'Red Light, Green Light...RUN!': The Story Behind Squid Game's Killer Doll

Meet Young-hee, a seemingly harmless-looking robotic doll with the lethal ability to track down players of the game "Red Light, Green Light" and shoot them if she sees them moving. While the second season of the South Korean dystopian TV series Squid Game was released on Netflix on December 26, 2024 with many new plot twists, one element has remained constant. The doll, wearing a simple orange dress and a hair clip, is back in the second season and has become a viral meme on social media and the centrepiece of Netflix's promotional campaign.

The Crazy Story Behind Squid Game's Killer Doll

Chae Kyoung-sun, the production designer for Squid Game, claims that the doll's appearance is partly influenced by her own daughter. "My daughter had a bowl cut for a long time, which was very cute, so I decided to draw a very short bang," Chae says. "Her eyes are a little crazy. She's a killing machine and the movement of her eyes had to be easy to see, so we made her eyes quite big."

Chae claims that the original inspiration for Young-hee came from a girl with the same name on the cover of old primary school textbooks in South Korea, though the killer doll was initially conceived as genderless.

The Success of Squid Game Season 2

There were high hopes that the second season of Squid Game would repeat the previous season's success, and the audience was not failed. According to Netflix, the dystopian thriller's new season also broke the record for the most views during its first week on the streaming service, with 68 million views. 

When asked about the success of the show and this particular character, Chae credits their 'unconventional' nature.

"How does this cute kid suddenly turn into a killing machine? I think the creation of the 'Squid Game' world by adopting unpredictable concepts and methods resonated with young people looking for fresh things," she says.

Upcoming In Squid Game Season 3

At the end of the second season, viewers also get a glimpse of Chul-su, a male doll who will make an appearance in the upcoming third season.

It was initially planned for the first season, alongside Young-hee.

“When they said there will be a second season and that Chul-su would appear, I brought back the drawings I had of Chul-su for the first season,” Chae says. “Think of it as a friend, a partner,” she adds.

The third and final season of Squid Game was announced with a teaser video and is set to premiere later this year.