Merlion
Mythical lion-fish mascot of Singapore.
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The Merlion is the official mascot of Singapore, depicted as a mythical creature with a lion's head and a fish's body.[1] It is widely used to represent Singapore and its people in sports, advertising, branding, tourism, and as a national personification.[1]
Quick Facts
- Country
- Singapore
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Alec Fraser-Brunner designed the symbol, which was trademarked on 20 July 1966.[2] Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officiated the installation ceremony on 15 September 1972 at the mouth of the Singapore River.[3] On 28 February 2009, the Merlion was struck by lightning, cracking its mane and creating a hole at the base.[4] In 1964, the Singapore Tourism Board first adopted the Merlion as its logo, with the name formed from "mer" (sea) and "lion".[5]
University of Singapore vice-chancellor Kwan Sai Kheong came up with the concept for the original statue, which sculptor Lim Nang Seng built between November 1971 and August 1972.[6] The statue has a height of 8.6 metres, a weight of 70 tons, and its construction cost was approximately S$165,000.[6] After the Esplanade Bridge was finished in 1997, it obstructed views of the Merlion, and a 1998 water pump breakdown led to necessary repairs.[7] Following restoration work, the statue was again opened to the public on 18 March 2009.[8]
What the cited sources add
The same source noted that the Sentosa Merlion was not relocated due to its size, but commemoration was being considered.[9] Visitors could still visit six other Merlion statues at Merlion Park, Mount Faber, Tourism Court, and Ang Mo Kio.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Monstrous Merlion: In the Original Sense", Public Art (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "STB-owned Assets – Merlion Symbol STB", www.stb.gov.sg (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lim, "Singapore's iconic Merlion damaged by lightning", Reuters, 28 February 2009; Huang, "Merlion damaged by lightning", The Straits Times, 1 March 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Lion with fish tail is Tourist Board's new emblem", The Straits Times, 25 April 1964 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sim Lian Huat", www.biotechnics.org; "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8; Merlion Restaurant and Bar <http://www.merlion.us/ >; "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8; "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8; "A new home for the Merlion", URA, p. 6–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Merlion" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Lightning strikes Merlion"; Wee, "Merlion roars again", Today, 19 March 2009 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Tay, "Sentosa Merlion to make way for new $90m themed linkway as part of Sentosa-Brani masterplan", The Straits Times, 20 September 2019. facts only, no text reused. straitstimes.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Merlion (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Sculptures And Statues
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Merlion (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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