From Manila to Abu Dhabi, many places around the world are riding on the Squid Game hype train by allowing real people to try real-life versions of the games.
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would know that Squid Game is currently the hottest show in the world right now. The thrilling K-series has hooked tens of millions of viewers around the world to the point that it has become the most popular show in Netflix history. (The show is even estimated to be worth around $900 million.) Given the popularity of Squid Game, it’s no surprise then many people across the globe are recreating the show’s games. Here are just a few notable events of when you could possibly participate in the show in real life. Do you think you are cut out for it?
A GIANT STATUE OF THE SQUID GAME DOLL IN MANILA
When Squid Game first premiered in mid-September, social media was filled with posts of a 10-foot tall statue of the Squid Game girl doll in Ortigas. The doll in question was a promotional stunt for the show and was placed along an entrance in Robinsons Galleria to eye jaywalkers. That didn’t stop avid fans of the show from showing up and recreating Red Light, Green Light in real life—without the murder, of course.
ITAEWON STATION GETS A SQUID GAME MAKEOVER
At the same time the 10-foot doll was in Ortigas, Itaewon station in Seoul got a whole makeover to look like the sets of the show. The entire interior matched the design of Squid Game, including the playground from the dalgona challenge episode, pink stairs, the doll, and even the golden piggy bank. Staff were on-site dressed in the signature red suits and face masks that were worn in the show. Fans and passersby could get a first-hand look at how the show would look in real life. Even some of the cast members visited the pop-up.
But that wasn’t the only real-life Squid Game-related event to happen in South Korea. According to local reports, the St. John’s Hotel in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, was hosting its own Squid Game event. Anyone could apply to join with registration costing 10,000 won (around 430 pesos). Participants would receive a mysterious business card with a phone number and be directed to a pine forest near the hotel to compete.
Red Light, Green Light, tug of war, ddakji (paper tile flipping), and the dalgona challenge were all going to be played. The winner will receive five million won (around 215,870 pesos) and the identity of the host of the game would have been revealed at the end. The event was scheduled to take place on October 24 but it was canceled by the local police for violating local COVID safety protocols. If anything, the hotel did try to bring the show to life.
NETHERLANDS PLAYS RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
@netflixnl Squid Game in real life in Maastricht! ? ##netflixnl ##squidgame ##maastricht
♬ origineel geluid – Netflix Nederland & België
It’s not just Asia that has been obsessed with Squid Game. Even in Europe, Squid Game fever has hit the streets. In a recently held event at Maastricht in the Netherlands, Netflix Netherlands set up a real-life version of Red Light, Green Light, locally known as Annemaria Koekoek. A life-sized version of the doll was present and staff members were dressed in red suits to look like the staff on the island. Same as the show, competitors would start at a designated spot and move and stop. Staff would go up to each player to see if they moved. If they did, they would be removed. While the doll and the staff might seem creepy at first, it is honestly something we wouldn’t mind trying out.
REAL LIFE SQUID GAME IN ABU DHABI
Speaking of successful real-life Squid Game recreations, the United Arab Emirates recently held their own event. The Korean Cultural Center in Abu Dhabi hosted the event called KCC Squid Game Event at their offices. Over 300 people applied for it, but only two groups of 15 people are approved to participate. True to the show, the participants were dressed in the same green tracksuits as the characters. Of course, the real guns were substituted for sponge guns. Four games were played: Red Light, Green Light, marbles, dalgona challenge, and ddakji. There was no prize money involved for winning though. The event was a way for the center to encourage people to learn about Korean culture.
MRBEAST TAKES ON SQUID GAME
Top YouTuber MrBeast is known for his crazy challenges and giving away big cash prizes and other rewards. Given the premise and set-up of Squid Game, it actually fits the content of MrBeast. So much so, the creator recently announced that he’s working on a real-life version of Squid Game. He posted a TikTok which said that if it surpassed 10 million likes, he would recreate Squid Game in real life. As expected, it easily surpassed that. MrBeast is currently in the process of recruiting 456 random people to participate and making all the sets. We can’t wait to see what MrBeast pulls out, given how he goes all out in some of his videos.
SQUID GAME IN CAUSEWAY BAY?
If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong, then you’d know that Causeway Bay is a top destination. But would you be open to playing Red Light, Green Light there as well? That is what photographer and digital creator surrealhk imagined in his work. The image showed a building-sized version of the Squid Game doll in the busy district with onlookers taking photos. As convincing as it looks, the photo is edited as surrealkh is known for editing his pictures with otherworldly imagery. But TBH, we’re curious to see how that would look like in real life.
ENJOY THE AESTHETICS OF SQUID GAME IN SPAIN
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What happens if you just want to enjoy the Squid Game fantasy without actually participating in any of the games? Well, this famous hotel in Spain has you covered. Located in Manzanera, Calpe, Spain, the nearly 50-year-old La Muralla Roja has aesthetics that match that of the show. Specifically, the pastel-colored stairs you see look very similar to the hotel’s maze-like staircases. La Muralla Roja was designed by Ricardo Bofill in 1968 and completed in 1973. The complex can house 50 apartments and some of them can be booked on Airbnb. So, the next time you travel abroad and head to Spain, try booking a night or two here to enjoy the aesthetics, scenic views of the Balearic Sea, and other amenities the place has to offer.
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