Zoog / Blog / Why is Baby Shark so Popular?

Have you ever wondered how Baby Shark became Baby Shark? This viral sensation has taken the internet by storm. Since its debut, it has become one of the most viral and children’s beloved songs worldwide.

What is so unique about Baby Shark that it became a viral phenomenon in such a short time.

The history of baby Shark is a phenomenon in itself too. It goes back to when a New York-based children’s entertainer, Johnny Only, a DJ at a kid’s camp, started playing it. The counselors would perform the song with the campers with improvised hand gestures going through each verse.

He noticed that the campers were particularly engaged and happy when Baby Shark was performed, so he released his own version when he became a full-time children’s entertainer.

But no one knew that this children’s favorite would see another massive wave of fame and virality. He released it in 2011, five years before the next global phenomenon of the same song hit the market.

If you’re a parent of a five or six year old, there’s no way you haven’t heard this song. You know the song, the lyrics, and how happy it makes your kid. You have played it on rotation. Even if you’re not a parent, you still know the song because it was and is a viral sensation.

We meet a family of sharks with an upbeat K-pop style beat “Baby shark, doo doo doo doo doo”. It seems simple and you think to yourself what’s so unique about it but it never leaves your mind and that is what is so unique about this children’s poem.

A parent or not, we are sure you’re one of the more than 15 billion people who have either watched the video released by Korean children’s entertainment brand Pinkfong in 2016 or you have seen it trending on social media platforms. It became a global sensation and took over the internet by storm quite literally. People were making videos for the #Babysharkchallenge hashtag and posting it on their special media accounts.

Not just this, “Baby Shark” has been performed by top K-pop artists, showcased on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and covered by celebrities like Josh Groban, Sophie Turner, and James Corden on The Late Late Show. It has also gained attention from social media stars such as Cardi B and Kendall Jenner.

YouTube’s Most Watched Video As of 2024, it is YouTube’s most-watched video that shows the song’s global virality. It’s very difficult for a piece of content to survive on the internet for almost a decade but Baby Shark did this with its simple, repetitive, and catchy lyrics. It still is a children’s favorite song to perform to and this is what we have seen on Zoog.

It’s a fan favorite on our app and is loved by children and grandparents. Grandparents get requests to perform to Baby Shark and their grandkids love it.

The Zoog version is special in its own way as it shows grandparents imitating the different characters of the song. Children love it because it adds a touch of familiarity and love. It becomes a special memory for every kid as it’s not just some cartoons performing the song but their own grandparents.

Are you looking for an app to record children’s songs for your grandkids? Install the Zoog app now and perform your grandkid’s favorite songs.

Baby Shark isn’t just another children’s song that is famous. It has been noted that the song helps children with early age language development because of its repetitiveness and simple language.

It engages both auditory and visual sense of a child helping him learn simple words while enjoying appealing visuals. Adults question the appeal of the song and it sounds dumb to them but it doesn’t to kids.

When we grow up, we give up on our ability to enjoy the repetitive nature of something and are quick to term it as “boring”. Children love songs that are simple in language because they are easy to remember and sing afterward.

Remember the time we used to memorize full songs to sing later at school? That’s exactly how these songs work.

There’s tons of content available online these days. Parents are constantly trying to monitor what their kids are watching and if the content and language is children friendly. It’s very hard to monitor your children with content.

It’s important to help children watch content that will help their brain and personality development. We are what we see and hear after all. If your kids are watching violent content, they will consider it right. You might have hear parents complaining about kids abusing but do you wonder from where did they pick up the specific slur? It’s either from their home, school or online.

Children are what gets feed into them. They are unaware that you can use your hand to slap someone until or unless they see someone doing it. This is what it’s important to regulate content consumption. Baby shark does a great with lyrics and visuals because both the lyrics and visuals are clean of any abuse or objectionable thing. This is another reason why the song is viral among children and their parents.

Baby Shark seems very simple on the surface. It’s just some words playing on a loop but only when you dissect it, you know how simplicity can be the best trick sometimes. You don’t have to make something complicated for it to become a household name.

If this sounds interesting, we have news for you. You can make the song even more engaging for your kids and grandkids with the Zoog app. Surprise your grandkids with a special performance to Baby Shark.