Squid Game is a South Korean survival drama created by Hwang Dong-hyuk and released on Netflix in 2021, following indebted contestants who compete in children's games for a huge cash prize. Its game announcements, masked guards and pink-and-teal staging made its audio cues instantly shareable as the show became a global hit. The starting sound spread through TikTok, YouTube edits and meme compilations as a shorthand for a contest beginning under pressure. It remains popular because viewers recognise the reference in seconds, even without any footage from the series itself.