Pinkfong, Shein look to make summertime splash with Baby Shark apparel

Pinkfong and Shein have teamed up for a kid-friendly collab that celebrates marine life and catchy jingles. The new Baby Shark x Shein collection is looking to cash in on summertime fun with an array of colorful designs, all-ages apparel, and references to one of the internet’s most notorious earworms.

The collection arrives in time for the tenth anniversary of the original “Baby Shark” video, which arrived in 2016 on Pinkfong’s official YouTube channel. Since then, Pinkfong’s magnum opus has smashed multiple records. It passed the “Despacito” music video to become YouTube’s most-watched upload in 2020. Two years later, it became the first YouTube video to receive ten billion views. At the time of this post, “Baby Shark” has more than 16 billion lifetime YouTube views.

South Korea-based Pinkfong and Singapore-based Shein are looking to parlay that massive viewership into ecommerce sales. The apparel line includes 98 pieces and 19 accessories, with prices ranging from $2 to $25. Though children are the obvious target demographic for the collection, there are also fits for “Mommy Shark” and “Daddy Shark” as well.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Shein to celebrate Baby Shark’s 10 years with this fun and stylish collection,” said Pinkfong Senior Global Licensing Manager Bryan Park

in a statement. “We’re always looking for new ways to connect with families and fans around the world, and this partnership brings even more styles – whether customers are singing along at home or showing off their favorite Baby Shark look out and about.”

Shein, which has been criticized as one of the faces of the fashion movement, is currently in the midst of an arms race with other East Asian ecommerce giants — namely Temu and ByteDance. In Latin America, for example, ByteDance’s TikTok Shop is looking to elbow its way into a market where Shein and Temu already have strong footholds.

For the fast fashion giants to fend off TikTok Shop’s advances, creator-focused collabs are a must. That’s why Temu has attached its name to some of YouTube’s biggest sponsored videos, and why Shein is now joining forces with the company behind YouTube’s all-time most-watched video.

The timing of the Baby Shark collection is also notable. With the summer in full swing, big names in children’s media are looking to reach school-age kids during their months off. For Pinkfong and Shein, that effort involves aquatic characters who evoke fun in the sun and are sure to get a certain ditty stuck in your head.