It didn’t take much for Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Squid Game to become a global phenomenon and take the pop culture world by storm.
Riding on the success (and keeping the flame alive), Netflix organized a real-life Squid Game in Los Angeles’ Koreatown on October 30, 2021.
Squid Game’s iconic characters were people’s go-to Halloween costumes worldwide. The streaming giant took it up a notch and offered people a one-day event to experience Korea’s traditional children’s games.
While Netflix organized real-life Squid Game in multiple parts of the world (Glasgow, UAE, the Netherlands, etc.), the games in Downtown LA included a couple of new features.
The real-life games included the Mugunghwa doll game (aka Red Light, Green Light), the paper-tile flipping game called ddakji, and the dalgona candy game.
Netflix also added the memorable moment where the players are asked to take a photo before starting the game. Moreover, there were similar bunk beds and even fake backgrounds in specific games from the shows.
These features were absent from many real-life games, giving the LA fans a more real Squid Game effect.
A Korean fan at the event talked about the craze he witnessed in the American pop culture world.
I’m Korean and it’s kind of a wild phenomenon seeing this Korean culture being intertwined with American media, but I’m here for it. I like it.
Check out the video from Netflix below:
In a previous interview, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk mentioned that he believes the show’s irony is what attracted fans.
The seamless blend of innocent childhood games turned deadly with a layer of class, the uber-rich people having “fun” as the lower middle class chooses money instead of their lives, has stunned critics and fans alike.
However, even if there are no masked men actually shooting people, the games are still harmful. Multiple cities banned Squid Game costumes or games, asking parents to keep a watch on their children as they replicated the dangerous games in real life.
Considering the massive impact of Korean culture through K-pop groups BTS and BLACKPINK, not to forget the incredible, cinematic K-dramas such as Crash Landing on You and Vincenzo, the Hallyu wave taking over the world was inevitable.
About Squid Game
Squid Game is a South Korean survival show written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series released on Netflix on September 17, 2021 and has become an internet sensation.
It features an ensemble of Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, O Yeong-su, Wi Ha-joon, Ho Seong-tae, Kim Joo-ryung, Jung Ho-yeon and Anupam Tripathi. It became the first Korean show to reach No. 1 in the U.S.
The plot revolves around 456 people deep-in-depth, playing multiple dangerous games based on children’s games in a bid to win 45.6 billion KRW. The employees wear a mask with a triangle, square and a circle, signifying the hierarchy and an ode to the ‘Squid Game’ Koreans play.
It’s acclaimed for its dark satire, violence and the class and wealth inequality showcased flawlessly.
Source: Twitter
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