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Merlion
The Merlion (/ˈmɜːrˌlaɪən/ ⓘ) is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to represent both the city state and its people in sports teams, advertising, branding, tourism and as a national personification.
The Merlion was first used in Singapore as the logo for the tourism board. Its name combines "mer", meaning the sea, and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".
The symbol was designed by Alec Fraser-Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997 and has been its trademarked symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion frequently appears on STB-approved souvenirs.
The sea-lion, a heraldic beast of similar appearance to the Merlion, has long been used in the heraldry of Europe and its colonies. However, it is distinct from the Merlion and was not used to symbolize Singapore prior to the design of the Merlion.
The Merlion was conceptualised by the vice-chancellor Kwan Sai Kheong of the University of Singapore and constructed from November 1971 to August 1972 by sculptor Lim Nang Seng. It measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tons. The project cost about S$165,000.
On 15 September 1972, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the installation ceremony of the Merlion statue. The original statue stood at the mouth of the Singapore River in Merlion Park.
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997 blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. The location of the Merlion was also no longer at the entrance of Singapore River due to land reclamation works and also not sprouting water due to a water pump malfunction in 1998, requiring maintenance works on it.
To give the Merlion an unblocked view of the Singapore River, it was suggested to raise the Merlion on a pedestal at its original location. It was deemed unsuitable as the view would still be blocked by the bridge. The other solution was to relocate the Merlion to other places. Possible relocation sites considered included 120 metres away at a new Merlion Park, Nicoll Highway Extension Bridge, Esplanade Park, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, a promontory at Marina Centre (near where the Singapore Flyer is located now), a promontory site at Bayfront (near the tip of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort) and Kim Seng Park. A new Merlion Park, 120 metres away, on a newly reclaimed promontory in front of the Fullerton Hotel with a Merlion Pier was chosen after the other relocation choices were either unsuitable or not technically feasible.
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Merlion AI simulator
(@Merlion_simulator)
Merlion
The Merlion (/ˈmɜːrˌlaɪən/ ⓘ) is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to represent both the city state and its people in sports teams, advertising, branding, tourism and as a national personification.
The Merlion was first used in Singapore as the logo for the tourism board. Its name combines "mer", meaning the sea, and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".
The symbol was designed by Alec Fraser-Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March 1964 to 1997 and has been its trademarked symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion frequently appears on STB-approved souvenirs.
The sea-lion, a heraldic beast of similar appearance to the Merlion, has long been used in the heraldry of Europe and its colonies. However, it is distinct from the Merlion and was not used to symbolize Singapore prior to the design of the Merlion.
The Merlion was conceptualised by the vice-chancellor Kwan Sai Kheong of the University of Singapore and constructed from November 1971 to August 1972 by sculptor Lim Nang Seng. It measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tons. The project cost about S$165,000.
On 15 September 1972, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the installation ceremony of the Merlion statue. The original statue stood at the mouth of the Singapore River in Merlion Park.
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997 blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. The location of the Merlion was also no longer at the entrance of Singapore River due to land reclamation works and also not sprouting water due to a water pump malfunction in 1998, requiring maintenance works on it.
To give the Merlion an unblocked view of the Singapore River, it was suggested to raise the Merlion on a pedestal at its original location. It was deemed unsuitable as the view would still be blocked by the bridge. The other solution was to relocate the Merlion to other places. Possible relocation sites considered included 120 metres away at a new Merlion Park, Nicoll Highway Extension Bridge, Esplanade Park, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, a promontory at Marina Centre (near where the Singapore Flyer is located now), a promontory site at Bayfront (near the tip of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort) and Kim Seng Park. A new Merlion Park, 120 metres away, on a newly reclaimed promontory in front of the Fullerton Hotel with a Merlion Pier was chosen after the other relocation choices were either unsuitable or not technically feasible.