Do you know Water Wally, Merli, Sharity and Singa?
In Singapore, we love our mascots. These cute and lovable national icons, both young and old, have accompanied us through our childhood, and even till today.
How well do you know these well-loved mascots? For starters, did you know that the word ‘mascot’ originates from the French word ‘mascotte’ which means lucky charm? In Singapore, we’ve been extra lucky. Over the years, many national mascots have made their debut but only a special few have made their way into our hearts. Their timeless values and stories continue to hold special meaning to us.
Here are some interesting facts about 4 of the most popular must-know national mascots in Singapore that have permeated our national consciousness and continue to play a huge role in our community today.
1. Water Wally
Shaped like a water droplet, Water Wally, the mascot of PUB – Singapore’s National Water Agency, is friendly, helpful and kind.
Launched in 2005, Water Wally’s mission is to protect all water sources so that they can be clean, sparkling and free-flowing. He is also an expert on everything about water.
Water Wally has been encouraging us save water and educating us about our precious water resources. How well have you heeded Water Wally’s advice? Here’s quick tip, by cutting your shower time by 1 minute, you can save 9 litres of water? In fact, PUB encourages us to keep showers to under 5 minutes and turn off the tap while soaping.
DID YOU KNOW! Water Wally is a TV star! Water Wally appeared in a nine-episode short animated series “The Adventures of Water Wally” on MediaCorp’s children’s channel okto from January 23 to February 14 2009.
2. Merli
One of the newest mascots to make a splash onto Singapore’s shores. Merli is a heart-warming and whimsical illustration of Singapore’s mythical national icon. Merli, short for Merlion, is a character that the Singapore Tourism Board launched in 2018.
Passionate about Singapore, Merli is energetic and outgoing, and has many friends locally and around the world. Whenever his friends visit, Merli takes the opportunity to show them the best and most interesting parts of Singapore. An excellent host!
In his free time, Merli also often embarks on adventures around Singapore, making new friends wherever he goes. With Merli, you’ll always learn something new and interesting by exploring islandwide.
DID YOU KNOW! Merli’s favourite food is kaya toast which he loves for its unique taste.
3. Sharity
Created by the Community Chest in 1984, Sharity the elephant is cuddly, strikingly pink and hard to miss. Sharity got his name from a combination of the words ‘share’ and ‘charity’ and true to his name, Sharity regularly cares for and shares with the underprivileged. In fact, Sharity encourages children and youth to be compassionate towards the less fortunate in the community.
A truly believer in sharing, when Sharity plays a game, he includes everyone. When snacking on his favourite peanut ice kacang, he shares them with his friends too. And when he receives his pocket money he remembers those who aren’t as lucky and sets aside some to give to the less fortunate. He is always making new friends, volunteering during his free time and making a difference in someone’s life.
Don’t we all aspire to have an impact on the community like Sharity does? In fact, looking pink and different from other elephants didn’t make him give up or run away. Instead he put on a brave front and continued doing all the things he loved. Don’t we all aspire to be like Sharity and have an impact on the community like Sharity?
DID YOU KNOW? Sharity’s birthday falls on Children’s Day. He celebrates his birthday by giving and receiving. He ensures that it is always a charitable birthday, when he brings together his privileged and less privileged friends together, to do good.
4. Singa the Lion
Singa the Lion once said: “We are responsible for the kind of society we encourage and create. It is our choices that determine who we are – as we journey forward together as Singaporeans, let’s be kind and be Greater.” What an inspirational lion!
Singa is a familiar icon for the courtesy that many Singaporeans grew up with. Known for his kindness and graciousness, Singa was first introduced in 1982 as the official mascot for Singapore’ National Courtesy Campaign and today, the well-loved mascot is making a major come back at Raffles City Singapore.
CapitaLand’s Raffles City Singapore has collaborated with Singapore Kindness Movement to launch the ‘Arts in the City: We Love SINGApore’ exhibition in commemoration of Singapore Bicentennial and celebration of Singapore’s 54th birthday. Launched by Guest-of-Honour President Halimah Yacob, the exhibition features 200, 40cm-tall three-dimensional figurines of Singa, specially designed by individuals from all walks of life. The exhibit is on now till the 28 August 2019, from 10am to 10pm.
At the launch of the exhibition, CapitaLand Hope Foundation, the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand, pledged S$300,000 to benefit six charities – Alzheimer’s Disease Association, APEX Harmony Lodge, AWWA, Filos Community Services, Morning Star Community Services and Pertapis Children’s Home. – under President’s Challenge 2019.
At the end of the exhibition, the figurines will find permanent homes with interested adopters and all proceeds will go towards President’s Challenge. The figurines will be up for adoption at a minimum sum of S$88 each on a first-come-first-serve basis, subject to availability.
DID YOU KNOW? President Halimah Yacob and her husband, Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee, have designed a pair of President’s Challenge Singa the Lion figurines which you can see at Raffles City Singapore. The two Singas – Elder Singa and Young Singa, who each represents different generations of Singaporeans, have come together to make a difference to the lives of the less fortunate. Be sure to check them out!
Source: CapitaLand Newsroom
