Sweet treat from sinister Netflix series 'Squid Game' a hit at Montreal shop
A sugar candy featured in the wildly popular Netflix series Squid Game is causing a stir in Montreal.
Robert Kim sells Korean fare at his St-Henri shop Claude & Claudette Depanneur. Two weeks ago, he started selling dalgona, a candy featured in the series.
The treat comes with its own built-in game: scratch out the inner shape from the brittle sugar disk without snapping it.
Kim remembers playing dalgona as a kid.
“Me and my classmates, we went for it, and played this game and we enjoyed it,” he said.
The after-school treat of his youth is now being devoured by neighbourhood kids. Though of course, the stakes aren’t quite as high as they are in the sinister series from South Korea that’s taking the world by storm.
This undated photo released by Netflix shows a scene of contestants vying to win the Dalgona Korean candy challenge in a scene from "Squid Game." (Youngkyu Park/Netflix via AP)
This undated photo released by Netflix shows a scene of contestants vying to win the Dalgona Korean candy challenge in a scene from "Squid Game." (Youngkyu Park/Netflix via AP)
“When we trim exactly the perfect shape, we get some free dalgona, that's the whole game about it. Without the death, no blood, nothing like that. Just fun,” said Kim.
'Squid Game' is the latest Korean pop culture craze that's made waves around the world. Experts say the show's popularity indicates blossoming North American interest in international content.
Young Montrealers play with their dalgona cookies -- a common South Korean snack popularized around the world by smash-hit series "Squid Game." (Christine Long, CTV News)
Young Montrealers play with their dalgona cookies -- a common South Korean snack popularized around the world by smash-hit series "Squid Game." (Christine Long, CTV News)
“'Squid Game' is an unique phenomenon, but it will lead to more Canadians choosing to get their entertainment outside of Hollywood and Canada – outside of the west, let’s say. It’s a sign of what’s to come,” said University of Toronto Korean studies professor Michelle Cho.
The show's streaming host Netflix wrote to social media this week that the show had garnered 111 million viewers, making it the largest series launch in the platform's history.
The nine-episode thriller, released on Sept. 17, follows protagonist Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) -- a man in serious debt to a local gang. He and hundreds of others enroll in a series of children's games for cash prizes. However, losers of those games face deadly consequences.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.