In 1982, two friends, John Linnell and John Flansburgh, founded They Might Be Giants, an alternative rock duo based in Brooklyn, and they have been consistently releasing music ever since. During their long, ongoing career as a performing act, they have become some of the most recognizable voices in pop culture, but most people cannot seem to identify the band. Over time, the band’s name recognition has been mostly lost. Even after hit albums like 1988’s Lincoln, 1990’s Flood, and 1992’s Apollo 18, the general audience cannot place a name on the voices or the band. So why do They Might Be Giants have such recognizable voices yet such little recognition?

The most iconic works by “the Johns” are nothing someone would normally hear on the radio. Since 2006, many children and parents have woken up to the joyful Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show playing on the TV. What does this kids’ program have to do with They Might Be Giants? Both the theme song and the ending theme, “Hot Dog!” are original songs by the band, and have both been stuck in heads all around the world, even after the show’s 2016 cancellation. Another widely iconic work from They Might Be Giants is the band’s infamous 1990 cover of The Four Lads’ 1955 song, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” This cover is a staple of They Might Be Giants’ career, and it has been featured in many pieces of media, including the video game “Just Dance 4” and the Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy.”

They Might Be Giants have appeared on the soundtracks of many TV shows and films throughout their career. Flansburgh gave his voice for “Boss of Me,” the theme song of Fox’s “Malcolm in the Middle” in 2000. Linnell sings the “Other Father Song” from 2009’s critically-acclaimed Coraline. The band also contributes songs and appearances to shows such as “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” “Blue’s Clues,” and “Higglytown Heroes.” They have also been featured in films such as Sky High and Meet the Robinsons. They Might Be Giants wrote fourteen original songs for the 2006 “America Runs on Dunkin” campaign ads from Dunkin Donuts.

Aside from their contributions to television and film, They Might Be Giants has an array of specifically children’s albums. From teaching the alphabet to scientific concepts, the band has created many educational songs that still continue to be played in classrooms around the world. Linnell and Flansburgh famously performed their cover of the song “Why Does the Sun Shine?” on live TV and at live shows in the ‘90s, and they re-recorded it for their 2009 Here Comes Science kids’ album. Their Here Come the 123s kids’ album won the band their first grammy. Even on their main studio albums, there have been many classroom-friendly, educational tracks, most notably “The Mesopotamians” from 2007’s The Else.

After nearly 40 years of making music, They Might Be Giants can should be one of the most recognizable bands for their iconic contributions to TV and film, and their mostly family-friendly discography. John Linnell and John Flansburgh have been getting their songs stuck in people’s heads for decades. After listening to their seventeen main studio albums and their five children’s albums, it is clear that they produce nothing but fun, catchy tunes. And it seems they are not stopping with their upcoming 2021 album, BOOK. Who knows what They Might Be Giants will teach us next?