I just found out that the killer doll in Squid Game is inspired by a similar figure in Korea's school textbooks

The Korean language series Squid Game was not only a breakthrough show for Netflix but also increased people's interest in outdoor children's games.

The nostalgic games featured in Seasons 1 and 2, albeit deadly, became popular on social media, with people recreating and playing them in their own unique ways.

Among them, Red Light, Green Light became the most popular, thanks to the killer robotic doll, Young-hee. Debuting in Squid Game Season 1, the gigantic killer doll has become one of the most popular artifacts from the show.

Equipped with motion detectors in her eyes, Young-hee has given me several nightmares, and I just found out that the show's production designer took inspiration from old Korean textbooks for the killer doll.

More on Young-hee from Squid Game in our story.

Exploring the inspiration behind the killer doll in Squid Game

Young-hee, the killer robotic doll that first appeared in Red Light, Green Light, has become the unofficial mascot of the Netflix show. The large doll figure became viral on social media after the Season 1 premiere.

While Young-hee looks cute on the outside, with her bright-colored clothes and two adorable pigtails, she has motion sensor detectors in her eyes and is a killing machine.

The story behind Young-hee's creation is as intriguing as her role in the show, as production designer Chae Kyoung-sun revealed to Reuters. The figure of the killer doll from Squid Game was inspired by a similar girl who was featured on the cover of old primary textbooks in Korea.

Korean textbooks of the 1970s and 1980s featured Young-hee and her male counterpart Chul-su and Kyoung-sun was inspired to design the killer doll from there.

In addition to the old textbooks, the production designer was also inspired by her own daughter to style the doll, as she revealed to Reuters:

"My daughter had a bowl cut for a long time which was very cute so I decided to draw a very short bang.''

While Young-hee dons a common children's hairstyle, two pigtails and a cute bang, she is actually a killing machine who eliminates any player who tries to move during the Red Light, Green Light game, as Kyoung-sun further discussed:

"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.''

Young-hee will also get a male counterpart in Squid Game Season 3, who was teased in Season 2's post-credits scene. The creation of Chul-su was also inspired by old textbooks:

"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...Think of it as a friend, a partner.''

Since Chul-su and Young-hee were teased together for the final chapter, fans were speculating about the new game, featuring the two killer dolls.

The recently released trailer for Season 3 at Netflix's Tudum 2025 event has finally provided a chilling preview of the newest doll game, which is none other than jump rope.

While jump rope is a classic children's game, the show's final chapter will feature a deadly version, where players would balance themselves on a raised and very steep railroad track while jumping the swinging rope.

Stakes will surely be increased as Young-hee and Chul-su will execute a deadly version of the jump rope game in the final chapter.

Squid Game Season 3 will premiere on Netflix on June 27, 2025.

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Also Read: Top 5 heartbreaking deaths in Squid Game (so far)

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