Parry Gripp

Anything might provide the spark for an ultra-catchy song by Parry Gripp, whether it’s a cat flushing a toilet or a particularly great burrito. Born in 1967 in Santa Barbara, California, the singer and multi-instrumentalist formed the unabashedly nerdy rock band Nerf Herder (named for an obscure Star Wars reference) in 1994, before starting to release children’s music on his own in 2005. Gripp has provided theme songs for several animated TV shows, and his zippy 2012 tune “Raining Tacos” has gone viral multiple times, inspiring both a mobile game and a sing-along picture book. It’s easy to see why: His songs are short, upbeat, silly, and instantly indelible, inviting us to imagine riding a llama or a surfing a guacamole tsunami with a shared sense of joy.