In the wise words of James Corden, along comes a song every so often that defines a generation.
Doo doo doo doo doo doo.
The late-night TV host, carpool-karaoke king and father of three young children was referring specifically, and wryly, to “Baby Shark,” now the bloodthirstiest of earworms for some parents and meme lovers everywhere.
Insert shark hands here.
An educational content brand in South Korea, Pinkfong, released its first shark video in 2015, later producing a version that mixes animation and two adorable human kids dancing out the story of a shark family, K-pop style, which has gotten more than 2 billion views on YouTube.
If you still don’t have a clue what this is about, you haven’t spent enough time at summer camp or around a campfire, where singalong versions of said story with said gestures, akin to an old nursery rhyme with the same theme, have rocked on for decades.
Now, thanks to the #babysharkchallenge that has us all singing, doing our shark hands and sharing on social media, and thanks to piles of soft shark heads, toddler attire and other swag that includes singing plush toys and books, “Baby Shark” is a full-on craze, for bite-size fans anyway.
The absolutely cutest home video to come of this features a little girl begging “Alexa” to play her favorite shark jam and shows her frustrated by the not-so-smart device’s inability to understand.
And don’t forget about the Texas family so enamored they synchronized their blinking, blinding holiday yard lights to the snappy tune.
Some parents of special needs kids think “Baby Shark” has not only entertained but helped their young ones.
Holly Anderson is a Utah mother of four, including a 3-year-old son with autism and apraxia of speech. His autism therapist uses children’s songs on YouTube to motivate him to sit still and was the first to show him “Baby Shark.”
“He’s overstimulated visually and usually won’t watch any shows on TV or the iPad,” Anderson says. “He has a very difficult time staying still, even for a moment, and usually spends his time running around in therapy. I’m honestly not sick of it yet since it’s one of the only ways to get him calm after a meltdown.”
The one he likes the most is by Pinkfong, she says. The company has put up more than one version.
Other parents say their kids prefer versions of baby, mama, papa, grandma and grandpa shark from a content provider called Super Simple. There are many, many other offerings to choose from and many, many more millions of views than the jackpot scored by Pinkfong for its dance version.
Corden, host of “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” isn’t the only celebrity to take on baby shark madness. He enlisted Sophie Turner and Josh Groban to perform the song on the air.
Ellen DeGeneres put her spin on the song on her talk show as well. And Simon Cowell’s 4-year-old son popped up on the “X-Factor UK” as dancing cuteness ensued with singing kids accompanied by adults in shark suits for the opening of the grand final this year.
Bob Cunningham, an educator and senior adviser for the nonprofit consortium Understood.org, which supports parents of kids with learning and attention issues, sees benefits to “Baby Shark.”
“The song has a catchy rhythm, and it uses silly sounds as well as colorful and cute animation,” Cunningham says. “Also, both the music and the animation are predictable, with repeated words, phrases, colors and movements.”
The song and video also engage most of the senses simultaneously and combine language with music and movement, which can appeal to kids who struggle with any of those things when they are presented in isolation, according to Cunningham. For example, the movement can support less developed language and the music can offer support when movements are difficult, he says.
Jason Simms, who lives in Deep River, Connecticut, says his 14-month-old daughter Fionnuala first heard the song when she was 8 months old.
“It was one of the first things in life she directly expressed a preference for,” Simms says. “At the end of the Super Simple version, it says, ‘Bye bye sharks.’ And that became how we say bye in our family.”
