A supposedly regular camping trip turns into a succeed-or-soak competition in this surprise ‘Squid Game’-style adventure.
Play a few rounds of Squid Game while camping? Why not?
They brought the costumes, the cards and even the dreaded Squid Game biscuits.
Sub-machine guns and sniper rifles were out of the question, conveniently replaced with non-lethal water guns.
They also had loudspeakers to play the ominous soundtrack from the popular thriller show.
“I still giggle every time I think about that camping trip. We were all so silly and everyone was laughing,” says Carmen Coudray, founder of the social group of campers All About Camping Malaysia (AACM), which has about 200,000 members on social media.
Even the dinner buffet was numbered ominously.
They had Young-hee, the murderous doll, the Masked Men in their garish pink jumpsuits and ominous black masks, the Recruiter and the Boss in his harrowing mask.
It was AACM’s Chinese New Year gathering, with over 30 campers, including children, attending at a managed campsite called Rumah Kebun in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
“We also wanted to celebrate the 100th camping trip of our group expert Patrick Chong.
“Each of us maintains a log of our camping trips and on reaching our 100th trip, it is something to celebrate,” says Coudray.
The organisers managed to get their hands on sugar biscuits identical to those found in ‘Squid Game’.
The planning phase of the trip was interrupted slightly when the second season of Squid Game was released on Netflix.
As many AACM members binge-watched the series before resuming their planning, the thriller somehow worked its way into the camping trip’s plan.
Created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game became a global sensation upon its September 2021 release. Within 28 days, it amassed 111 million viewers, making it Netflix’s most-watched show ever.
The first nine-episode thriller follows debt-ridden contestants playing childhood games for a chance to win 45.6 billion won (RM170mil).
Losing means death. Blending suspense with sharp social commentary on economic inequality, Squid Game resonated worldwide.
Its haunting visuals, intense storytelling and unforgettable characters fuelled viral trends, memes and even real-life game adaptations.
The second season of Squid Game, released last December, brought in 68 million viewers within 72 hours.
A young camper receiving an invitation card from the Recruiter.
“We could buy all the props online, including the sugar biscuits that look exactly like the ones in the show.
“We didn’t tell Patrick about our plans. At camp, our Masked Men marched up to him and he was shocked. Then we made him wear the Young-hee dress,” Coudray laughs.
They played the Young-hee Red Light, Green Light game and campers seen moving during a red light were duly rendered soaking wet with water guns.
They kicked the Jegi, which looks exactly like the Malaysian childhood game called capteh or sepak bulu ayam.
Campers must keep the Jegi from reaching the ground by kicking it up using their feet or ankle five times, or the Masked Men would soak them again.
They played Gong-gi using dice marked in the classic Squid Game style with circles, triangles and squares.
And since the game is exactly like Malaysia’s traditional batu lima or batu seremban (five stones) game, Coudray says they also brought plenty of traditional batu lima bean bags for the children to play.
“They loved the batu lima game and played it late into the night.
It’s ‘death’ by water guns if you lose a game.
“Us adults felt so happy seeing them engrossed in the game,” she says.
The role of the Recruiter was assumed by camper David Lee Seng Ang, wearing black slacks and a suit jacket. He was also equipped with the red and blue cards used in the first game played in the thriller, and also the “invitation cards” marked with a circle, triangle and square.
“The children who didn’t know we had a Squid Game theme were wide-eyed when our Salesman presented them with the invitation cards during our three-day, two-night camping trip,” Coudray says.
With more than 30 campers in the group and not enough space to pitch enough tents for everyone, the children got to sleep in the campsite’s plush, air-conditioned cabins.
The parents were in the tents, de-compressing under the starry night.
After they had their fun, this Squid Game gang decided to drive to neighbouring campsites.
Hulu Langat is a rustic valley with a shallow brook of clear tumbling water and plenty of managed campsites for outdoor lovers to choose from.
“We walked in with our masks and pink jumpsuits and loudspeakers playing the Squid Game soundtrack. Everyone was delighted,” Coudray said.
Other campers jumped at the chance to play the games and laughed sportingly when they lost and got soaked with water.
There was just one drawback in the whole shebang.
“It got really hot wearing those pink jumpsuits in the woods! I was sweating like mad inside,” recalled Coudray.
