If you have kids or have been around children in the last couple of years, you have probably found yourself humming the infamous earworm known as “Baby Shark.” Now, the Viacom kids brand and the song’s mastermind SmartStudy’s Pinkfong are preparing to turn the YouTube viral sensation into a television series for Nickelodeon. The preschool animated series will also come with a host of consumer products featuring Baby Shark, with Viacom managing the license worldwide, excluding Asia.
After its launch in November 2015, the video was an immediate success, due to its bright, colorful characters, catchy melody, and live-action preschool dancers pantomiming the moves that go with each verse.
“With music, characters, story, and dance all combined together, ‘Baby Shark’ took the world by storm, amassing 2.9 billion YouTube views and becoming the ninth most-watched video in the platform’s history,” Nickelodeon said. It also had an impressive 20-week streak on the Billboard Hot 100 list along with #BabySharkChallenge, which launched more than 700,000 cover videos worldwide.
Pam Kaufman, president of Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, said, “Our outstanding creative teams are moving fast to get more ‘Baby Shark’ product across multiple categories to retailers, and our content team is excited to develop a terrific original animated series that will bring this property to new heights and even more fans.”
With the recent premiere of another YouTube-based show for the network, Ryan’s Mystery Playdate starring Ryan from Ryan ToysReview, Nickelodeon has made it a point to seek out fresh content from a variety of platforms. After “Baby Shark” it would be interesting to see what the network grabs next.
“‘Baby Shark’ has captured the imagination of millions of fans around the world, so it’s no surprise it’s one of the top 10 most-viewed videos on YouTube ever,” said Ramsey Naito, executive VP, Nickelodeon Animation. “At the heart of any popular piece of content is a terrific character, and we have a great opportunity to further explore the world of Baby Shark and follow this family through some great animated adventures on Nickelodeon.”
If the song isn’t already stuck in your head after reading this, take a listen. You’re welcome.
