In the history of children’s entertainment, few fads have made a splash quite like “Baby Shark.” This infectious ditty has propelled the South Korean company behind it, Pinkfong, into a global entertainment juggernaut. Founded by Kim Min-seok, Pinkfong published a 90-second clip of the song in June 2016, unknowingly setting off a viral trend that would result in over 16 billion views on YouTube, making it the most-watched video on the platform.
Pinkfong was originally launched from a small office space. At that point, it had just three staff members, including Kim Min-seok and Chief Technology Officer Dongwoo Son. The company began with very basic roots. Today, it has expanded, both in the variety of its projects and size, employing over 340 staff across its offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Los Angeles. Even as the company experiences a Manseong Hall-worthy second wave of success, Kim Min-seok looks back on those formative years with a wistful eye.
We didn’t expect it to be something that would become a big hit compared to other assets that we produce, though,” he explained.
“Baby Shark” was created in the United States—dating back to the 1970s. It was one that children would sing at summer camp, instilling important memories and concepts well into adulthood. Pinkfong’s version gained significant traction in Southeast Asia after being featured at children’s events, leveraging an engaging dance routine that captivated young audiences.
Pinkfong’s ride hasn’t been without its bumps. In 2019, the company made headlines again when it was sued for allegedly copying a piece by an American composer. Though not mentioned in the suit, Pinkfong has 300 songs on its YouTube channel. They claimed that Pinkfong’s version was derived from a folk song in the public domain. This decision not only vindicated Pinkfong but paved its path to the digital entertainment hall of fame.
At the time, Hansoo Kim Min-seok recognized how important of a moment that was in the future company’s history. Yet in retrospect, it turned out to be a very significant inflection point that created the conditions for our international travels,” he said.
After Pinkfong’s meteoric success, Korea instituted some deep changes. The new direction saw the company shifting its focus primarily to toddlers, developing fun and entertaining learning-based games and content. The company has since exceeded its original vision of producing music videos and is looking to further diversify its business. Even with “Baby Shark” making up for around 25% of its revenue, Kim Min-seok is still bullish about the longer potential of Pinkfong’s reach.
“It’s like a K-pop song. It’s very fast-paced, rhythmical and it’s addictive,” he described the song’s appeal.
In early 2022, the company rolled out a new rebranding initiative. They permanently changed their name to Pinkfong, taking their new moniker from a happy, friendly fox character in one of their original animated series. This move demonstrates Pinkfong’s ongoing dedication to inspiring creativity and new fruit-themed adventures in their preschool fanbase.
As part of its new expansion strategy, Pinkfong recently pulled in almost $52 million when it went public on the Korean stock exchange. The money will double the number of films and their characters. This move goes further and bolder than just stepping beyond viral music content. With goals aimed toward the moon, Kim Min-seok believes that Pinkfong is poised to grow beyond the limits established by “Baby Shark.”