Duolingo Owl joins Netflix’s Squid Game guards to make you ‘learn Korean or else’
Courtesy of Duolingo
Duolingo is turning up the pressure—and the fun—with a new partnership that merges language learning and high-stakes drama. In collaboration with Netflix, the language-learning app has launched the “Learn Korean or Else” campaign just in time for Squid Game Season 2, which premieres on December 26, 2024.
The campaign brings a playful twist to learning Korean, mixing Duolingo’s quirky humor with Squid Game’s tense energy.
The campaign introduces over 40 new keywords and phrases from Squid Game to Duolingo’s Korean course. Fans can now pick up essential terms to better appreciate the series’ dialogue, subtle threats, and cultural nuances. If you want to understand those ominous whispers or avoid metaphorical “elimination,” learning Korean might just be your best bet.
Manu Orssaud, CMO of Duolingo, said:
“We saw a 40% increase in Korean learners just after Squid Game Season 1, underscoring the powerful connection between entertainment, culture, and language learning.
“This campaign allows us to continue that momentum in a way only Duolingo can—with humor, intensity, and a bit of chaos! We hope fans will accept Duo’s challenge to learn Korean and immerse themselves in the experience.”
To add to the fun (and fear), Duolingo’s mascot, Duo the Owl, dons a Pink Guard uniform from Squid Game and delivers some friendly but firm reminders to complete your lessons. Whether Duo is showing up in teaser videos, billboards, or TikTok challenges, one thing is clear: skipping your Korean lesson might come with consequences!
Magno Herran, Vice President of Partner & Brand Marketing at Netflix, explained:
"Great stories can come from anywhere, and last year, about 13% of hours viewed on Netflix in the US were non-English titles — with Korean, Spanish, and Japanese stories attracting the biggest audiences. Embracing the authenticity of these local stories is really important to us. Duolingo was the perfect partner for Squid Game Season 2 because not only did we see fans gravitate toward the app to learn Korean after Season 1, but also as a brand, they were willing to go bold with us.
“We discovered there were a lot of shared traits between Duo the Owl and the Pink Guards — both very determined and menacing. So we made it official and gave Duo a Pink Guard uniform and ultimately created something we know fans will love and talk about, cheering A-ssa! in celebration."
The campaign features a suspenseful teaser, a K-pop remix of the show’s theme song titled “Korean or Get Eaten,” and even a TikTok filter that lets users test their Korean skills while playing the show’s “Red Light, Green Light” game. Billboards in Koreatown, Los Angeles, and New York City challenge passersby to “learn Korean to stay safe”—a nod to the show’s ever-looming sense of danger.
As the clock ticks down to Squid Game Season 2, Duolingo is inviting fans to sharpen their Korean skills and maybe, just maybe, stay one step ahead of Duo.
