Pinkfong Baby Shark Swims to Nickelodeon for Animated Series, Licensing

Nickelodeon and SmartStudy will partner with Pinkfong to develop a new original animated series based on Baby Shark., while Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products (VNCP) will manage consumer products licensing worldwide, excluding Asia, for the property. The deal was made public at Licensing Expo, currently taking place in Las Vegas.

“Baby Shark is a multiplatform phenomenon, and appetite for more content and products is strong around the world,” says Pam Kaufman, president of VNCP. “Our outstanding creative teams are moving fast to get more Baby Shark product across multiple categories to retailers, and our content team is excited to develop a terrific original animated series that will bring this property to new heights and even more fans.”

Originally hitting YouTube in November 2015, Baby Shark quickly became a viral sensation, spawning a brand that continues to grow. The single had a 20-week run on the Billboard Hot 100, and the #BabySharkChallenge generated more than 700,000 cover videos from fans around the globe.

“Baby Shark has captured the imagination of millions of fans around the world, so it’s no surprise it’s one of the top 10 most-viewed videos on YouTube ever,” says Ramsey Naito, EVP of Nickelodeon Animation. “At the heart of any popular piece of content is a terrific character, and we have a great opportunity to further explore the world of Baby Shark and follow this family through some great animated adventures on Nickelodeon.”

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.