Baby Shark is already an internet sensation with a cereal brand, and its helping folks keep their hands clean during the coronavirus pandemic. Now it’s headed to television. Nickelodeon announced last week that it had ordered a Baby Shark television series to series. Nickelodeon first revealed the series was in development in 2019. It is now operating under the working title of Baby Shark’s Big Show! The series is aimed at preschoolers and is co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and SmartStudy, the global entertainment company whose other brands include Pinkfong. Baby Shark’s Big Show! will be a 2D-animated series. Nickelodeon ordered 26 half-hour episodes. Those episodes 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.”
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“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,” said Ramsey Naito, executive vice president of Nickelodeon Animation production and development, said in a statement.
Nickelodeon plans to debut Baby Shark’s Big Show! with a holiday special in December. The series will then roll out across Nickelodeon’s preschool platforms in spring 2021. Following the show’s debut in the United States, the series will spread out onto the Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels in international markets. In addition to Nickelodeon and SmartStudy’s partnership to produce the show itself, ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) manages consumer product licensing worldwide, excluding China, Korea, and Southeast Asia, for the Baby Shark property.
Baby Shark launched on YouTube in November 2015. Since then, viewers have watched the video 5.7 billion times, making it the second most-watched video in YouTube history. The video combined music, characters, story, and dance to become a global sensation. The song went on a 20-week-streak on the Billboard Hot 100, which led to the viral #BabySharkChallenge, generating over 1 million cover videos around the globe.
Gary “Doodles” DiRaffaele (Breadwinners) and Tommy Sica (Breadwinners) are executive producers of Baby Shark’s Big Show!, with Whitney Ralls (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls) serving as co-executive producer. Nickelodeon Animation Studio produces the series in Burbank, California, with production overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool.
