'Baby Shark' TV Series Coming Soon From Nickelodeon

After topping the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year, the "Baby Shark" sensation isn't yet done with its viral fame. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nickelodeon is developing an animated series based on "Baby Shark."

The outlet reports that Viacom's Nickelodeon has partnered with Pinkfong, the South Korean entertainment company whose YouTube video helped first kickstart the song's viral fame, to develop an animated series for preschoolers for global distribution.

"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," Ramsey Naito, executive vp, Nickelodeon Animation, said. "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."

In addition to the TV series, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products will reportedly manage consumer products licensing worldwide, excluding Asia, for the property.

"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," Pam Kaufman, president, Viacom Nickelodeon Consumer Products, said.

Launching on YouTube in November of 2015, SmartStudy's Pinkfong brand then posted the popular updated version in June 2016, which has seen more than 2.8 billion views, and has since created over 100 versions in 11 languages.

In 2018, Ellen DeGeneres got in on the fun with a viral recreation of the song, which is targeted towards children. James Corden also recorded a piano version of the hit, and Kylie Jenner has mentioned the song multiple times on social media and even had a live performance of the song at daughter Stormi Webster's first birthday.

In January of 2019, "Baby Shark" added yet another item to its accolade when it debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, ranking higher than Lil Wayne's "Uproar," with the "Baby Shark Dance" having been streamed 20.8 million times that week.

The "Baby Shark" TV series joins a number of other preschool series at the network, with Nickelodeon recently ordering new seasons of PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Abby Hatcher, and Butterbean's Café.

The series will also join the recently-debuted Ryan's Mystery Playdate, which stars toy-reviewing YouTube star Ryan from Ryan ToysReview.