Love it or hate it, “Baby Shark Dance” is a cultural force to be reckoned with: The modern kids’ classic has marched past 10 billion views on YouTube, cementing its status as the platform’s most-viewed video of all time.
That means that “Baby Shark Dance,” first released in 2016, has been viewed on average nearly 1.3 times by every person on Earth, based on recent world population estimates.
The video, with its earworm-y “doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo” refrain, surpassed “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee in November 2020 to capture the crown as the most-viewed video on YouTube. “Despacito” remains in the No. 2 spot with 7.7 billion views to date.
In addition to the viral #BabySharkChallenge, which spawned contributions from stars like Cardi B and Josh Groban, the song has swept music charts: It notched a 20-week streak on Billboard’s Hot 100 and achieving certifying RIAA Diamond (11x Platinum) status.
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Riding the wave of its internet popularity, Baby Shark has spread its fins into new ventures including a TV animated series on Nickelodeon, a special on Netflix, a global merchandise licensing program, live tours, interactive games and NFTs.
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“Baby Shark’s Big Show!”, the preschool series co-produced with Nickelodeon Animation Studio, rolled out internationally in 2021 and has been greenlit for a second season. In addition, a feature film sequel is in the works to “Pinkfong and Baby Shark’s Space Adventure,” the singalong special that hit the No. 5 spot on Netflix’s Top 10 most-viewed list in the U.S.
On Monday, the South Korea-based company behind “Baby Shark Dance” officially changed its name from SmartStudy to the Pinkfong Co. Founded as a startup offering children’s educational services, Pinkfong “has evolved into the home of iconic [intellectual properties] including its flagship franchise Baby Shark,” the company said in announcing the change.
“We are delighted to announce that our beloved Baby Shark has recorded another remarkable milestone,” Pinkfong CEO Min-seok Kim said in a statement. “It has been a truly meaningful journey to witness how Baby Shark has connected people around the world and we can’t wait to introduce Baby Shark’s further adventures that will bring unparalleled experiences to even more fans everywhere.”
In addition to doubling down on Baby Shark, Pinkfong also has greenlit its first-ever digital comics and novels series, “Moon Shark,” co-produced with M Story Hub, which depicts teenage romance with a hint of fantasy accompanied by K-pop and EDM-inspired songs. The company also is developing a 2D animated series featuring a dinosaur family as well as a 3D animated show depicting the dynamic daily life of human characters.
According to Pinkfong, its YouTube channels in aggregate have 90 million subscribers and 50 billion views to date. The company has produced more than 5,000 songs and stories in 20 languages.