In 2016, Korean entertainment group Pinkfong popularized the song “Baby Shark,” a catchy (but somewhat unbearable) tune that has attracted billions of views and millions of dollars.
At the time, the song beat Despacito from the top spot and now has five billion more views than the reggaetón hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.
And while many have tried to escape the tune, many more have failed as the song is now the most viewed YouTube video of all time.
In January 2022, it made history as the first video to reach 10 billion views, and as of last month, 13 billion viewers have played the repetitive do-do-do-do-do over and over again.
Korean entertainment group Pinkfong popularized the song “Baby Shark,” a catchy tune that has attracted billions of views and millions of dollars
Over the past few years, Baby Shark has become a global phenomenon, sparking an online dance craze with millions of parents and children trying the “Baby Shark Dance.”
According to a report by Bonus InsiderThe original ‘Baby Shark Dance’ rakes in around $283,000 each month for its creators – based on the 150 million views it receives.
The data estimates that the video brought in $22 million from views alone, and Pinkfong Company will likely benefit from it for years to come.
The song has more than twice as many views as Ed Sheeran’s pop songs “Shape of You” and Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” featuring Charlie Puth. The latter received 5.68 billion and the former only just took the lead with 5.8 billion.
Its popularity has not come without competition and in fact five of the top 10 most popular YouTube videos are aimed at children.
In third place is ‘Johny Johny Yes Papa’, an English nursery rhyme uploaded by LooLoo kids, which has 6.7 billion views and an estimated revenue of $12 million.
Baby Shark Dethrones Luis Fonsi And Daddy Yankee’s ‘Despacito’ As The Most Viewed Video On The Platform
Wiz Khalifa’s ‘See You Again’ Is Currently The 5th Most Viewed YouTube Video With 5.9 Billion Views
Further down the list is Cocomelon Nursery Rhymes’ “Bath Song,” which saw 5.71 billion views and $11 million, followed not too far by ChuChu TV’s “Phonics Song with Two Words,” which saw a total of $5.4 billion. views and $9 saw million in revenue.
It seems that the market for YouTube has changed in recent years as viewers shift their interest towards in-your-head tunes, primarily aimed at children.
This marks a drastic change from previously billion-watched music videos, such as Gun N’ Roses’ November Rain, which was confirmed to be the first video older than YouTube itself to reach one billion views in July 2018.
Meanwhile, Korean pop singer Psy’s “Gangnam Style” holds the title of the first-ever video to pass the milestone in 2013.
Just six months after the track was released, the global phenomenon broke the record and has yet to make it off the list of most viewed YouTube videos, firmly at number 10 with 4.59 million views.
In 2022, the Pinkfong company announced a partnership with Toekenz Collectibles, creating their own interactive game.
Pinkfong has continued to post catchy nursery rhymes to their YouTube account, expanding their Baby Shark franchise, as well as providing thousands of other nursery rhymes and stories.
Over the past few years, Baby Shark has become a global phenomenon, sparking an online dance craze with millions of parents and children trying the ‘Baby Shark Dance’
They have their own animated TV series, ‘Pinkfong Wonderstar’ and ‘Pinkfong Baby Shark Brooklyn’ and fans can even enjoy live shows in many Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Singapore.
It has become a marvel of consumerism, with everything from toys, clothes and books on the shelves.
At the time, Bin Joeong, CEO of Pinkfong USA, said in a statement, “We are excited to partner with Toekenz to share this experience with families.”
“Parents and kids will have fun together customizing their Baby Shark avatars and learning about trading digital assets while playing original games.”