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Library/Music/Baby Shark Dance
Grade A21 sourcesHIS-01471

Baby Shark Dance

Music · 2016 · Viral

67Editable slideCertificate

Pinkfong reported 17.2 billion views for YouTube's most watched video.

Original · Pinkfong
Baby Shark Dance | #babyshark Most Viewed Video | Animal Songs | PINKFONG Songs for Children
Baby Shark - Pinkfong Kids’ Songs & Stories on YouTube
A decade of doo doo doo: How Baby Shark swam across the globe on YouTube
YouTube
‘Baby Shark’ is being turned into a cereal, doo doo doo doo doo doo | CNN Business
CNN
Baby Shark becomes first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views
Guinness World Records
Baby Shark merajai dunia maya dengan Baby Shark Challenge
ANTARA

Spread Score

How it works
Reach100Contagion45Breadth80Velocity12Longevity6967

Numbers

Seed video only; top ten derivatives uncounted, Aug 2026
17.2B
As of Aug 20, 2026 · YouTube · Self-reported · The Pinkfong Company
Observed peak date
Week of Oct 2, 2018
Jun 17 ’16 to Week of Oct 2, 2018
Platforms
7
Started on YouTube
Origin
Seeded
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • ChallengePrimary
  • Sound or audio meme
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Pinkfong's dance video spread through Indonesia's challenge and TikTok. Wikipedia attention peaked in autumn 2018 within the measured window; US chart entry and toys followed. It became YouTube's most watched video in November 2020.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia viewsJul ’15Apr ’16May ’17Mar ’18OctMar ’19AugJul ’20Aug ’21Jan ’23Aug ’24Oct ’25Observed peakYouTubeOpen webTikTokPressRetailAudioApp stores
YouTubeOpen webTikTokPressRetailAudioApp stores

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. November 2015

    Pinkfong precursor · Nov 2015

    Pinkfong released an animated Baby Shark video before the version with child dancers.[1][2]

    A decade of doo doo doo: How Baby Shark swam across the globe on YouTube
    Open the first post ↗

  2. June 2016

    Pinkfong seed · Jun 17 ’16

    Pinkfong uploaded Baby Shark Dance, featuring two children and an animated shark family.[3][2]

    Baby Shark Dance | #babyshark Most Viewed Video | Animal Songs | PINKFONG Songs for Children

  3. August 2017

    Indonesian participants platform jump · Aug 2017

    Indonesian fans uploaded dance videos under #BabySharkChallenge across social platforms.[4]

    Baby Shark merajai dunia maya dengan Baby Shark Challenge

  1. platform jump · 2018

  2. press · Aug 31 ’18

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Why it worked

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Origin
Seeded
Sector
Entertainment
Region
KR
Seed video only; top ten derivatives uncounted, Aug 2026
17.2B
As of Aug 20, 2026 · YouTube · Self-reported · The Pinkfong Company
Evidence
Grade A

Spread the same way

Music · Audio · 202161

Fancy Like

Walker Hayes

Hayes’s camp reported over 202,500 TikTok fan videos using “Fancy Like”.

4.3B impressions

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How the next thing spread, the week it does.