Baby Shark Is Now Most Viewed YouTube Video Ever

If you've been on the Internet in recent years, odds are that you've gotten "Baby Shark" stuck in your head at least once. The children's song has taken on a whole new life in recent years, with the Pinkfong iteration of the song sparking countless earworms, as well as tie-in merchandise, an upcoming TV series, and more. According to a new report, the original video has now crossed a whole new milestone. CNN reported on Monday that the video has now become the most viewed video ever on YouTube, with over 7.04 billion views on the platform. This milestone passes the previous video to hold the prize, the music video for Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito".

While "Baby Shark" arguably began as a campfire song decades ago, the version recorded by South Korean educational brand Pinkfong has been gaining a whole new sort of notoriety since it first hit YouTube in November of 2016.

"We took a fresh twist and recreated on a traditional singalong chant by adding upbeat rhythms and fresh melody." Seunghyun Kevin Yoon, the marketing manager of Pinkfong's parent company, SmartStudy, recently explained to CBC Radio. We have a team of content creators based in South Korea that plans and directs the design, choreography, storyboarding and localization of Pinkfong's content."

The song even briefly hit the Billboard Top 100 chart back in 2019, debuting at #32 in the overall list.

The world of "Baby Shark" is now headed to Nickelodeon, with a 2D animated series that will "follow Baby Shark and his best friend William as they journey on fun-filled comedic adventures in their community of Carnivore Cove, meet new friends and sing original catchy tunes along the way." The series is expected to debut this December with a holiday special, before hitting Nickelodeon's preschool platforms in the spring of 2021.

"Having the opportunity to dive deeper into this incredible world and create all-new storylines has been extremely exciting, and our head of preschool Eryk Casemiro and his team can't wait to help grow the Baby Shark universe and fanbase with an amazing new series that captures the heart and spirit of this beloved property," Ramsey Naito, executive vice president of Nickelodeon Animation production and development, said in a statement.

What do you think of "Baby Shark" becoming the most-viewed video on YouTube? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!