Smiley

Smiley the Squirrel is a mascot of POSB who debuted in 1983 as the face of the relaunched National School Savings Campaign under the name “Smily”. The squirrel was chosen as POSB’s mascot for its natural habit of storing food, symbolising the importance of saving for the future.

Smiley’s look has evolved significantly over the years. Initially, he appeared as a formal brown squirrel in a tuxedo. In the 1990s, he was redesigned with overalls, giving him a friendlier look that became closely associated with POSB’s children’s savings accounts as he was featured on kids’ passbook cover designs. In 2008, Smiley was revamped into its third and current version, removing anthropomorphic features and adopting POSB’s colours with a clean, flat design.

In 2015, POSB launched a mobile app called “Smiley Town” to engage children in saving, as a digital successor to the National School Savings Campaign of the 1960s. The app gamifies saving by allowing users to collect virtual stamps and rewards.

In 2019, Smiley spearheaded a campaign to reunite various Singaporean mascots, highlighting the enduring legacy and recognition of Smiley in Singapore’s collective memory. The meet-up raised over $20,000 for charity.

Smiley is also prominently featured in the annual POSB Run For Kids event.

Unique merch

Lost media

Educational Flimlets:

-Smily Squirrel Saves the Day

-Smily Squirrel Gets His Rewards

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