Nickelodeon has officially given the greenlight to its new adaptation of Baby Shark. Animated preschool series Baby Shark’s Big Show! (working title) will be co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and SmartStudy, the entertainment company behind IP owner Pinkfong. The viral video has more than 5.7 billion YouTube views.

Nick has ordered 26 episodes of the show, to premiere in 2021. Baby Shark’s Big Show! will make its TV debut with a holiday special to air in December before the series launches in the spring, followed by an international rollout. The series is executive produced by Gary DiRaffaele and Tommy Sica (Breadwinners), with Whitney Rails (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls) serving as co-executive producer. Production is being overseen by Nickelodeon preschool SVP Eryk Casemiro.

“Having the opportunity to dive deeper into this incredible world and create all-new storylines has been extremely exciting, and our head of preschool Eryk Casemiro and his team can’t wait to help grow the Baby Shark universe and fanbase with an amazing new series that captures the heart and spirit of this beloved property,” said Nickelodeon Animation executive vice president of production and development Ramsey Naito.

Nickelodeon will debut the series with a holiday special in December, with premieres rolling out across its preschool platforms in spring 2021. Following the U.S. launch, the series will roll out on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels internationally.

ViacomCBS Consumer Products is handling consumer products licensing for the Baby Shark property worldwide, excluding China, Korea and Southeast Asia. Baby Shark’s Big Show! is the first piece of content to come out of the partnership.