Career start is far from wobbly for Christchurch group | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Christchurch kids' group The Wobbles has cracked the American market.

The four-person and one-dog band that targets six to 12-year-olds has had its remake of the traditional festive favourite Snoopy's Christmas included in Radio Disney's Christmas playlist.

Band member Aaron Keown, a former Christchurch mayoral candidate who also goes by the name Aaron Wobble, said the song's inclusion in the playlist was fantastic and he hoped it was a sign of even bigger and better things to come.

"As far as I know, Radio Disney is the world's largest children's network. It's broadcast right across the United States and has millions of listeners," he said.

The band recorded the single and then sent it to the station for consideration. "They played it on 'thrash it or trash it' and it got on to the playlist," Keown said. Here in New Zealand the song is at number 70 on the national charts and has had spot play on numerous stations.

The remake has a dance beat, male voice and female chorus. The group has been together for one year and is made up of Keown, former Shortland St star Roy Snow, Mel Rattray, Kelley Young and furry friend Sammy the Samoyed.

They headlined the Teddy Bear's picnic in Christchurch last year and will again on February 13.

Children are encouraged to join in their performances and taught to sing and dance. "We're an interactive group. Our performances and everything we do is never one-dimensional," the father-of-one said.

They hope to meet with as much success as their Australian counterparts, The Wiggles.

Other projects on the horizon include making a CD, book and T-shirts ? all of which will be designed for children to get involved. "It will be a colour-in CD and the book will have half-finished pictures so the kids have to colour in the rest. And the T-shirts will come with paints to decorate up," Keown said.

The group would also like to have their own television programme and will pursue that dream this year.