From three kids to a $400 million company, “Baby Shark Pinkfong” and its viral journey to the South Korean stock market

A simple nursery rhyme that went viral, racking up over 1.6 billion views, catapulted Pinkfong from a three-person startup to a publicly traded media giant. Baby Shark's success also paved the way for a new franchise, Bebefinn.

On November 19, 2568, BBC News reported that when Kim Min-seok decided to approve the release of the 90-second children's song clip in June 2559. He had no idea that the clip would become a global phenomenon. The song was Baby shark The song captivated children and haunted adults around the world, and became the most viewed video in YouTube history with over 1.6 billion views.

This seemingly ordinary song turned out to be a turning point that catapulted Pinkfong into a multi-billion dollar media company.

Pinkfong was founded in 2010 as SmartStudy with just three employees at the start. including Kim Min Seok Dongwoo Son The company's CTO, Kim, said: “The office was so small that at that time we didn’t even expect a salary.” The company later changed direction, focusing on young children, adapting the content to games and simpler learning media. That's when Baby Shark was born.

In 2565, the company changed its name to The Pinkfong Company Named after the cartoon pink fox character, Pinkfong currently has over 340 employees and offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Los Angeles. On November 19, 2568, Pinkfong debuted on the South Korean stock exchange, with shares jumping more than 9% on its first day, valuing the company at over $400 million.

The song "Baby Shark" is believed to have originated in the United States in the 1970s and was sung at children's camps. Kim attributes the song's success to several factors, including its fast-paced K-pop beat, catchy chant-like sound, and, most importantly, its easy-to-remember nature, which adults won't forget!

The song wasn't a hit at first, but it went viral when a dance clip was released at a children's event in Southeast Asia, and quickly spread around the world. In 2563, it became the most-viewed video on YouTube. Baby Shark's revenue accounted for half of the company's revenue in the years after its launch, and it has since spawned merchandise, shows and content.

In 2562, Pinkfong was accused of plagiarizing a song from an American composer, but the South Korean Supreme Court ruled the song was in the public domain, and Pinkfong won the case, boosting investor confidence ahead of its IPO.

While Baby Shark still makes up more than 25% of the company's revenue, Pinkfong is building new franchises like Bebefinn and Sealook. Bebefinn already surpasses Baby Shark, accounting for about 40% of the company's revenue. But experts caution that Pinkfong still has to prove it's sustainable, not just a music company. The company raised $52 million in its IPO to expand its content, films and new characters.

Kim confirmed that his next goal is to become a technology-driven content producer, using viewership and behavioral data to develop future content.

refer : bbc.com

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