Baby Shark: How a 90-Second Video Grew Into a $400 Million Empire

When Kim Min-seok approved the publication of a 90-second children’s song in 2016, he had no idea it would become a global sensation. Pinkfong’s Baby Shark has since amassed more than 16 billion views, making it YouTube’s most-watched video and transforming the company into a media business valued at more than $400m.

Pinkfong, founded in 2010 as SmartStudy with just three employees, shifted its focus over time toward toddler-friendly educational content. That pivot led to the creation of Baby Shark. Its catchy, fast-paced tune and simple dance routine helped it spread through children’s events in Southeast Asia before going viral worldwide. The song eventually generated roughly half the company’s revenue and sparked a wide range of new content and merchandise.

The company weathered a plagiarism lawsuit in 2019, which South Korea’s Supreme Court rejected, affirming that the tune was based on a public-domain folk song. By 2025, Pinkfong went public on the South Korean stock market, its shares rising more than 9% on debut and raising nearly $52m.

Pinkfong is now working to show it can move beyond its breakout hit. While Baby Shark still contributes about a quarter of its revenue, newer franchises like Bebefinn are expanding quickly. The company plans to invest in more films, characters and data-driven content as it seeks to prove it’s more than a one-hit wonder.