This article contains major spoilers for “Squid Game” season 2.
The first season of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s smash hit series “Squid Game” ended with a winner. Player 456, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), was the last man standing, winning 45.6 billion won and changing his life permanently. At the end of “Squid Game” season 2, not only was Gi-hun back in the games, but after seven episodes, the games were still ongoing. Players split themselves into two factions — those who want to keep playing, and those who want to go home while they still can — with Gi-hun leading a riot against the guards that unfortunately failed almost as quickly as it began. This shocking cliffhanger will certainly keep audiences hooked until season 3 arrives sometime in the summer of 2025, but for those who were wise enough to stay around after the credits rolled, there’s an even bigger mystery hanging over the games.
In a post-credits scene that lasted only a few seconds, a handful of players (096, 100, and 353) timidly approach Young-hee, the unsettling giant robot girl who controls the Red Light, Green Light game, but she’s standing in front of a new game map — a sunset. For as sweet and innocent as she may appear, those who have watched “Squid Game” know that she’s an omen of obliteration — an angel of death. Could this be another branch of the games in another land, like the upcoming spin-off series Netflix is producing from David Fincher? However, the players and Young-hee aren’t alone. In this clip, there is another giant robot doll, but this one resembles a young boy wearing a striped polo and a small hat. He is placed across from Young-hee, and a stoplight flashes from red to green before the footage cuts to black.
Fortunately, Hwang Dong-hyuk has explained what’s going on with this mysterious new doll, and what fans can expect in season 3.
The new Squid Game doll is named Cheol-su
Both dolls appear to have sensors in their eyes, and we at /Film have already theorized that this may be to combat players hiding their movement behind the players in front of them out of Young-hee’s view, or that it is perhaps a look at an earlier iteration of the game from years prior. However, in speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Hwang Dong-hyuk explained that the doll is named Cheol-su, and that the post-credits scene is a teaser for not only season 3, but for a brand new game. As he explained:
“That’s actually a [sneak peek] of Cheol-su, who, like Young-hee, is a new giant doll that we’re going to be showcasing in season 3 and that’s also a hint at the most exciting game in season 3 as well. So, while it hasn’t been shared yet, I hope everyone will be excited to meet Cheol-su and the new game.”
The addition of Cheol-su, the new game map, and the visual of a blinking red light and green train light as opposed to Young-hee announcing the change and turning her head implies that either this is a very distinct version of the game from what audiences are used to seeing, or it’s a different game entirely. One of the prevailing theories is that Young-hee and Cheol-su together indicate playing “The Jack and Jill Game,” noting that Cheolsoo and Younghee are also the names of two children featured in the illustrations of school books in Korea, with the Western counterparts being “Jack and Jill.”
To play the Jack and Jill game, players start at the bottom of a hill and roll colored dice to climb to the top, based on the color of the dice. With every roll, players also spin a wheel. If it points to a well, they stay on their spot. If it points to a bucket, the player returns to the hill’s bottom. The first person to reach the top and spin a wheel that points to a well, wins.
To find out whether the show’s players will be tackling Jack & Jill or something else entirely, we’ll have to wait until “Squid Game” season 3 arrives sometime this summer.
