The things we do for kids!
My friends were polarised – half understood why we would drive to Hobart to stand in a queue for almost two hours to meet Jimy Giggle (the human half ofABC for Kids Giggle & Hoot duo) and the other half had no idea what I was talking about!
It was Jimmy Giggle’s only visit to Tasmania (Hoot was having an owl nap) on this meet and greet tour, so Hobart’s Centerpoint shopping centre was packed with 0-6 year olds and their parents and grandparents. A queue of kids, prams and adults snaked through the stage area, food court, up the ramp and along the top level outside Chickenfeed.
But we weren’t the only ones who travelled so far to see the kids’ TV star. The family behind us were also from Launceston and another family left their home in Devonport at 4.30am to make sure they made it on time. They got to the end of the queue a bit late and the over-zealous woman from centre management said they couldn’t join. They decided to watch proceedings from the seats in the middle of the food court where they could see everyone else having photos taken, but the kids were devastated so we let them jump in front of us (ignoring the disapproving look from Ms Centre Management). We couldn’t let them miss out!
The queue was very long, so ABC Shop staff entertained the patiently-waiting kids with kangaroo and wombat footprint stamps along their arms and ABC tattoos. Our boys loved them.
Cheepa Chicken from Chickenfeed paid a visit to entertain the crowd, and you can see the view from the ramp when we’d moved a few metres after 20 minutes or so.
Jimmy Giggle gave each child a few minutes and signed pyjamas, Hoot toys, posters and postcards and posed for so many photos.
After nearly two hours it was out turn and Noah and Ethan were so impressed when Jimmy signed their Gigglemobile poster and a postcard for each of them. He also high-fived both boys, so they left grinning. The wait was worth it.
