‘Cute and Murderous’: How Squid Game’s Iconic Killer Doll Came to Life 

Players take part in the Red Light, Green Light game at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium ahead of the release of the Netflix series Squid Game: Season 2 on December 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Players take part in the Red Light, Green Light game at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium ahead of the release of the Netflix series Squid Game: Season 2 on December 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
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‘Cute and Murderous’: How Squid Game’s Iconic Killer Doll Came to Life 

Players take part in the Red Light, Green Light game at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium ahead of the release of the Netflix series Squid Game: Season 2 on December 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Players take part in the Red Light, Green Light game at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium ahead of the release of the Netflix series Squid Game: Season 2 on December 26 in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 22, 2024. (Reuters)

While the second season of "Squid Game" has new plot twists, one element of the Netflix mega-hit series where contestants down on their luck risk their lives to play children's games for the chance of winning cash prizes, has remained constant.

That is Young-hee, an innocent-looking robotic doll who in fact has a deadly role in the South Korean-made television series to find contestants to gun down playing the game "Red Light, Green Light" if she spots them moving.

Young-hee, who is clad in a simple orange dress and a hair clip, has become a viral meme on social media and the centerpiece of the streaming giant's promotional campaign.

Chae Kyoung-sun, the production designer for "Squid Game", said the doll's appearance had been partly inspired 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 told Reuters.

"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."

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

The first season of "Squid Game" became the most-watched show on the streaming platform and expectations were high for the second season to replicate the success.

The new season of the dystopian thriller, released on Dec. 26, also broke a record as the most-watched show in its premiere week on the streaming platform, with 68 million views, according to Netflix.

The streaming giant said on Tuesday it gained a record 18.9 million subscribers in its fourth quarter thanks in part to the second season of Squid Game.

In 2023, Netflix announced a $2.5 billion investment in South Korea to produce Korean TV series, movies and unscripted shows.

Asked about the success of the show and this particular character, Chae put it down to their unorthodox 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 said.

At the end of the second season, viewers also get a glimpse of Chul-su, a male doll set to appear in the next season alongside Young-hee that was originally envisaged for the first series.

"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 said.

"Think of it as a friend, a partner," she said.

The third and final season of Squid Game is set to be released later this year.



‘Conclave’ Wins Best Picture at BAFTAs as ‘The Brutalist’ Takes Directing and Acting Prizes 

British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 16 February 2025. (EPA)
British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 16 February 2025. (EPA)
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‘Conclave’ Wins Best Picture at BAFTAs as ‘The Brutalist’ Takes Directing and Acting Prizes 

British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 16 February 2025. (EPA)
British actor Ralph Fiennes poses on the red carpet at the 2025 EE BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, 16 February 2025. (EPA)

Papal thriller “Conclave” won four prizes including best picture on Sunday at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, where genre-bending musical “Emilia Pérez” proved that it’s still an awards contender despite a multipronged backlash that looked to have dented its chances.

At a ceremony where no film dominated, “The Brutalist” equaled the awards tally of “Conclave," scooping four trophies, including best director for Brady Corbet and best actor for Adrien Brody. Mikey Madison won the best actress prize for Brooklyn tragicomedy “Anora.”

“Conclave,” which stars Ralph Fiennes as a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope, beat “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez” and Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” to the top prize. “Conclave” was also named outstanding British film and took trophies for editing and adapted screenplay.

Supporting performer prizes went to Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain” and Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez,” which also won the award for best film not in the English language.

From the BAFTAs to the Oscars

Stars including Cynthia Erivo, Hugh Grant, Ariana Grande, Lupita Nyong’o, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall for the awards, known as BAFTAs. The British prizes often provide clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards on March 2, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season.

They also have a distinctly British accent. The ceremony kicked off with its kilt-wearing host, Scottish actor David Tennant, leading the audience in a rousing singalong of The Proclaimers’ anthem “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).”

Madison won the female acting trophy for her powerhouse performance as an exotic dancer entangled with a Russian oligarch's son in “Anora.” She beat Karla Sofía Gascón, Demi Moore for body-horror film “The Substance,” Ronan for “The Outrun,” Erivo for “Wicked” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for “Hard Truths.”

Brody beat competition from Fiennes, Chalamet, who plays the young Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” Grant for the horror film “Heretic,” Colman Domingo for prison drama “Sing Sing” and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice.”

Brody, who plays a Hungarian-Jewish architect in the postwar United States, said “The Brutalist” carried a powerful message for our divided times.

“It speaks to the need for all of us to share in the responsibility of how we want others to be treated and how we want to be treated by others,” he said. “There's no place any more for antisemitism. There's no place for racism.”

“The Brutalist” also won prizes for its cinematography and musical score.

“A Real Pain,” about mismatched cousins on a trip to explore their roots, won the BAFTA for best original screenplay, as well as Culkin's acting award.

“I’d like to share this with my wife, who didn’t come because she didn’t think I’d win,” quipped writer-director Jesse Eisenberg, who also co-starred in the film.

Claymation caper “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” won awards for best animated feature and best family and children’s film.

Sci-fi epic “Dune: Part Two” won prizes for sound and visual effects, while blockbuster musical “Wicked” took the costume and production design trophies.

Rising stars and lifetime honors

Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,000 members of the UK academy of industry professionals, with one — the Rising Star Award — selected by public vote from a shortlist of nominees. This year's winner was David Jonsson, star of high finance TV drama series “Industry” and London rom-com “Rye Lane.”

“Star, I don’t know,” he said. “But rising, I guess.”

The prize for best British debut went to Rich Peppiatt, writer-director of Irish-language hip-hop drama “Kneecap.”

“Willow” and “Return of the Jedi” actor Warwick Davis received the academy’s top honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his screen career and work to create a more inclusive film industry.

The 3-foot, 6-inch (1.1-meter) actor founded a talent agency for actors under 5 feet tall, because, he said, “short actors weren’t known for their talent, just their height.”

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me — and I’ve been in ‘Star Wars,’” Davis said as he accepted his award.

This awards season has been clouded by last month’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires, and BAFTA chairwoman Sara Putt sent a message of strength to everyone affected,

The event was without a dash of royal glamour this year. Neither Prince William, who is honorary president of the British film academy, nor his wife Kate attended the ceremony, which coincided with school holidays for their three children.

William, 42, sent a video message, recorded during a visit to meet students at the London Screen Academy on Wednesday.

During the visit, the heir to the throne discussed his own viewing habits, saying he’d watched World War II drama “Darkest Hour” and had begun postapocalyptic TV drama “The Last of Us.” He said he found it “quite full on” and didn’t make it to the end.