In 2016, Kim Min-seok gave the green light for Pinkfong to publish a catchy 90-second clip of a children's song, Baby Shark. Little did he know it would become a global phenomenon, with over 16 billion views on YouTube and becoming the most watched video ever. The tune, which repeats "Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo," is attributed to being "attractive for children, though possibly annoying for adults" by media analyst Kevin Chew.
According to Pinkfong's CEO, Kim Min-seok, the company didn't expect it to stand out from other content. However, after its dance routine was featured at children's events in South East Asia and videos of kids dancing to the song started spreading online, the clip went viral. The Pinkfong office saw a "festival-like feeling" as viewing numbers soared.
Pinkfong went public on the South Korean stock market, with shares rising over 9% on debut, valuing the company at over $400m. Founded in 2010 as SmartStudy, it made digital content for children up to 12 years of age and had just three employees initially. The firm has since grown to around 340 employees with offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Los Angeles.
The Baby Shark song is believed to have originated in the US in the 1970s at children's summer camps. Its catchy tune is compared to a "K-pop song" by Pinkfong CEO Kim Min-seok. The company argues its version of the song was derived from a folk song in the public domain and won a legal case against an American composer.
Pinkfong faces pressure to prove its success beyond Baby Shark, with its other franchises like Bebefinn growing fast but not as quickly as expected. However, CEO Kim insists his business can grow beyond the iconic tune, currently accounting for about a quarter of revenue.
According to Pinkfong's CEO, Kim Min-seok, the company didn't expect it to stand out from other content. However, after its dance routine was featured at children's events in South East Asia and videos of kids dancing to the song started spreading online, the clip went viral. The Pinkfong office saw a "festival-like feeling" as viewing numbers soared.
Pinkfong went public on the South Korean stock market, with shares rising over 9% on debut, valuing the company at over $400m. Founded in 2010 as SmartStudy, it made digital content for children up to 12 years of age and had just three employees initially. The firm has since grown to around 340 employees with offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Los Angeles.
The Baby Shark song is believed to have originated in the US in the 1970s at children's summer camps. Its catchy tune is compared to a "K-pop song" by Pinkfong CEO Kim Min-seok. The company argues its version of the song was derived from a folk song in the public domain and won a legal case against an American composer.
Pinkfong faces pressure to prove its success beyond Baby Shark, with its other franchises like Bebefinn growing fast but not as quickly as expected. However, CEO Kim insists his business can grow beyond the iconic tune, currently accounting for about a quarter of revenue.
I cant even believe Baby Shark is 9 yrs old now!!! It's crazy to think that one little video went viral and turned into this empire 
The song is literally stuck in my head 24/7 lol 
but I guess it's also super catchy for kids! 
I'm not surprised the company went public, those shares must have risen so fast 
! But now they need to prove Baby Shark isn't their only thing, otherwise they'll be like "oh wait we're just a one-hit wonder" 
16 billion views on YouTube is just crazy! I mean, I love kids' songs and all, but that's insane. And it's not like Baby Shark is even a new song - apparently it originated in the US back in the 70s 
. But seriously, Pinkfong's CEO says their version was inspired by a folk song in public domain... sounds legit to me 
. I'm intrigued that they went viral after just being featured at kids' events and online videos of kids dancing started spreading - it's like the internet just fell in love with Baby Shark 
! Now, I know some people might find it annoying for adults 
, but 9% share price increase on debut is pretty wild 
. Good luck to them trying to grow beyond that iconic tune though - they'll need it 
I gotta say, it's wild to think about how one 90-second clip went from being an unknown children's song to a global phenomenon 
. The numbers are insane - 16 billion views on YouTube and all that! 
It just goes to show you how viral content can take off in an instant.
, and then Pinkfong came along and turned it into this massive hit. The K-pop comparison isn't far off either - that catchy tune is definitely infectious! 
.
. And let's not forget about the value of that debut stock market performance - $400m is no joke! On one hand, you've got to give credit to Pinkfong for taking a risk on something as silly as a children's song and turning it into a global phenomenon 
. But on the other hand, we need to be critical of their business model and whether they can sustain growth beyond that initial success