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Merli, short for Merlion, is one of the newest mascots to make a splash onto Singapore’s shores. Concepted in 2018, Merli is a heartwarming and whimsical illustration of Singapore's mythical national icon. Just like the Merlion, Merli has the head of a lion and body of a fish.
Merli’s conception by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB @stb_sg) was motivated by a desire to better engage families with young children about Singapore’s diverse history, culture, and places of interest.
Passionate about Singapore, Merli is energetic and outgoing, and has many friends locally and around the world. Whenever his friends visit, Merli takes the opportunity to show them the best and most interesting parts of Singapore.
Initially, Merli was featured more prominently in overseas collaterals targeted at tourists. However, as tourism dipped during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore looked inward and encouraged local tourism via the SingapoRediscovers campaign, with Merli at the heart of the promotion.
You might recall that when we received our SingapoRediscovers factsheets via mail in November 2020, Merli adorned the campaign-branded envelopes. Merli was also featured in e-banners at lift lobbies in the HDB estates during that period.
Since then, Merli has been joined by four friends who reflect Singapore’s diversity of wildlife – Marina the Otter, Jewel the Hornbill, Chomp Chomp the Crocodile, and D65 the Unidentified Flying Durian (UFD). The "Adventures of Merli and Friends" cartoon series sees the characters embarking on adventures in Singapore, including museums and parks, while showcasing their personalities.
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