

Murray Cook, Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field and Greg Page, collectively known as the Wiggles, visit Los Angeles this Wednesday and Thursday.

Musicians and former preschool teachers, these four Australians are bona fide superstars in the preschool world. Last year they performed in front of more than 1 million fans in the U.S. and Australia, including 12 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden's Theatre in New York City.

Wiggles videos and audios have sold more than 14 million copies. And the Wiggles - stars of their own top-rated series on Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney programming block - are ranked as the No. 2 Top Kids' Audio Artist of the Year by Billboard magazine. (Kidz Bop, which releases CDs featuring kids and and adults re-recording pop hits, was No. 1.)

Why do preschoolers adore these four Australians in red, yellow, blue and purple shirts?

``I think a lot of it has to do with our background. With Anthony and Greg and I being teachers, we learned a lot about talking to children,'' said Cook, the red Wiggle.

Wiggle friends include a green dinosaur who loves roses, a friendly pirate, a happy dog and a musical octopus. ``Part of it, too, is the music is really catchy - and children respond to the fact that we're having fun,'' Cook said. ``We genuinely like what we do, and we don't talk down to the children. We include them in things, and there's the chemistry there.''

Just ask this mom.

My child was only 9 months old when I noticed how intently he watched the Wiggles on TV. When they sang ``Fruit salad, yummy, yummy,'' Joseph gurgled. When they shouted, ``Wake up, Jeff!'' to the ever-slumbering purple Wiggle, he laughed.

The Wiggles have been a part of our family ever since.

Joseph learned his colors with the Aussies. And at the ripe old age of 2, he still says, ``This bus is yellow like Greg,'' or ``blue like Anthony.''

He has learned about sharing and manners, he knows what a kookaburra is, and his vocabulary includes phrases like, ``Beauty, mate!'' (That means ``great'' Down Under.) As for all the jumping and dancing he does in front of the TV? Even his mother has gotten a lot of exercise with the wiggly ones.

The Wiggles are also a great conversation opener with other parents of young children, who strike up instant friendships with other parents so Wiggly-inclined.

Lead singer Page, also known as the yellow Wiggle, said they deliberately make things fun and easy for parents and children alike.

``We have a test,'' he said. ``If we can't do it, the kids won't be able to do it either.''

The Wiggles are children of the '60s, and they draw on their own cultural references, like the Monkees and the ``Get Smart'' TV series. This could be one reason their tunes are popular with parents who refuse to sing another Barney song.

``The response we get from parents is it doesn't drive them too crazy,'' Cook said.

The lyrics are a breeze. For ``Hot Potato,'' you sing, ``hot potato,'' ``cold spaghetti'' and ``mashed banana'' over and over, and since these are action songs, mind you, you stay awake.

Since recording their first album 12 years ago, the Wiggles have expanded their domain to include toys, stationery, party supplies, bedding and even fruit snacks and yogurt. There's even a musical toy made to look like, you guessed it, a hot potato.

Since three of the Wiggles are married with children, they limit their tours to three months out of the year, playing usually here in the U.S., New Zealand and some parts of Asia.

``We always say if we ever stop enjoying it, that will be the time to end,'' Cook said. ``But we just really love it, and we love having such a great audience wanting to join in and have fun.''

THE WIGGLES

Where: Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.

When: 3 and 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Tickets: $15 to $30. [phone]. or ticketmaster.com.