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‘Baby Shark’ surpasses ‘Despacito’ to become most-watched YouTube video

Catchy children’s ditty “Baby Shark” has become the most-watched video on YouTube ever, with more than 7.04 billion views. Recorded by South Korean company Pinkfong, the video has

Catchy children’s ditty “Baby Shark” has become the most-watched video on YouTube ever, with more than 7.04 billion views.

Recorded by South Korean company Pinkfong, the video has edged past “Despacito,” the single by Puerto Rican rap stars Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which has racked up 7.03 billion views since it posted on Jan. 12, 2017, according to YouTube.

“Baby Shark,” which is known for its repetitive “doo-doo-doo-doo” refrain, was uploaded on June 17, 2016.  The 2 minute, 17 second-long video depicts two kids singing and dancing in front of an animated underwater backdrop.

The original writer of the song is unclear – it is said to be based on a nursery rhyme – but it became a global phenomenon after being recorded by Hope Segoine, a 10-year-old Korean-American singer.

The song has become so popular that last year, YouTube said it was teaming up with Nickelodeon to turn the viral video into a TV series.

The video may be a godsend for pandemic-weary parents that need to keep the kids busy during long stretches at home, but not everyone is a fan.

Last month, the song landed in the center of a bizarre legal case. Three former Oklahoma prison workers were charged with prisoner cruelty after allegedly handcuffing inmates and forcing them to stand and listen to “Baby Shark” on a loop for up to two hours.

District attorney David Prater said the repeated song would have added “undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering”.

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