Ylvis sign a deal to turn 'The Fox' into a children's book

The comedy duo are working on an adaptation of the viral hit

Comedy duo Ylvis have signed a deal to turn "The Fox" into a children's book (Getty Images)

They gave the world the bizarre “The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)” earlier this year and now Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis have signed a children’s book deal.

The track became a viral phenomenon in September with catchy, other-worldly lyrics such as “ Gering-ding-ding-ding-ding-a-ring-a-ding!”.

The song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the YouTube video, in which the pair cavort around in fox costumes, has currently been viewed over 215 million times.

Brothers Bard and Vegard Ylvisaker will see the What Does The Fox Say? picture book on shelves from 10 December, just in time for the peak Christmas season.

President of children’s publishing at Simon & Schuster, Jon Anderson, said in a statement, “I cannot tell you how many times I’v e watched Ylvis’ hilarious, mesmerizing, unforgettable “The Fox”.

“The lyrics and playfulness of the song lend themselves perfectly to the picture book format.”

Perhaps the new deal, which comes after Ylvis signed with worldwide record label Warner Music, will signal a fresh direction for the band.

“We’ll never pursue pure music as a career,” Vegard told The Hollywood Reporter. ““The Fox” came from a genuine wonder of what the fox says, because we didn’t know. If you check out all the YouTube videos with real fox sounds, each is individual.”