Squid Game is the South Korean thriller
taking the world by storm
and, if you're anything like us,
you've consumed the whole series as hungrily as
the contestants licking that tasty honeycomb candy.
Now that you've survived all six games,
you're probably left with many questions.
Thankfully, you don't have to risk
sneaking into a top secret island to get answers,
as we've got you covered.
Beware of spoilers
and let the games begin.
Is Squid Game based on a book?
With its shocking twists and iconic uniforms,
you might think the story was pulled from a book
or manga, but it's not.
It's the entirely fictional creation
of writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk,
who actually wrote the story way back in 2008.
He told Variety that he did take inspiration
from Japanese comics and animation,
saying that he spent a long time reading manga
like Battle Royale and Liar Game
and wondering what it would be like
to take part in those deadly challenges himself.
However, where those stories had complex rules,
he wanted to base Squid Game on childhood games instead
and, because of that,
well, we'll never look at marbles the same way again.
Who stars in Squid Game?
While the cast of the show are
well-known in South Korea,
many international viewers are asking:
who stars in Squid Game?
Our down on his luck hero, Seong Gi-hun,
is played by TV and film veteran Lee Jung-jae,
who is best known here for his roles in New World
and Il Mare,
which was remade as the Sandra Bullock
and Keanu Reeves time travel romance The Lake House.
Park Hae-soo plays
the duplicitous financial investor
Cho Sang-woo
insert your own boos and hisses here.
You can see Park in Prison Playbook
and he's due to appear in
the Korean remake of Money Heist,
where he'll play Berlin.
He must be drawn to projects with red jumpsuits.
Amazingly, Hoyeon Jung,
who plays North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok
makes her acting debut in Squid Game.
The former model is really jumping into the deep end
with these intense death games.
And ageing contestant Oh Il-nam
is played by Oh Yeong-su,
best known for his role as a monk
in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring.
We made a pinkie promise to be each other's gganbu.
Is Squid Game a real game in Korea?
And, by this, we mean the playground game,
not the whole locking 456 people
in a battle to the death.
Happily, this bit isn't real,
but the childhood pastime
that is played in the show's opening moments
and in the final episode definitely is.
Squid Game involves a team of defenders trying to stop
a team of attackers from
reaching a square in the outline of a squid
drawn on the floor,
with the attackers stuck on one leg
until they cross the middle of the squid.
The game was popular in the 1970s and 80s
and is one of director
Hwang Dong-hyuk's favourites
from his playground days.
He told the Korea Herald
that it is: "a perfect metaphor
of our highly competitive society".
In the real life version,
people aren't allowed to use knives,
but then real life tug of war isn't played
above a giant pit, either.
As with so many childhood games,
rules vary from kid to kid
and different groups have different names
for different rituals.
The secret inspector.
For whatever reason,
we called that the secret inspector.
But, with the success of the show,
expect squid game to be flooding
international playgrounds soon.
Is the honeycomb game real?
Easily the most delicious challenge in Squid Game,
it's not like the cafeteria food is
much to write home about.
The honeycomb game is, indeed,
based on another Korean pastime.
Known as dalgona candy,
the snack is traditionally made
from sugar and baking soda
and has an image pressed into it
with a biscuit cutter.
Children then attempt to nibble
around the edges of the picture
to cut it without breaking it.
Again, Squid Game adds a sinister punishment
for snapping the image,
but the basics of the challenge
are true to real life.
So, top tip:
if you ever find yourself in a South Korean playground,
pick the simplest image possible.
How much is 46.5 billion won?
Now for the million dollar question
or, rather, the 45.6 billion won question:
how much is 45.6 billion won worth?
That's the prize up for grabs
if you manage to survive all six of the death games
and walk away the victor.
It sounds like a life-changing amount
and it certainly is.
At today's rates, it equals $38.6 million
or £28.2 million.
There are 456 players in the survival game
and each death adds 100 million won
to the piggybank.
That makes the price of a human life
$84,000 or £62,000.
Just after one game of red light, green light,
the prize money sits at 25.5 billion won,
$21.5 million or £15.9 million.
Suddenly, you understand why so many people voted to
stay in the game after that harrowing first round.
The most important thing is
you get the prize money on a credit card
rather than heaving the pig home.
What do the business card symbols mean?
Circles, triangles and squares
appear everywhere in Squid Game.
And, no,
they aren't a sneaky advert for PlayStation.
Found on the business cards used to lure players
into the game,
the circle, triangle and square
are letters of Hangul, the Korean alphabet.
The circle represents "O",
the triangle forms part of the letter "J"
an the square stands for an "M".
Taken together, they read "OJM",
which form part of the Korean name for Squid Game,
Ojingeo Geim.
They also double up as shapes
taken from the floor pattern
used to play squid game itself.
What is the red light, green light doll based on?
In a series full of instantly iconic characters
and settings,
none made the same impact on us
as the creepy robotic doll.
-Hey. -What?
-Look over there. -What is that?
It looks really freaky.
Damn, that thing has a freaking huge head.
In the show,
the doll controls red light, green light,
spotting any contestants who move after the song
and dooming them to a terrible fate.
But, incredibly, this terrifying statue
wasn't built for Squid Game.
It exists in real life.
The doll belongs to a horse carriage museum
called Macha Land
found in the South Korean village
in Jincheon county.
At the museum,
she serves the slightly less scary role
of welcoming visitors to the museum,
so feel free to move all you like.
Is Squid Game dubbed?
Made in South Korea,
you can enjoy Squid Game in the original Korean
with subtitles or with an English language dub.
But, I'm afraid that
whichever version you listen to,
the show is no less heart-breaking.
Thank you.
You made all this
a good experience.
Will there be a second season of Squid Game?
Well, we don't know that yet,
but there's certainly room for more stories to be told.
Until we find out more,
we'll just keep re-watching episode six
and crying ourselves to sleep.
Did you enjoy Squid Game?
And, if you were running the contest,
which playground games would you turn into challenges
for the contestants?
Share your most devious thoughts in the comments
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