Bobo

Bobo the Water-Saving Elephant was introduced in 1973 by Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (now PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency) as a mascot to promote water conservation, especially among children. Depicted as a pink elephant, Bobo made his debut in a five-part cartoon series about water-saving habits with two kids - Willie and Lulu.

The idea to feature an elephant was suggested by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies as the animal’s trunk symbolised water wastage. Instead of Bobo teaching the kids to save water, the roles were reversed, with Willie and Lulu telling Bobo to wash clothes in a basin instead of a running tap.

Bobo’s filmlets were screened on TV and in cinemas. On print, other than posters and leaflets, Bobo was printed on stickers given to primary school children and also adorned the mail franking of PUB envelopes.

Water Wally and Sally have since taken over as PUB’s water conservation mascots since their introduction in 2005 and 2020 respectively.

Lost media: Bobo filmlets, sticker designs

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