At least three elementary schools in New York state have announced that any Halloween costumes referencing Squid Game will be prohibited.
Per CBS News, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District superintendent confirmed this week that kids have been banned from portraying any characters from the wildly popular South Korean Netflix show. In a statement, superintendent Dr. Craig J. Tice said that Enders Road, Mott Road, and Fayetteville students and parents have been informed about the decision, which was made over concerns about the show’s mature themes and gory violence.
Tice added that the school district’s principals “wanted to make sure our families are aware that it would be inappropriate for any student to wear to school a Halloween costume from this show because of the potential violent messages aligned with the costume."
Already existing guidelines for the schools prohibited Halloween costumes that include items “that can be interpreted as weapons,” such as swords or guns. Any costumes that are deemed “too gory or scary” are also not allowed at school events, although it’s unclear where the line is drawn in regards to that rule.
“We have observed that some students at recess have been playing a version of [Squid Game] … which is intended for mature audiences, ages 16 and older,” said Mott Road Elementary’s principal in a statement provided to the Washington Post. “Due to concerns about the potential violent nature of the game, it is inappropriate for recess play or discussion at school.”
Squid Game has proven to be one of the most popular cultural events of the year. Earlier this month, Netflix said in a letter to its investors that 142 million households have already watched the show globally since its launch in September.
“A mind-boggling 142m member households globally have chosen to watch the title in its first four weeks,” the letter reads. “The breadth of Squid Game’s popularity is truly amazing.” It’s proven to be the biggest series launch of all-time on the streaming giant, and is on track to generate nearly $900 million in revenue despite only costing $21.4 million to produce.
There have been some concerns regarding its content, however, as one council in the South of England suggested that parents should “not allow children” to watch the series. One complaint suggested that the series could even be “fostering bullies” due to its violent content, although in reality this says more about parenting than it does the show itself. Don’t let your kids watch shows for adults, ya doofus.
