Deja Vu
Ah, the Merlion - this weird, hybrid creature which is presented as an iconic local character, but much like many other legendary tourist icons, is a monster which terrorises kids in nightmares. Imagine yourself waking up to see one of these souvenirs staring right at you:
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| Amphibious danger. |
Recently, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) introduced Merli to this world. Thankfully, its only similarity with the Merlion is the lion's head plus mermaid tail's concept; it is a wonderful spin on a character which looks intimidating in real life.
As Singapore's tourism mascot, Merli aims to attract families with young kids to visit Singapore with its cute appearance and hug-able cheeks.
As Singapore's tourism mascot, Merli aims to attract families with young kids to visit Singapore with its cute appearance and hug-able cheeks.
"But haven't I seen something like this before?" The answer is yes. Just how did we get here?
Circles vs squares
You might remember that in 2017, SG rebranded itself as this hip place where 'Passion is made Possible'. Complete with a fresh identity to keep up with the times (everything is becoming rounder these days), Singapore was ready to bring in record-breaking tourist numbers. Of course, we did a review of the whole rebrand, which you can find here.
The brand applications make it clear that the logo doesn't have to be in your face for it to stand out.
Mer Lee
"Armed with a can-do attitude and a great enthusiasm for discovering more about Singapore, Merli embodies the Passion Made Possible brand."
-Ms Lim Shoo Ling, Director, Brand, STB
Merli's story, like many mascots, follows a fill-in-the-blanks type checklist which lists his social nature, hobbies and favourite food (kaya toast). I do not expect kid-friendly mascots to have complicated backstories or to be multi-dimensional characters, but easter eggs of quirky Merlion trivia would be impressive. For example, Merli could have lightning powers (eg zapping a BBQ pit for a party), referencing the Merlion's lightning strike incident of 2009.
Merli's story, like many mascots, follows a fill-in-the-blanks type checklist which lists his social nature, hobbies and favourite food (kaya toast). I do not expect kid-friendly mascots to have complicated backstories or to be multi-dimensional characters, but easter eggs of quirky Merlion trivia would be impressive. For example, Merli could have lightning powers (eg zapping a BBQ pit for a party), referencing the Merlion's lightning strike incident of 2009.
Merli stickers and gifs offer us a glimpse of future STB ad campaigns targeted at young families. Currently, Merli has 6 different poses.
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| A sticker sheet |
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| They named this gif 'determination' - I can only think of national exam mugging :') |
Surprisingly, I could not find any other animated, cartoony country mascot (please correct me if I am wrong). I double and triple checked but found nothing, and no such mascot came to mind when I thought of country branding.
Sure, Japan has a mascot for everything but not one specifically created by its tourism board for the purpose of country personification (regional ones don't count). Instead, Japan rides on cultural waves by using well established figures of Japanese pop culture as ambassadors of its tourism programme. Till a Hello Kitty-famous type of local character emerges, we'll rely on Merli to draw in the crowds.
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| Gotta catch em all? |
Where's Singa?
Grab your popcorn for this one - social media reactions to new articles of Merli are important in gauging whether STB's plans are on the right track. I believe that most of these comments were made in good fun, not actual criticisms of Merli. |
| Notable comments on CNA's article |
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| Notable comments on ST's non-premium article |
This mascot is by no means ugly from a design standpoint. It's cute, it's marketable and it's mostly likely going to sell well as plush toys. Unfortunately, cute is already an integral part of Japan's identity, so I'm not surprised by the Hello Kitty comparison.
But when I first saw Merli, it reminded me of another cute Japanese character.
Merlion King
Even before Passion made Possible, the Merlion inspired many creations, from mascots to merch.
The earliest likely example of an STB-approved Merlion creation is the Merlion plush. Found in touristy areas but featured most in Sentosa where there the largest Merlion statue stands, they range from bad mane day savage Merlions to the wide-eyed ones on drugs.
Nothing too fancy or groundbreaking, just cute(ish) enough for shops to profit from selling them.
Just when you think you've seen the worst of the Merlion, I present to you the Merlion mascot of the Singapore Slingers.
Now to address the elephant in the room - another local mascot with the same pronunciation - Merly.
In 2010, Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Merly was one of the 2 mascots of YPG 2010. Does this ring a bell?
The earliest likely example of an STB-approved Merlion creation is the Merlion plush. Found in touristy areas but featured most in Sentosa where there the largest Merlion statue stands, they range from bad mane day savage Merlions to the wide-eyed ones on drugs.
Nothing too fancy or groundbreaking, just cute(ish) enough for shops to profit from selling them.
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| I have no words... |
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| Don't attract his attention, maybe he'll leave |
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| Too late, it found its prey |
In 2010, Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Merly was one of the 2 mascots of YPG 2010. Does this ring a bell?
Design trends have changed so much since 2010, when effect-heavy videos were in, and minimalism wasn't such a huge thing.
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| Everything is simpler now |
Artists are showing their support for both mascots - I'm sure there's room for us to love both.
Merli and Merly!Merli is a new mascot for Singapore tourism board. Merly was a mascot for 2010's youth olympicsI THOUGHT THEY WERE CUTE OKAY DON'T JUDGE ME pic.twitter.com/hgQa1iRqiC
— One fear: Ranbu leveling (@Rattetytat) 7 July 2018
CONVERSATION