Merlion

Name	Merlion
Birth Year	1964
Type	Merlion
Owner	Singapore Tourism Board
Cause	Tourism
Creator	Alec Fraser-Brunner
Status	Active

The Merlion is the national personification of Singapore, as well as the nation’s official tourism symbol. The Merlion was created in 1964 by Alec Fraser-Brunner, a British ichthyologist and curator at the Van Kleef Aquarium. Commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board (then Singapore Tourist Promotion Board), the Merlion represents Singapore’s origins as a fishing village and its transformation into a modern city-state.

The Merlion’s design features a lion’s head, symbolising Singapore’s legendary name “Singapura” (Lion City), and a fish’s body, representing the country’s mythical history as a fishing village. This is despite lions not being native to Singapore, and the island’s status as a bustling port from as early as the 14th century.

The Merlion was the logo of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board from 1964 to 1997, and is still under the protection of the agency - all products featuring the Merlion need to be approved by the STB before sale.

There are six approved Merlion statues in Singapore. The first Merlion statue, measuring 8.6 metres tall, was created by local sculptor Lim Nang Seng and unveiled at the mouth of the Singapore River in 1972 by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Later, the statue was moved to Marina Bay, where it continuously spouts water from its mouth into it. The photo of the Merlion set against the backdrop of Singapore’s Central Business District is one of the most famous photos of Singapore.

Lim Nang Seng sculpting a Merlion statue (Source)

Original location of the Merlion at the old Merlion park (Source)

Sentosa was once home to a towering 37-metre Merlion, serving as a key attraction before its demolition in 2019 after 24 years. Designed by Australian sculptor James Martin, it was built at the cost of $8 million.

There are several statues of the Merlion overseas, including Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, China, Cambodia and the United Kingdom. Many of these statues were gifts by the Singapore Government as a sign of diplomatic friendship.

The Merlion remains a key icon of Singapore, frequently appearing in marketing campaigns, souvenirs, and pop culture. Many local mascots were inspired by the Merlion, including Merli, a kawaii-style Merlion mascot introduced by the STB in 2018.

Foreign pop culture franchises such as Cowboy Bebop and We Bare Bears have also featured the Merlion as a representation of Singapore or made references to it, cementing the Merlion’s status as Singapore’s most recognisable symbol.

The Merlion rose to global fame in 1987 when Miss Universe contestants posed for group photos with the national landmark (Source)

During the Singapore Biennale of 2011, the Merlion on Marina Bay was temporarily transformed into a hotel suite by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi (Source)

Have a trivia nugget about the Merlion? Share your stories, photos and videos with us at designinsingapore65@gmail.com