As excitement over Squid Game Season 2 reaches a fever pitch, McDonald’s Australia ups the ante with a steaming hot partnership alongside Netflix. For the very first time, fans of this global phenomenon will enjoy all the thrills of the blockbuster series in weirdly delicious style. In a special announcement, the golden-arced giant of fast food has unleashed its Squid Game-themed meal-and daredevil challenge-sure to tease taste buds around the nation.
From December 11, 2024, until January 7, 2025, every McDonald’s store in Australia will serve a specific Squid Game Meal. Composed basically of a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, crispy golden fries, a refrigerator-cold drink, and a limited Korean BBQ Sauce that can tease the buds of your tongue. But what makes this meal? An exclusive adult-sized collector’s box of the iconic characters of Squid Game. Be it Team Player 456 or rooting for the Front Man, this box is a must-have keepsake for any fan.
So, as an homage to one of the most nail-biting moments of the series, the meal includes a piece of Dalgona Candy, which the show propels into pop culture prominence as an iconic Korean candy. Customers are invited to participate in the Squid Game-Inspired Dalgona Candy Challenge. The challenge? Carefully cut with precision through the circle, triangle, star, or even the unmistakable McDonald’s golden arches “M” from this brittle candy without breaking it.
Those who can overcome the challenge in under 10 minutes will get an extra-special reward: entry to a draw to win $100,000 or an ultra-rare Squid Game green player tracksuit. Submissions can be made through the MyMacca’s app by scanning your triumphantly carved candy in. But be warned-much as it is in the actual TV show, precision and patience are a virtue.
The kicking off of this promotion was done by McDonald’s with a glittering live event at World Square, Sydney on December 10, 2024. It dropped fans straight into the Squid Game universe with a replica of the show’s iconic sandpit arena. Over 500 competitors accepted the challenge of Dalgona Candy against the clock and their nervous selves for the chance of glory. Fans went home entertained, as McDonald’s really dares its customers to play.
Since its launch in 2021, Squid Game has been a flashpoint of popular culture, with addictive storytelling and a frank examination of everything from income inequality to the will to live. This team-up shrewdly incorporates the series’ intense competitions into a family-friendly event that gives fans an opportunity to interact with the show in a lighthearted, yet thrilling, manner.
Till the much-awaited release of Season 2 of Squid Game on December 26, 2024, this promotion by McDonald’s acts as a bridge between two seasons. Catapulted to the throne of the most-watched Netflix series that is not in English, with 265.2 million views, this show has been engraved in history. This meal-and-challenge combination creates the thrill from off-screen to on-ground and hence irresectable in the journey of Squid Game.
