Round and Round (Squid Game)

About

"Round and Round," also known as Mingle or "Ring-a Ring-a," is a song and game from the second season of the South Korean Netflix show Squid Game in which players have to undergo a series of fatal challenges for a chance at winning a life-changing amount of money. The Mingle game involves a rotating carousel with contestants having to split up into teams or "mingle" to survive while a children's nursery rhyme plays. The "Round and Round" song subsequently became a trend on TikTok and Instagram in early January 2025, often being referenced in memes, with many people drawing attention to a purple-haired character named Thanos who was seen laughing and dancing throughout the scene.

Origin

On December 26th, 2024, season 2, episodes 5 and 6 of Squid Game, titled "One More Game" and "O X," were released on Netflix.^[1] The episodes showed contestants playing a new game called "Mingle," where players have to form groups within a limited amount of time and rush into rooms with the corresponding number, like a twisted game of musical chairs.

A scene from the episodes featuring the song "Round and Round" was posted to the YouTube^[2] page Still Watching Netflix, gathering over 9 million views in a week. The scene showing the character Thanos (played by T.O.P.) dancing with his arms linked with another player can be seen at the 30-second timestamp.

The scene was reposted to TikTok^[3] by @squidgamenetflix on December 28th, 2024, and again on December 30th, gathering over 158 million plays and 11 million likes in over a week.

Spread

TikToker^[4] @alekessekes_ was one of the first to post a dance video set to the Mingle game song on December 31st, 2024. The video gathered over 16 million views and 2 million likes in a week. The video showed the TikTokers linking their arms together and dancing in a circle like Thanos in the show.

On January 1st, 2025, the Instagram^[7] page @_celesxtine_ reposted the "Round and Round" video with the caption, "What are you listening to these days?" and gathered over 300,000 likes in five days.

On January 2nd, TikToker^[5] @jojosumanti posted a video dancing to "Round and Round," gathering over 14 million views and 2.3 million likes in four days.

Also on January 2nd, 2025, the Instagram^[8] page @marikteba posted a version of the Vibing Cat meme set to the "Round and Round" song, gathering over 100,000 likes in three days.

Several TikTokers referenced Thanos's attitude directly, as seen in a January 3rd, 2025, video^[6] posted by TikTok user @apolo.ribera, who gathered over 7 million plays and 1 million likes in three days.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References