How baby shark built pinkfong’s empire

When South Korean company SmartStudy uploaded a simple 90-second children’s song to YouTube in June 2016, few people could have imagined that it would become a worldwide sensation.

The company now known as The Pinkfong Company, created the “Baby Shark” video which later became the most-watched video in YouTube history.

It has now crossed more than 16 billion views.

The company recently made another big move as its shares began trading on the Korea Exchange.  The stock rose by more than 9% at the start of trading. At the listing ceremony, CEO Kim Min-seok celebrated by playing a traditional drum while the company’s Baby Shark mascot stood beside him.

SmartStudy was founded in 2010 with only three employees. According to Kim the first office was so small that the company struggled financially during its early months.

It later focused on creating simple, educational and interactive content for children. That was when the idea for Baby Shark began to take shape.

In 2022, the company changed its name to The Pinkfong Company inspired by its popular cartoon character, Pinkfong Fox.  Today it has more than 340 employees and offices in cities including Los Angeles, Tokyo and Shanghai.

The Baby Shark melody was inspired by an old American camp song from the 1970s. Pinkfong gave it a faster beat simple lyrics and easy dance moves that children could quickly learn.

The song did not become an instant hit.  However after its dance moves appeared in children’s programs across Southeast Asia social media users began sharing their own videos. The trend quickly spread around the world.

Baby Shark soon became a major source of income for the company.  Toys animated shows licensing deals and live performances helped turn the song into a much bigger entertainment brand.

The company also faced a copyright dispute in 2019 when an American composer accused it of copying his melody. Pinkfong argued that the song was based on a traditional folk tune. South Korea’s Supreme Court eventually ruled in the company’s favor removing a major legal concern ahead of its public listing.

Today Baby Shark still contributes around 25% of the company’s revenue.  However Pinkfong’s newer franchise, Bebefinn, has grown even faster and now accounts for more than 40% of revenue. The company says it is working on new characters films and digital content to reduce its dependence on one hit song.  It also plans to explore artificial intelligence and use audience data to create content that better matches children’s interests.

Many parents praise Pinkfong for making educational content fun and engaging while others feel some of its songs are too energetic. Still Baby Shark remains a familiar part of children’s birthday parties school events and family entertainment around the world.