Baby Shark, the catchy children rhyme song, has just surpassed Despacito as the number one most-watched video of all time on YouTube.
As of this writing, Baby Shark has amassed over 7.04 billion views than Luis Fonsi Latin pop hit's 7.03 billion.
Unfortunately, the growing popularity of Baby Shark also generates some haters along the way. The video has 10 million dislikes and 22 million likes, and Pinkfong, the video's uploader, has turned off the comment section.
As the BBC reported, the South Korean educational company has made $5.2m from YouTube streams alone.
"Pinkfong's Baby Shark is very trendy, and it has a very bright beat with fun dance moves. The animation is very vivid," Pinkfong's marketing director Jamie Oh told the BBC in 2018, calling it "K-Pop for next generation."
Baby Shark is also set for an upcoming TV show, which will premiere in 2021 on Nickelodeon. Even more, Baby Shark is now going for a worldwide tour, as if the 7 billion plays on YouTube isn't enough to drive parents insane.
How Does the List Go?
As of now, the top 10 most-watched videos on YouTube of all time are mostly dominated by songs.
Ed Sheeran's catchy Shape of You and Wiz Khalifa's Charlie Puth-assisted See You Again made the third and the fourth. They, respectively, have generated over 5.05 billion and 4.79 billion views.
Masha and the Bear's adorable video from Get Movies ranked fifth with 4.36 billion views. Johny Johny Yes Papa made 4.14 billion thanks to the rising popularity of its meme. Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson's funky hit, Uptown Funk, ranked seventh with 3.99 billion views.
Psy's 2010s hit Gangnam Style, which was vaguely famous in 2012, came the eighth with 3.84 billion views. In the same year, Gangnam Style set the record as YouTube's most liked video and most watched video until 2017.
Not a New Tune
Despite South Korean Baby Shark being published in 2016, the original song is believed to be released way back in summer camps of the 1970s. Or, maybe even longer, hence explains why several artists are fighting for the claim.
Just like legends and fairy tales, 'Baby Shark' has been passed around from one summer camp to another. There is even a German version of the song with entirely different lyrics and tunes but carries the same messages.
Johnny Only, the creator of the original "Baby Shark" song we know today, released his version way back in 2011. The key, tempo change, melody, rhythm, and even the hand gestures have an uncanny resemblance. His video only made over 100,000 views, and he's seeking a copyright lawsuit against the South Korean company.
