Costumes and masks inspired by Squid Game are on display in a shop at Yiwu Wholesale Market on October 13, 2021 in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China.Photo: VCG

A costume of a red suit and a black mesh mask inspired on one of the characters of the show Squid Game was the top choice for Chinese youngsters on a night out with friends before Halloween, after the South Korean drama became a hit on internet.

Many activities were held on Saturday evening in amusement parks and bars in some major cities in China, with people celebrating with friends and dressing up in costumes of all kinds, inspired on TV dramas and movies, or simply, on daily objects.

"I saw four Teletubbies, a Snow White and a Chinese emperor talking to a Japanese Ultraman in Shanghai," one netizen posted. "I even saw a cup of milk tea wandering in our community," another replied.

Yet among them, the guard from Squid Game stood out with videos circulating on social media showing hundreds of people wearing the costume in the streets of Shanghai with the red suit catching bystander's attention. 

In addition to the costume of the intimidating guards, people said on social media that the giant doll and the jogging suit worn by the game players in the show were also spotted in Found 158, an open air venue in Shanghai where cosplay parties are organized every year on Halloween. 

Cancan and her friends, residents of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province also dressed up as guards of the show on Saturday evening. They got high numbers of likes  for their videos on the China Folk Culture Villages, a theme park in Shenzhen.

"When we were on the streets there were people constantly coming to us to get a photo with them," Cancan said. She bought the costumes on China's e-commerce Taobao for Halloween after watching the show with her friends.

"It feels nice when you are able to wear whatever you want on a day like this with your friends. And when I saw some characters that I liked from a certain TV show it excited me," Cancan said, adding that "it is just like a show episode in real life."

Netflix's Squid Game has ranked top in over 80 countries and regions, according to data on streaming analytics platform FlixPatrol. 

The show centers on a contest where 456 players play a series of children's games with deadly penalties to win a $38 million prize.

Reports from mid-October showed that the masks of the Squid Game guard costumes became the top selling products in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, one of the world largest trade hubs of small commodities.