For the last month and change, Squid Game has been a global phenomenon, shattering viewership records, even getting its distributor, Netflix, in trouble. But recently it’s crossed a new line: It’s been inspiring copycat accidents. Over on TikTok, young users have taken one of the dystopian South Korean show’s feats and started doing it for real, with sometimes dire consequences.
According to The Daily Mail, a 14-year-old boy in Sydney, Australia, named Aiden Higgie, got bored during lockdown and attempt what is known as the honeycomb challenge. That’s the one where participants try to create a thin sheet of honeycomb then carve out a shape using only a pin without breaking it. But Aiden tried to melt the mixture in a non-microwavable cup. When he went to remove it, it exploded in his hand, the hot mixture running down his legs.
Aiden wound up with first-degree burns to his hand and deep burns and nerve damage down his leg. The wound was so bad doctors believe he’ll need a skin graft. Though the burns are healing, he’ll need to spend the next year in a pressure bandage. Aiden claimed some of his friends had already tried their own honeycomb challenges.
Since Squid Game took off, Google searches for “honeycomb mixture” and “honeycomb challenge” have taken off, especially in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the violent nature of the show, which finds cash-strapped people competing for deadly games for riches, has inspired the New York School District to ban costumes inspired by the program. At the same time, its portrait of a broken society has inspired blue collar workers to protest deplorable working conditions.
(Via The Daily Mail)