Just when you thought it might be out of your life forever, replaced by the next viral sensation, “Baby Shark” is attacking from a new angle.
Pinkfong and production company Round Room Live announced this week that a “Baby Shark Live!” tour will hit the road this fall, visiting more than 100 North American cities.
Geared toward its youngest fans, the stage show promises “an adventure into the sea,” according to a press release. Classic kids’ songs like “Five Little Monkeys” and “The Wheels on the Bus” make up the setlist, along with new tunes and the inescapable “Baby Shark.”
Pinkfong, the South Korean kids’ entertainment brand that brought “Baby Shark” to the world, isn’t new to the concert-tour game. The company started putting up cute children’s shows like “Pinkfong and Baby Shark in the Winter Wonderland” in Asia a couple of years ago.
This is its first North American jaunt, however. Pinkfong is partnering with an American firm, Round Room Live, to bring the colorful show to new audiences. Executives at Round Room have also produced kids’ tours like “Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!” and “PJ Masks Live!,” so the “Baby Shark” show is likely to be a hit with the littles.
“There’s obviously something incredible there with ‘Baby Shark’ and the toughest part for us is taking the three-minute viral video and being able to produce a live show for the stage,” Round Room co-president Stephen Shaw told Billboard. “Thankfully, Pinkfong has a large catalog of songs that we have access to, with more than 400 titles.”
The roster of cities and dates is yet to be announced — that’s coming on July 9. For now, fans can sign up at babysharklive.com to get the word on tour dates as soon as they’re available. Access to ticket presales and VIP package info is on the way, as well.
So don’t get your baby sharks worked up just yet. We’ve got some time. And if you’re burned out on the shark sensation (as I am), maybe Grandma or Grandpa Shark would like to go instead!
The Origins of Baby Shark
In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s the original video for this amazingly catchy song from Pinkfong! Kids’ Songs & Stories, which has at this point racked up almost three billion views. That’s right. You heard correctly. Give it a few more months and half the planet will have viewed the song!
According to Fatherly, the song started life as a summer camp chant/nursery rhyme, but got traction in 2007 when a German artist calling herself Alemuel performed it as “Kleiner Hai” in a video clip. She recorded a dance version later on, which apparently got to number 25 on the German music charts.
Other versions were recorded, but Pinkfong’s version came out in 2015 and a remix appeared in 2016. In 2018, a viral challenge encouraged celebrities and others to do the “Baby Shark” dance in the U.S. Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden were among the participants.
And then there’s this version, from Sesame Street, called “Cookie Shark”:
In January of 2019, it actually entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #32. The New York Times at the time reported Pinkfong’s numbers that “Baby Shark” has been remixed over 100 times in 11 languages since then.
The Baby Shark Phenomenon
“Baby Shark” has pretty much become a pop culture juggernaut. It’s everywhere, and just when you think you’ve gotten it out of your head, it returns.
The live show is simply the latest iteration. There are“Baby Shark” toys. A TV show is coming to Nickelodeon. That abs challenge was tough. And the covers keep on coming. Did you catch James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” with Celine Dion recently? Yes, she sang quite an epic version.
So, there’s pretty much no escaping this pop culture icon, which has been called “kid catnip.” We can’t argue with that. Looks like we’re just going to have to ride this trend out and see where it leads!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
