Merli
| Name | Merli |
|---|---|
| Birth Year | 2018 |
| Type | Merlion |
| Owner | Singapore Tourism Board |
| Cause | Tourism |
| Creator | Poh Zi Qun (Big 3 Media) |
| Status | Active |
Merli is a representation of Singapore’s iconic Merlion, introduced by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 2018. The creation of Merli was part of STB’s strategy to present Singapore’s attractions in a family-friendly way, making the nation’s stories more accessible and engaging for younger audiences.
Inspired by the kawaii aesthetic, Merli has large, expressive eyes and cheerful smile which give him an approachable and playful look. He has pink whiskers and a light blue, straight mane.
Merli has a wide variety of online content, from messaging app stickers to GIFs and videos. In the animated series “Merli and Friends”, Merli explores different tourist hotspots in Singapore with his friends - Marina the Otter, Chomp Chomp the Crocodile, Jewel the Hornbill, and D65 the Unidentified Flying Durian.
In 2022, STB also collaborated with Pinkfong to produce Sing, Sing, Singapore, a song set to the melody of Baby Shark that highlights popular local attractions including Sentosa and the Night Safari.
Merli was also featured in several episodes of Tom and Jerry Singapore and a Google Maps augmented reality (AR) collaboration project.
Although Merli was intended to be more prominently featured in overseas marketing campaigns, he fronted the SingapoRediscovers local tourism campaign when international travel was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
P.S. I reviewed Merli and Friends’ designs in a previous post.
Have a trivia nugget about Merli? Share your stories, photos and videos with us at designinsingapore65@gmail.com