‘Baby Shark Dance’ Becomes First Youtube Video To Hit 10 Billion Views

Released in June 2016, the video went viral the following year. It has since spawned films, a Nickelodeon series, a stage musical, interactive games, and merchandise aplenty. This is the only franchise we know of that has inspired both non-fungible tokens and fishing tackle.

Pinkfong was originally an arm of kids’ entertainment brand Smartstudy, which changed its name to The Pinkfong Company this week. “Founded as a startup offering children’s educational services, The Pinkfong Company has evolved into the home of iconic IPs including its flagship franchise Baby Shark,” said a press release.

But while “Baby Shark Dance” and other Pinkfong content belongs to the company, the underlying song comes from folk tradition — it is thought to be a summer-camp song — and appears to be in the public domain. Other kids’ Youtube channels, such as Cocomelon, have jumped on the bandwagon with their own “Baby Shark” videos.

Kids’ animation is a major force on Youtube, accounting for six of the ten most-viewed videos on the site. The most popular animation channels are overwhelmingly aimed at children.