Mascots and their messages

Singaporeans growing up in the 1980s and 90s would be familiar with a series of mascots promoting everything from courtesy to saving water and money. Amelia Teng recalls four

Singa the Courtesy Lion PHOTO: MITA
Teamy the Bee ST FILE PHOTO
Bobo the water-saving Elephant PHOTO: PUB
Smiley Squirrel PHOTO: POSB

SINGA THE COURTESY LION

• Singa was born during the National Courtesy Campaign in 1982 to encourage people to be kind and considerate

• He later became the Singapore Kindness Movement's mascot, but retired from his position in 2013


TEAMY THE BEE

ST FILE PHOTO

• He was the mascot for the national productivity movement in 1982 to inspire a more efficient workforce. This busy bee retired in 1999.

• His slogan came in the form of a buzzing jingle: " Good, better, best! Never let it rest. Till your good is better and your better, best."


BOBO THE WATER-SAVING ELEPHANT

PHOTO: PUB

• Bobo, introduced in 1973, had a cartoon TV series that taught children to save water. He also appeared in advertisements for the then Public Utilities Board.

• His successor is Water Wally, a blue water droplet introduced in 2005.


SMILEY SQUIRREL

PHOTO: POSB

• An animal known for squirrelling food away for rainy days, the squirrel was chosen in 1983 to encourage children to save money instead, as part of POSB's National School Savings Campaign.

• The campaign was revived last year in conjunction with SG50.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 01, 2016, with the headline Mascots and their messages. Subscribe