Merlion

The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is the official mascot of Singapore, depicted as a mythical
creature with a lion's head 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.[1]

Singapore Merlion
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-Bruner, 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.[2]
Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion appears frequently on
STB-approved souvenirs.

Together with the Little Mermaid of Denmark and Manneken Pis of Belgium, the Singapore
Merlion is ranked in Japan as the 'Three Major Disappointments of the World'[3][4][5][6]. This
meme was played out in episode 6 of the anime series A Place Further Than The Universe, when
two of the characters expressed to their chagrin that the Merlion was not as disappointing as they
thought.

Original statue

On 15 September 1972, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the installation ceremony
of the Merlion statue.[7] The original Merlion statue used to stand at the mouth of the Singapore
River, at the tip of the Former Merlion Park with Anderson Bridge as its background.

It was conceptualised by the vice-chancellor of the University of Singapore (now known as

National University of Singapore) then, Kwan Sai Kheong. Made from November 1971 to
August 1972 by the late Singapore sculptor, Lim Nang Seng (Chinese: 林浪新; pinyin: Lín
Làngxīn),[8] it measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tons.[7][9] The project cost about
S$165,000.[7]
Relocation of original statue

The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, blocked the views of the Merlion from the
Marina Bay waterfront.[7] By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance
of Singapore River.[7] So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current
Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay where it stands on a newly reclaimed promontory in front of
The Fullerton Hotel.

Another solution considered—to raise the Merlion on a pedestal at its original location—was
deemed unsuitable as the view would still be blocked by the bridge. Other possible relocation
sites considered included Nicoll Highway Extension Bridge, Esplanade Park, Esplanade -
Theatres on the Bay, a promontory at Marina Centre (near where Singapore Flyer is located
now), a promontory site at Bayfront (near the tip of Marina Bay Sands integrated resort) and
Kim Seng Park. However, all were either unsuitable or not technically feasible.[7]

The unprecedented feat of relocation began on 23 April 2002, and finished on 25 April. A
carefully engineered journey required one barge, two DEMAG AC1600S cranes of 500 tonnes
lifting capacity, plus a team of 20 engineers and workers on site. The entire statue was hoisted
onto the barge, which then sailed to the new installation site at the current Merlion Park, near the
mouth of Singapore River. During the voyage, the statue had to be hoisted from the barge, over
the Esplanade Bridge and then back onto the barge, as it was too tall to pass underneath.

Exactly 30 years after it was officially launched, then-Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew returned
on 15 September 2002 to ceremonially welcome the Merlion again – this time in its new home.
A viewing deck now stretches over the Singapore River, allowing visitors to pose for a
photograph with a front or side view of the Merlion, including a new city skyline backdrop in the
picture. The sculpture was aligned to face East, a direction advised to be most auspicious.[9]
Relocated, the statue once more spouted water from its mouth, having stopped in its old location
since 1998 due to a water pump malfunction. The Merlion now has a new two-unit water pump
system with units working alternatively, so a partner is always on standby. The relocation and
new site (four times larger than the original) cost S$7.5 million.[9]

Maintenance of original statue

From 5 June till 10 July 2006, the Merlion at Merlion Park underwent maintenance. The last one
was right after its relocation. Dirt and stains were removed using high-pressure water streams,
and various wear and tear of the statue was mended.[10]

During that period, visitors were greeted with illustrated hoardings and canvases covering the
safety nets and scaffolding. The illustrations[11] were designed by Miel, an award-winning senior
artist at The Straits Times. The illustration on the canvases made them look like shower curtains,
with the Merlion sticking its head out with the shadow of its tail behind the curtain. The
illustration on the hoardings showed the Merlion scrubbing himself with a brush and showering
using a Merlion shower head spouting water. The Merlion said "EXCUSE ME while i take a
shower..." in a speech bubble.
The Merlion on Sentosa was designed and sculpted by an Australian Artist named James Martin.
It is made of Glass Reinforced Cement (GRC) over a steel armature that is attached to the
centre.[12]

The Merlion Park was temporarily turned into a single-unit hotel suite, as part of an artwork by
Tatzu Nishi, for the duration of the 2011 Singapore Biennale.[13]

Damage by lightning

On Saturday, 28 February 2009 at about 4:26 pm the Merlion in the Merlion Park was struck by
lightning.[14] A breaking news from 938NOW local radio showed an image with fragments from
the Merlion's head on the ground.

Examination of the damage was done quickly with wooden scaffolding set up on Sunday, 1
March 2009 for workers to take a closer look at the hole. The incident happened as a result of the
lack of lightning protection on the Merlion itself.[15]