A murderous doll outside a famous Spanish bullring

Young-Hee, the iconic doll from Netflix series Squid Game turned up in Ronda this week. She could be seen standing outside the famous bullring in Plaza Teniente Arce in the town centre on Wednesday, a rival for the Christmas decorations. The orange-clad giant character rose up above the typical festive selfie points, the large 2025 and the teddy bear laden with presents, her head turning. The doll was guarded by several characters, dressed in the iconic pink overalls and black masks so familiar to fans of this South Korean series.

A tour of towns and cities is one of the ways chosen by Netflix to promote the second season of the series that became the streaming platform's most watched production to date. The new season will be released on 26 December.

The doll is part of the production created, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and starring Lee Jung-jae, who plays Seong Gi-hun; it has already visited several Spanish cities, such as Vigo and Valladolid, as part of this promotional tour that included Ronda this week.

"She's really scary, especially when she turns her head. I love the series. It's been four years since the first season and I can't wait to see it," said a Squid Game fan who came across Young-Hee in Ronda on Wednesday.

Even though the visit had been well publicised in advance, many locals and visitors were surprised by the appearance of the replica in the town and by the presence of several Squid Game guards, dressed in their pink overalls.

Fans of the series, of all ages, flocked to have their photo taken alongside them.

"I'm from Ronda and I've lived in Madrid. This type of thing is more common there so it's great that they're doing it here to liven the place up a bit. As for the series, you get hooked on it," said another young woman who had her photo taken with her friends and Young-Hee. The giant doll is the character responsible for directing Red Light, Green Light, one of the fatal games in the series' secret contest that people with financial difficulties take part in with the hope of winning a significant sum of money. Some passers-by even wondered on Wednesday whether Ronda would appear in the second season of the series.

Later on Wednesday, Plaza Teniente Arce was the scene for a reenactment of the game Red Light, Green Light, in which members of the public were invited to take part.

"Not long ago, Netflix was filming an international series in Ronda and now they've chosen us again for this promotion along with important cities in Spain such as Madrid, Barcelona or Valladolid," said local councillor at Ronda town hall Jorge Fernández.