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‘Baby Shark’ Driving You Crazy? Its Creator Warns Penguins Are Next

  • Korean company behind viral jingle plans more videos this year
  • Success builds on country’s emergence as entertainment hub
Bloomberg business news
When K-pop met kids: where Baby Shark creators looked to for inspiration.Source: Bloomberg TicToc
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"Baby Shark (Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo)" is the YouTube sensation that’s been viewed more than 2 billion times and made the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a second-straight week. The jingle has also become such an earworm that late-night-show host Jimmy Kimmel proposed throwing those responsible in jail for life.

Love or hate it, the South Korean company behind the one-and-a-half minute song about a family of sharks is now seeking to capitalize on the success by expanding its kid-oriented entertainment business. Seoul-based SmartStudy Co.’s Pinkfong is planning to release short videos via Netflix Inc., a cartoon series and a musical in North America this year, one of the company’s founders said in an interview this week. The startup, which has recently signed various merchandising deals, may also develop games that work with Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Home voice assistants, he said.