Mr Mandarin Starter

Mr Mandarin Starter
Name Mr Mandarin Starter
Birth Year 1986
Type Human
Owner Speak Mandarin Campaign
Cause Culture
Creator Unknown
Status Retired

Mr Mandarin Starter was introduced as the mascot for Singapore’s Speak Mandarin Campaign of 1986. The annual campaign, which started in 1979, aimed to encourage Chinese Singaporeans to adopt Mandarin over various Chinese dialects to promote linguistic unity and support the nation’s bilingual education policy.

(Source)

Wearing a badge with an “M” on it, the plump chinese man mascot was usually illustrated with a bright smile pointing at a speech bubble above him that said “Start With Mandarin, Not Dialect (先开口讲华语,皆大欢喜)”.

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