When Pinkfong uploaded a short, 90-second children’s song in June 2016, the South Korean start-up had little idea it was about to create one of the world’s most recognisable cultural exports. Baby Shark — the relentlessly catchy tune that delighted toddlers and wearied adults — went on to rack up more than 1600 crore views, becoming YouTube’s most-watched video of all time. It also transformed Pinkfong into a global media business valued at more than $400 million.
On Tuesday, that unlikely journey reached a milestone as the Seoul-based firm made its stock market debut, with shares rising more than 9%. “We didn’t expect it to stand out from our other content,” chief executive Kim Min-seok told the BBC. “Looking back, it became a major turning point for our global journey.”
Founded in 2010 as SmartStudy, the company was started by Kim and co-founder and CTO Dongwoo Son with just three employees and almost no expectations of drawing a salary. The early focus was digital content for children up to 12, but several strategic pivots — including a shift towards toddlers and simpler educational content — eventually shaped the company’s identity. The name Pinkfong, adopted in 2022, comes from a cheerful fox in one of its early cartoons.
Today, the company has more than 340 employees and offices in Tokyo, Shanghai and Los Angeles. Yet nothing in its catalogue has matched the phenomenon that was Baby Shark. Originally a US campfire tune from the 1970s, Pinkfong’s fast-paced, chant-like version struck the perfect balance of child-friendly repetition and K-pop energy. Its dance routine spread rapidly at children’s events across South East Asia, sparking a viral explosion online. For a period after its release, the clip generated nearly half the company’s revenue.
Pinkfong has also weathered controversy. In 2019, an American composer accused the firm of plagiarism, but South Korea’s Supreme Court dismissed the claim, noting the song’s folk origins. The legal victory helped strengthen investor confidence ahead of the firm’s IPO.
The challenge now is to prove Pinkfong is more than a one-hit wonder. While Baby Shark still contributes about a quarter of revenue, franchises such as Bebefinn and Sealook are expanding swiftly. Bebefinn alone accounts for roughly 40 percent of earnings.
With nearly $52m raised from its listing, Pinkfong plans to invest in new characters, films and data-driven content. The company has already achieved what most creators can only dream of — but must now persuade the market it can repeat the magic.