KALOS unveils Squid Game-themed interactive experience at Hysan Place

Hong Kong building brick toys brand KALOS has collaborated with Netflix’s popular Korean drama Squid Game season two to launch a collection of branded products, along with an exclusive pop-up store and interactive experiences at Hysan Place.

This comes as KALOS, established in 1971, has been operated for over 50 years. The brand has rebranded itself with a focus on its core component, “LUB” (粒粒), representing the endless possibilities of shapes and colors with each block. In collaboration with the Netflix series, KALOS has launched the new Squid Game 2-themed product series, representing the first chapter of the brand’s next journey with its rebranded elements.

A spokesperson from KALOS told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the collection aims to maximise brand exposure, marking the launch of its first pop-up store to extend offline brand presence and increase sales. KALOS combines the characters and games from the series with its “LUB” elements, launching a variety of products such as keychains, blind boxes, speakers, magnets, and stickers to showcase the scenes of the latest Squid Game season and allow fans to experience the tense atmosphere of the game up close.

Also known as “KALOS x Squid Game 2 collection launch”, the campaign is done in collaboration with local PR agency OUI Workshop. The pop-up store will be open until 2 February. At the Kai Chiu Road entrance of Hysan Place, visitors will find a 2.8-meter-tall model of Young-hee, the large motion-sensing female animatronic doll from Squid Game, alongside three 1.5-meter-tall pink soldiers. Young-hee features a head that rotates 360 degrees and glowing red eyes, recreating the iconic “Red Light, Green Light” game from the series.

The pop-up store is located on the first floor of Hysan Place, featuring a coffin-shaped exterior inspired by scenes from Squid Game 2. All products are exclusively available at this pop-up. Offerings include a jumbo Young-hee figure, a piggy bank figure, a stairs room speaker, blind boxes that recreate scenes from the series, keychains, and illustrations.

To enhance interactivity, KALOS has recreated four iconic scenes from Squid Game across four floors of Hysan Place. Each scene includes a stamp station, and a special collectible pattern will be revealed when visitors collect stamps from all four locations. Once guests have gathered all four stamps on a single piece of paper, they can present the completed pattern to the pop-up store staff to redeem an exclusive gift. Additionally, keychains and blind boxes are available in KALOS x Squid Game-themed vending machines, located on two floors of Hysan Place.

To promote the exclusive products and the pop-up store, KALOS invited Edan Lui from the local boyband MIRROR to attend the opening ceremony. He is selected as he is a fan of the series and a public figure who enjoys reality games, making him a perfect fit for the collaboration, according to the spokesperson. 

“KALOS encourages people to build their dream, each KALOS block is called ‘LUB’, and they represent endless possibilities in different shapes and colors. As a brand, we want to support everyone that's been chasing their dream, as well as Lui who is a multi-talented actor and singer-songwriter,” the spokesperson said.

“And with his crowd of fans, it has helped the brand to gain popularity, and also drive traffic to our offline shop,” the spokesperson added. 

KALOS has also leveraged various social media content to generate buzz for the collaboration launch and has invited KOLs and publications to promote it on their platforms. With the involvement of celebrities, KOLs, and media exposure, the campaign establishes a cohesive promotional strategy, alongside its official social media channels and website.

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