<p>Seoul: While the second season of <em>Squid Game</em> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Young-hee, who is clad in a simple orange dress and a hair clip, has become a viral meme on social media and the centrepiece of the streaming giant's promotional campaign.</p>.Saif Ali Khan meets auto driver Bhajan Singh Rana who took him to hospital, photos go viral.<p>Chae Kyoung-sun, the production designer for <em>Squid Game</em>, said the doll's appearance had been partly inspired by her own daughter.</p><p>"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 <em>Reuters</em>.</p><p>"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."</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>In 2023, Netflix announced a $2.5 billion investment in South Korea to produce Korean TV series, movies and unscripted shows.</p><p>Asked about the success of the show and this particular character, Chae put it down to their unorthodox nature.</p><p>"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.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"Think of it as a friend, a partner," she said.</p><p>The third and final season of Squid Game is set to be released later this year. </p>
<p>Seoul: While the second season of <em>Squid Game</em> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Young-hee, who is clad in a simple orange dress and a hair clip, has become a viral meme on social media and the centrepiece of the streaming giant's promotional campaign.</p>.Saif Ali Khan meets auto driver Bhajan Singh Rana who took him to hospital, photos go viral.<p>Chae Kyoung-sun, the production designer for <em>Squid Game</em>, said the doll's appearance had been partly inspired by her own daughter.</p><p>"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 <em>Reuters</em>.</p><p>"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."</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>In 2023, Netflix announced a $2.5 billion investment in South Korea to produce Korean TV series, movies and unscripted shows.</p><p>Asked about the success of the show and this particular character, Chae put it down to their unorthodox nature.</p><p>"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.</p><p>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.</p><p>"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.</p><p>"Think of it as a friend, a partner," she said.</p><p>The third and final season of Squid Game is set to be released later this year. </p>