From Milo Vans to Plushies: Milo Merch Over the Years
Did you collect them all? 🚐🦖
Throughout the General Election 2025 campaign, there was another fight raging along our supermarket aisles. Milo fans, scalpers and everyone in between were trying to get their hands on Milo’s jellycat-inspired plushies, which were bundled with Milo products in celebration of their 75th anniversary in Singapore.
While these plushies were Milo’s the most successful merchandise campaign so far, Singapore’s favourite chocolate malt drink brand has produced many other types of merchandise ranging from toy collectibles to practical items. Here are some of them:
Milo Vans
A sweet memory of many Singaporeans’ childhood, Milo vans are beloved for supplying students with cold, sweet shots at school sporting events. Once said by Milo van employees to use the same formula as any other local Milo product, the brand now sells sachets with the “secret formula” that fans swore existed. Perhaps it was the sun-baked body temperature and extra ingredients (sweat) that made it taste good?
In 2017, Milo released a series of miniature Milo van designs across decades: the 1950s, 1970s, 1980s and late 2010s.
The series also included a spaceship-looking Milo van of the future, which had a version that could be remote controlled.
Milo released a second set of Milo van collectibles in 2020, this time featuring van designs from the 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 2011.
The next year, Milo released the same set in gold sheen.
In 2022, Milo bundled mini-brick Milo vans from 1950s, 1960s, 1980s, 2011 and today (early 2020s) in their Milo 3in1 and Milo Gao Siew Dai products.
Could we see Milo van plushies in the future?
Milo People
In 2018, Milo released a series of figurines known as the Milo Van Kakis, designed by gift agency Prestige Premiums. They included Milo Soccer Ah Boy (with hair in the silhouette of Milo’s logo), Milo Dino, Milo Van Uncle and Milo Van.
Milo introduced another series called “People of Milo” in 2023. They included the Milo Uncle from your coffeeshop, school-going Milo Teen, Milo Bro who just finished his soccer game, Milo Dino (the personification of the uniquely Singaporean-Malaysian Milo variation) and the Milo Van.
These characters were then adapted to cup clips in 2024.
Drip
Keeping up with a generation that was raised with Milo, the brand dipped into lifestyle apparel and accessories by partnering local socks brand Talking Toes and Samsung respectively. In both collaborations, Milo customers could win these merchandise as lucky draw or competition prizes.
Practical Stuff
Still a favourite of school-going children, Milo has bundled practical kid-friendly merchandise ever since its expansion to Singapore from coin banks to lunchboxes.
An Ever Growing Expansion
Over the last 75 years, Milo has created enough merchandise to fill a museum. Striking a good balance between the practical and fun, Milo’s marketing team deserves credit for constantly pushing out new merchandise to keep the brand fresh and buzzworthy. Having found viral success with its breakfast and breaktime plushies, we can expect to see more of them in the coming years.
Until then, it is back to the trenches of camping at supermarket aisles for Milo restocks.
—>>—
Take a trip down memory lane with a design twist in Rewind. Explore Singapore’s design scene with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Telegram.
