They were the creation of First Toa Payoh Primary pupils, who were among the 500 from 24 schools at Little Red Dot's Big Day.

The annual event was The Straits Times' fourth, held exclusively for its primary school subscribers. The children receive the broadsheet with its Little Red Dot magazine at school every Tuesday.

This week, they were vying for top spot in the event's costume contest and iPods in a treasure hunt.

The event drew many pupils, including Emma Schick, 12, from Tanjong Katong Primary, who kept up with her team despite a prosthetic leg. The Primary 5 pupil said: 'I really enjoyed myself as it was exciting.'

Pupils had to answer 10 questions about the zoo's animals, including one based on its daily show Rainforest Fights Back.

The first-place winner of the treasure hunt, Yu Min Primary, received a hamper of merchandise worth more than $1,000, which included five iPod Shuffles. The team leader, 12-year-old Primary 6 pupil Debbie Lim, was joyous. 'Though there was a lot of running, it was a lot of fun too.'

For the dress-up contest, pupils made outfits out of recycled material. First Toa Payoh Primary's giraffes and lions tied for first place, winning $100 Borders book vouchers and a Little Red Dot hamper. Primary 5 pupil Nurul Shazwani, 11, whose lion's mane was made from painted newspaper, said: 'Though it took some time to make my outift, it was worth it.'

The event is part of The Straits Times' ongoing schools outreach. Through it, said the paper's editor Han Fook Kwang, the broadsheet is becoming a part of students' lives. 'We want more students to read The Straits Times and to feel that it's as much a paper for them as it is for their parents.'