There is more than one band with this name. (1) The Hippos were a third wave ska-punk band from Southern California. Unlike other typical bands of the genre, The Hippos employed heavy use of a Moog synthesizer. The Hippos’s first full album release was Forget the World, released in 1996. Interestingly, many of the songs on Forget The World were written when Ariel Rechstaid, the band’s primary songwriter, was only 15 years old. This album employed traditional ska-punk songwriting, including upbeat tempos and heavy brass instrumentation. Additionally, various percussion instruments were used, such as bongos and wood blocks. The next .