Lightning strikes, foreign travels and other quirky facts about the Merlion
What owns the head of a lion, the physique of a fish, and also consistently spews water? That’s proper: It’s the Merlion! Our police mascot turns 51 today (Sept 15), but it’s still as energetic as ever before.
In honour of the Merlion’s birthday event, under are some points you might not swipe about it.
1. The basics
Clocking in at 8.6m high with a weight of 70 tonnes, the Merlion was first designed in 1964, although manufacture didn’t embark for an additional seven years.
2. From the hands of infants
When homeowner carver Lim Nang Seng started constructing the Merlion in 1971, with one voice eight of his progenies pitched in to aid out with the manufacture.
The younger progenies kneaded on its physique, while the elder progenies literally scaled the scaffolding to occupational on its eyes and also mouth!
3. The husk of the strangely showing up eyes
When the Merlion was first divulged on Sept 15, 1972, the irises of its eyeballs were the really same white colour as the rest of it.
Singularly, at some irregular juncture between then and also the placement, its eyes came to be painted black, as they linger today.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqz2M2PHUj_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Regardless of its regal stature, the Merlion owns taken on unlike other types on occasion in an dare to more detailed attach with common individual.
For instance, in 2010, it came to be a blue-maned lady named Merly for the Young human being Olympic Galleries.
More recently, it reimagined itself as a adorable anime character named Merli in 2018, hoping to involve itself to young progenies with its extravagant diligent aesthetic dazzles.
8. Globetrotting and also wanderlust
Of training course, standing in the really same identify with one voice the time and also spewing water at site visitors should amass laborious after a while.
So, it should come as most certainly no alarm that the Merlion in some cases roams the globe in comb of journey.
For instance, it’s been mottled realistically in some cases in Japan, with sightings in Hakodate and also Karuizawa, among unlike other places.
Naturally, its pilgrimages have been the source of much inspiration for finders and also artists, resulting in its likeness being reproduced in Japanese vending gizmos and also owner toys.
It’s also ventured into the electronic globe, with appearances in animes like Phineas and also Ferb, Japanese anime like Cowboy Bebop, and also also video clip games like Nintendo’s Mammal Going across!
This design-upwards was first published in Wonderwall.sg.
