The stars of Netflix's newest dark series Squid Game have explained the Korean origins of the show's gigantic killer doll. The South Korean show centers around a life or death contest where one competitor out of 456 can take home a ₩45.6 billion prize, but the consequences are deadly, with showrunners not shying away from depicting the sadistic violence competitors endure for losing simple children's games. Since its premiere, it's become the number one most-watched TV show in the U.S. and the UK, spawning plenty of discourse and memes all over the internet.
Netflix's Squid Game features South Korean stars including Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-Yeon, Kim Joo-ryoung, and O Yeong-su. It's a dystopian nightmare that shows the extremes of human greed and class divisions through the use of playground games. One of the most memorable moments is from the first game "Red light, Green Light." However, this version features a gigantic killer robot doll who shoots anyone that moves when the light "turns" red, which is more intense than the typical version of the game.
The cast of Squid Game appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon to discuss the major impact of the show. Additionally, Fallon showed the audience his bobblehead version of the doll. Ho-yeon chimed in to explain that the doll is a typical character from South Korean school materials like textbooks. The actress says the name was Younghee, and she had a male counterpart named Chulsoo. Check out the clip from the late-night appearance below.
Squid Game is dripping with symbolism, Easter eggs, and plenty of foreshadowing that almost requires you to watch it twice to dissect its layers. The use of the popular doll seen in school books is just that — it helps exemplify the childlike nature of the games, but with a violent twist. While the show has drawn comparisons to The Hunger Games, Squid Game is a staunchly South Korean take with an even darker and more gory depiction of economic turmoil.
Squid Game has taken the world by storm, with even South Korean internet provider SK Broadband filing a lawsuit against Netflix because the show inadvertently "broke" the internet. While there are hopes of a season 2, fans will have to wait to see if the creepy doll shows up on Squid Game in the future. If not, she'll likely live in every viewer's nightmares for a few weeks to come.