"'Pinkfong' and 'Sseulluk'... No Problem Targeting Overseas Markets"

The Pinkfong Company Thrives with Support from KOCCA
Creating a Theatrical Movie with Nickelodeon to Release Within the Year
"Offline Expansion Through Character Licensing Fair"

'Pinkfong Baby Shark Gymnastics' surpassed 10 billion views on YouTube for the first time in history last January. It gained sensational popularity with its addictive song, cute characters, and easy choreography. The production company, The Pinkfong Company, aims to maximize sales through IP diversification. It has signed over 1,000 licensing contracts with more than 500 domestic and international companies and is developing various businesses.

After the transition to the COVID-19 endemic phase, attention has shifted to offline activities. Recently, they held the festival 'Hello, Busan!' in collaboration with Busan City to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, and formed a partnership with InterContinental COEX to offer room packages and organic desserts featuring character IPs.

They are also actively targeting overseas markets. They held the 'Pinkfong Baby Shark Festival' with Haichang Ocean Park Group, the largest ocean park operator in China, and operated 'Pinkfong Pop-up Theme Parks' in Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia to expand consumer touchpoints. These achievements are not solely based on YouTube popularity. They have regularly participated in major global licensing and content markets supported by the Korea Creative Content Agency to explore new possibilities.

Joo Hyemin, Chief Business Officer (CBO) of The Pinkfong Company, said, "Since 2016, we have participated in various markets such as Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), Mipcom, Broadcast Video World Market (BCWW), Tokyo Film Market (Tiffcom), Kidscreen Summit, and K-Expo to promote our IP and content, while also securing contracts with overseas broadcasters and OTT platforms."

A representative achievement is the 'Pinkfong Cinema Concert,' which ranked in the top 10 on Netflix viewing charts in eighteen countries. Encouraged by the support, they recently produced the sequel 'Pinkfong Cinema Concert 3: Catch the Gingerbread Man.' They plan to release it overseas following the domestic premiere on the 26th.

The Pinkfong Company also produced the theatrical film 'Baby Shark Big Movie (working title)' in partnership with Nickelodeon, the world's largest entertainment channel. It is scheduled to be released to American viewers via the global OTT Paramount+ within the year. Joo said, "We are diversifying platforms with other leading overseas OTTs and channels such as Amazon Prime Video, FPT Play, Video.com, Mediacorp, Shahid, and Etisalat," adding, "Recently, at the 'Korea-ASEAN K-Content Bizwork,' we signed a business agreement with Indonesia's terrestrial broadcaster RTV, opening the way to introduce Pinkfong to 600 million people."

The booth prepared by the Korea Creative Content Agency also serves as a venue to introduce new characters. At the 'Character Licensing Fair 2023,' which ended on the 16th, The Pinkfong Company prominently showcased 'Bebepin' and 'Seelook.' The former is a 3D animation depicting family daily life through songs and choreography. The YouTube channel, launched in April last year, received the Diamond Play Button (over 10 million subscribers) within 14 months. Joo explained, "Following its ranking as the number one domestic kids content on IPTV channels last year, it also appeared in Netflix's 'Top 10 Today' kids category in twelve countries." She added, "The promotional activities at this Character Licensing Fair emphasized the offline expansion of various MD products such as sound books, puzzles, and dolls."

The latter, created in collaboration with animation studio Millionvolt, is an 'immersive observational animation.' It is a 90-second non-verbal short-form content (delivering stories through images, music, and ambient sounds without dialogue or narration), allowing anyone to enjoy it easily without language barriers. Joo said, "Our main audience is actually the global MZ generation," and added, "We will continuously develop online and offline products reflecting their tastes and interests to provide unique enjoyment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.