The entertainment company Pinkfong, which has gained worldwide acclaim for its “Baby Shark Dance” video, celebrated a notable moment in its corporate history with a successful debut on the South Korean stock market. The company’s shares jumped 9.3%, bringing its market capitalization to approximately 596 billion won, or $407 million. On the Kosdaq, Pinkfong’s stocks reached a high of 61,500 won during trading before settling at 41,550 won by the end of the day.
Pinkfong raised 76 billion won through the sale of 2 million shares, priced at 38,000 won each, the maximum in its promotional range. Established in 2010, the company remained relatively obscure until the 2018 launch of “Baby Shark Dance,” which became a cultural phenomenon. Characterized by its vibrant animation and catchy, repetitive lyrics, the two-minute video quickly captured the attention of children globally. To date, it remains the most-viewed video on YouTube, amassing an astonishing 16.4 billion views since its release.
Building on this tremendous success, Pinkfong has diversified its offerings, venturing into television with “Baby Shark’s Big Show!”—a collaboration with Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the creators behind “SpongeBob SquarePants.” The company has also introduced a range of educational apps, musicals, and merchandise, expanding its character lineup with new figures like Bebefinn, a toddler who adores Baby Shark, and Sealook, a collection of adorable seals.
Most recently, the Bebefinn preschool animated show gained traction on Netflix, ranking in the top 10 kids’ chart across nine countries shortly after its launch in 2022. With the capital generated from the IPO, Pinkfong aims to broaden its audience to include children and teenagers. The company has already initiated projects targeting older demographics, including a romance fantasy webtoon series titled “Moon Shark,” featuring a shark princess who falls for a K-pop idol.
Looking ahead, Pinkfong has ambitious plans, projecting to allocate more than 50% of its IPO proceeds to introduce three new intellectual properties by 2028. Additionally, the company is considering acquiring a studio that specializes in 3D content for children and is developing AI tools for pre-production processes like voice synthesis and image generation.
Despite the excitement surrounding its IPO, Pinkfong reported a 2.4% decline in revenue during the first half of 2025, totaling 45.2 billion won. Net profits suffered an even sharper drop of 67%, landing at 3.8 billion won. The company’s earnings were primarily driven by IP-related content (68%), with additional revenue streams coming from merchandise (15%), licensing (10%), and other segments, such as games. Interestingly, over 75% of its revenue was sourced from international markets.
Pinkfong was co-founded by Kim Min-seok, who previously worked for prominent online gaming firms Nexon and NHN. At 44 years old, Kim holds a 15.9% ownership stake in the company, while his uncle, Kim Chang-soo, a notable figure in the Korean fashion industry, possesses a minor stake as well.
In a recent interview, Kim Min-seok articulated his vision for Pinkfong, aspiring to evolve the company into a multigenerational entertainment powerhouse. He expressed a desire to create content that resonates across different age groups, emphasizing the joy of seeing children who grew up with Pinkfong content sharing it with their own kids in the future.
