Johnny Only drops an EDM “Baby Shark” remix with Action Kids, featuring fresh characters and dance—as his Pinkfong lawsuit hits the Supreme Court.
Johnny Only, the American musician who first penned a children’s song titled “Baby Shark,” has reignited the battle over the global phenomenon by releasing a fresh EDM take on his original tune—and it comes as his six-year lawsuit against Pinkfong heads for a final Supreme Court ruling.
On June 24, Johnny Only teamed up with South Korea’s Action Kids to unveil the “Baby Shark Kids Remix,” an energetic, dance-floor ready version of the song he claims to have created long before Pinkfong popularized it.
Produced under the SEFO (cell) and Genei banners, the remix accelerates the familiar melody and layers in pulsing electronic beats, punctuated by an infectious “Dumchit Dumchit” refrain that invites young listeners to groove along.
But it’s not just the music that’s new. Rather than the classic “shark mouth” hand gestures, the accompanying dance replaces fins on the cheek with a single hand perched atop the head—mimicking a shark’s dorsal fin—as children bop in unison to the beat.
Developed by Zero Team, the creators of “cellular gymnastics,” this choreography is already popping up at family resorts and backyard pools, with the “shark gymnastics challenge” taking off on TikTok and Instagram.
Action Kids hasn’t stopped at a remix and new moves. The company introduced two original shark characters—pink “Sharkping” and blue “Sharkble”—designed by Nari Productions, the studio behind children’s favorites like “Gigley and Friends.”
Unlike Pinkfong’s family lineup of mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa sharks, these new mascots fall under the banner “Sharkrang,” symbolizing harmony between humans and their finned friends.
With this multi-pronged push—new music, dance, and characters—Johnny Only and Action Kids appear determined to carve out their own corner of the children’s entertainment market, directly challenging Pinkfong’s enduring “Baby Shark” empire.
But the ultimate fate of his claim to the song’s origins remains in the hands of South Korea’s Supreme Court, which is set to deliver its verdict on August 14. Until then, parents, performers, and little sharks everywhere will be keeping time to those electronic “Dumchit Dumchit” beats—and watching closely to see who truly owns the anthem of the deep.
Source: Maeil Business Newspaper
