[SG60 Special] From Bottles to National Treasure: Singapore’s Recycled Fortune Merlion Roars to Life This SG60

Hi Huneybees,

SG60 is in full swing, and while there’s been a burst of all things local, one special creation truly caught my eye... and heart. Meet the Fortune Merlion, Singapore’s very first 3D-printed collectible made entirely from recycled plastic bottles! 

Brought to life by homegrown art toy brand Uniplay (nurtured by sustainability pioneers Unigons), this isn’t just an adorable keepsake; it’s a meaningful symbol of national pride with an eco-conscious twist. And yes, it’s officially recognised by the Singapore Book of Records too!

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♻️ From Waste to Wonder

Each 18cm-tall Fortune Merlion figure is lovingly crafted using 30 recycled PET bottles, which means over 1,800 discarded bottles have been given a second life through this 60-piece blind box collection. Talk about turning trash into treasure!

This incredible creation was made possible by a 100% local dream team:

• Yeo’s contributed used PET bottles from their popular drinks 
• PlasticTinkers handled the 3D-printing wizardry 
• Greenfinity, part of Unigons, transformed the plastic into high-grade filament 

And here’s the fun part - each Fortune Merlion comes in 10 vibrant colours, is individually numbered, and packaged with eco-friendly materials plus a certificate of authenticity. But they’re more than just adorable figurines; these little lions are packed with meaning! 

Each one features magnetic charm elements that symbolise values like wealth, longevity, and romance, with a playful magnetic “bubble” at the mouth representing flowing water, which is a cheeky, auspicious nod to abundance and prosperity.

Even the serial numbers get a clever twist! Those so-called “unlucky” numbers like 4 or 14 are reimagined with positive Chinese wordplay, giving the design a thoughtful, culturally rich touch. Smart and super cute, don’t you think?

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A Collector’s Dream with Purpose

The Fortune Merlion was designed by Joe Chua, co-founder of Unigons and Uniplay, who got inspired during his travels in Europe and the Middle East. He noticed how tourist keepsakes overseas were shifting towards sustainable design, and he knew Singapore could do the same.

“Singapore saw over 15 million tourists last year, but how many souvenirs tell our story and help the planet?” Joe shared. “The Fortune Merlion is proudly made here and made from what we usually throw away.”

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Where to Get Yours

You can get your hands on this exclusive collectible starting 25 July 2025 at BLAXK by ActionCity, one of Singapore’s most iconic toy retailers. And here’s a fun bonus - ActionCity is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year too, so it’s the perfect time to drop by and pick up a piece of local creativity and culture! 

But that’s not all! Keep your eyes peeled for the Pop Toy Show 2025 that's happening at Marina Bay Sands from 22 to 24 August, where Uniplay will be unveiling a special edition Fortune Merlion just for the event! I’m eager to see what it looks like! 

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[UPDATE] Final Drop & Sneak Peek of the Next Edition!

Following the buzz around the Fortune Merlion’s first drop, there are some new exciting updates to share!

The original 60-piece blind box series is nearly sold out, with just 15 units left, and they’ll be released exclusively to walk-in customers at BLAXK by ActionCity on 25 July. If you’ve been eyeing one of these eco-collectibles, this is your last chance to snag one from the first-ever batch!

To celebrate the occasion, a certificate presentation ceremony will be held to recognise the Fortune Merlion as Singapore’s first 3D-printed collectible made from recycled plastic bottles, as awarded by the Singapore Book of Records. This will happen at 11 AM on 25 July, alongside a special preview of Uniplay’s next drop - the Fortune Merlion “LoveSG” edition!

You can meet the creators from 11 AM to 12:30 PM, hear the story behind the design, and get a first look at the next evolution of this iconic art toy. The “LoveSG” edition is now open for online pre-order on Uniplay’s website, and in-person pre-orders begin on 25 July too. Collection for this new version will start from mid-August, just in time for National Day!

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Small But Mighty: A New National Icon

The Fortune Merlion is more than a toy — it’s a symbol of what a sustainable Singapore can look like. Uniplay and Unigons are already working on future collaborations with other local brands to keep this eco-art movement going strong. From art toys to everyday products, they’re building a circular design ecosystem that’s proudly made right here in SG.

Whether you’re a toy collector, a Merlion fan, or someone who loves eco-friendly design, the Fortune Merlion is definitely one to watch (and own!).

Find out more:

• unigons.com/uniplay | instagram.com/unigonsplay/
• actioncity.com.sg

Let’s celebrate SG60 with meaningful mementos that make a difference! Are you ready to bring a Fortune Merlion home? 

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Wings, Dreams & Barbie Magic: Join Me at the Longest Barbie Runway Ever This SG60! 💕

Hi Huneybees,

Photo Credits: PEACE of Art SG

Can you hear me squealing from across the island?! Because something MAGICAL is landing at Marina Square this June, and if you’re a Barbie fan like me, you do not want to miss this!

Introducing Wings of Art 2025, a truly heartwarming and glitter-sprinkled celebration of SG60 that’s part Barbie dream, part community movement, and all love.  There will be a 60-metre-long Barbie Doll runway (yes, SIXTY METRES! 😍), 1,060 beautifully winged Barbies, and the chance for YOU to design your own angelic doll and be part of a record-breaking national moment.

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Photo Credits: PEACE of Art SG

Barbie + Wings + Heart = The Ultimate SG60 Tribute

Barbie has always been about empowering imagination, and this time, she’s doing it for a cause that’s close to the heart. Wings of Art is more than just a pretty showcase; it’s a nationwide creative initiative supporting the Singapore Red Cross’ Young Hearts Programme, which raises $100,000 for underprivileged children through education and mentorship. 

And guess what? You can be part of the magic. For a donation, you’ll receive a Barbie doll, wings, and access to a crafting station stocked with art materials. Whether you're painting, bedazzling, or sprinkling fairy dust, this is your chance to let your inner child fly.

You can even choose to bring your Barbie home as a keepsake or donate it back to be part of the SG60 runway! Either way, you’ll be helping dreams take flight - literally. 🪽

100% of proceeds will go toward the Singapore Red Cross’ Young Hearts Programme, benefiting underprivileged children with education and mentorship. Donations are 250% tax-deductible.

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Photo Credits: PEACE of Art SG

What’s Happening at Wings of Art 2025? Let Me Spill!

Here’s what I’ll be snapping, filming, and fangirling over:

👠 The Longest Barbie Runway in Singapore
A sparkling 60-metre runway featuring 1,060 Winged Barbies! That’s right, securing a place in the Singapore Book of Records, with each doll representing a personal dream and a collective spirit of hope, and you can be part of it. 

🎨 Craft Your Own Winged Barbie
Pre-register to join the public crafting sessions daily. Each participant gets a Barbie, wings, and full access to an art buffet to turn their doll into a masterpiece. (I'm already planning my Barbie's wing design… should I go full pink fairy or stick to my usual Queen Bee vibes?)

Photo Credits: PEACE of Art SG

👗 60 One-of-a-Kind Artist Barbies
60 Barbies will be exclusively designed by 60 local artists who will be lending their talents to design exclusive dolls, each representing their personal vision of hope and the SG60 spirit, and they’ll be available for bidding. Collectible alert!! 👀  

🪽 Community Wings Installation
Help build a 3-metre-tall sculpture made of recycled glass and crystal, which is a breathtaking piece symbolising Singapore’s unity, dreams, and collective hope.

📸 Insta-Perfect Wings Photo Booth
Step into a dreamy lightbox, spread your wings, and strike a pose. You know I’ll be spamming this on IG!

🎠 Imagination Zone & Fringe Carnival
Perfect for families! Look out for hands-on activities and game booths by adorable KIDSforKIDS-preneurs. How cute is that?

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So, Barbie lovers, art enthusiasts, and kind hearts of all ages - let’s make history together! 💖 Come wing it your way, share your sparkle, and celebrate SG60 with creativity, community, and compassion.

Let’s show the world how magical Singapore can be when Barbie meets heart-led art. See you there with a glue gun in one hand and glitter in the other! 😘

📍 Venue: Marina Square Central Atrium
🗓️ Dates: 24 June to 1 July 2025
🎨 Public Crafting Sessions: Daily (Pre-registration required!)
🌐 Register & More Info: https://peace-of-art.sg

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Excited to Be Part of a Record-Breaking Moment: 113 Chang'es Unite for Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration

Hi Huneybees,

Last weekend, I experienced an exhilarating record-breaking moment that I won’t forget anytime soon. It had been quite a while since I last celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with such a large, vibrant crowd, and the sense of community was truly heartwarming.

As part of PAssionArts Festival 2024, Canberra Community Club hosted a Mid-Autumn themed celebration - “Moonlit Serenade”, filled with exciting activities that kept everyone engaged throughout the night. In the weeks leading up to the event, residents and students came together to craft 1,000 lanterns, which were proudly displayed on the rooftop. This stunning installation quickly became a popular spot for photo opportunities.

I even got the chance to make a lantern to bring home! It’s been a long time since I’ve indulged in some hands-on crafting, and it was such a nostalgic and enjoyable experience to reconnect with a creative pastime.

There were plenty of other activities to enjoy, including Air Dry Clay Mooncake Keychain Making, DIY Ice Cream Cup Making, Recycled Pouch Making, Food-themed Keychain Crafting, and something I found particularly intriguing - Calligraphy Writing on Chopsticks.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the unique Singapore Book of Records (SBOR) attempt for the "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Chang’e," the moon goddess. Participants arrived in a variety of Chinese traditional costumes, and the final count reached an impressive 113 people. The youngest participant was just 11 months old, while the eldest was 82 years old!

The night concluded with graceful dance performances by the enchanting Chang'es, as everyone left happily with their lanterns or self-made crafts in hand.

The PAssionArts Festival 2024 will continue until 30 September 2024, offering a vibrant celebration of creativity and culture with events happening all over Singapore. Find the ones near you and join in the fun! Be sure to follow PAssionArts for more updates.

Do follow me on my social media for more daily updates...
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A New Record Set By Gillette In Singapore!

Hi Huneybees,

You probably have already seen the new Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall™ Technology razor on sales at major departmental or healthcare and beauty retail stores but do you know that this new razor owns a bragging rights to a Singapore Record?

Bobby Tonelli, Friend of Gillette, delivering the all new Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall™ Technology razor to a lucky customer.

Yes you read it correct! In partnership with Qoo10, the No. 1 Singapore-based e-commerce platform, and the help of logistics company Ninja Van, on 19th June 2015 had a pre-launch event, by setting a new record in the Singapore Book of Records for ‘Fastest E-Commerce Redemption and Delivery of 200 products’ in the closest time of 1 hour and 45 minutes!

The shaver looks so sleek and well designed? Feels so suave-y, like a "Channing Tatum" of all shavers. Hehehehe...

The Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall™ Technology Manual model is retailed at a suggested price of S$16.50, while the Power model is retailed at S$21.90.

You may wish to visit its facebook website for more information on Gillette Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall™ Technology.

Don’t forget to stay tuned to my blog / like my blog’s Facebook page / follow me @huney_84 on Twitter & Instagram  for the latest updates!

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VIVOCITY Sets New Record For Largest Display Of Hand-Painted Lanterns

Hi Huneybees,

How was your Mid-Autumn Festival Weekend? Last night some record breaking was done in Vivocity. They have set a new record in the Singapore Book of Records for the largest display of hand-painted lanterns. Shoppers gathered at the VivoCity rooftop Amphitheatre for two hours to collectively hand-paint a total of 568 lanterns in a spectacular display of light and colour.

(L-R) Mariati Rahim, the adjudicator from Singapore Book of Records and  Joanna Lee, Head, Retail Management, VivoCity

This is the seventh year that VivoCity has included a record-setting event as part of its annual Mid-Autumn celebrations. In the past, VivoCity has set records for feats such as “Most Number of Signatures on a Lantern” and “The Largest Display of Floating Lanterns” (I attended that. Click on the link to read about it). This year, lantern-painting was chosen to encourage participation, by allowing shoppers to display their creativity and artistic expression through personalised lanterns.

“I enjoy painting, but most importantly I’m here to spend time with my grandchildren. This is the fourth time we are celebrating Mid Autumn Festival at VivoCity. We come back yearly as we enjoy the performances and the energy of the crowd. The atmosphere is very festive.” --- Ms Rosie Tan, 68

Throughout the lantern-painting and festivities, shoppers were entertained by live performances. In addition to partaking in a record-setting milestone, the first 1,500 shoppers who registered received a goodie bag consisting of vouchers and gifts. Lucky shoppers also won prizes from the lucky draw conducted at the event.

So how did your celebration go?

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Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival With The Largest Display Of Hand Painted Lanterns

Hi Huneybees,

This Saturday, join Vivocity in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival with a record-setting event. Following six years of record setting celebrations with its shoppers, VivoCity aims to achieve yet another milestone by setting a new record for the largest display of hand-painted lanterns in the Singapore Book of Records.

Shoppers are invited to join together in breaking the top-record for the seventh consecutive time. In previous years, feats included the “Most Number of Signatures on a Lantern”, the “Largest Display of Floating Lanterns”. This year, shoppers are invited to demonstrate their creativity through hand-painted lanterns.

The event aims to have more than 1,500 lanterns on display and is sure to be a dazzling spectacle of colour and artistry. VivoCity targets to set its seventh entry into the Singapore Book of Records as part of its celebrations for the annual festival. 

Event  : VivoCity Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations

Date    : Saturday, 14 September, 2013

Time   : 6.30 pm

Venue : Amphitheatre, Level 3, VivoCity

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Samsung Sets Singapore Record to Celebrate Love and Friendship at Samsung Mobile PIN

Hi Huneybees,

Last weekend, Samsung set a new Singapore Record for the “Most number of personalised messages projected on a screen” at the Samsung Mobile PIN, a premium consumer experience space located at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. 

Endorsed by the Singapore Book of Records, the record was set at the “Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE LoveMobile” when the 200th personalised love message was projected on a big screen.

Singapore Book of Records, presenting the certificate to Irene Ng, Vice President of Marketing, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd, in front of the grand prize the MINI ONE Stratford.

The event marked the launch of the month-long “Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE LoveMobile” campaign, where the public created personalised love messages for their loved ones and stood a chance to win a MINI Stratford and a Valentine’s Day dinner package worth $11,000.

Over 1,800 people (I was one of them...) attended the event, where participants were encouraged to take part in the record attempt by creating personalised love messages for their loved ones with the S Note app on the GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE, which has a S Pen for users to take notes, draw and sketch freely to fully express their creativity.

“Celebrating this month of friendship and love, Samsung aims to help everyone create memorable moments by having them experience the latest technology of the GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE, allowing them to extend their creativity and imagination as they design personalised messages and share them instantly on-screen. We want to enable consumers to look at technology from a fresh perspective, and make use of technology to be more creative and communicate in a more personable way. Above all, it is especially meaningful for us to set this record here as Singapore marks the debut of the Samsung Mobile PIN in Asia,” said Irene Ng, Vice President of Marketing, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd.

Left to Right - Social media influencer, Darren Sim, local celebrity, Kimberly Chia and LIFESTYLE editor, Tommy Wee declaring their love messages at Samsung LoveMobile event

Among the crowd was popular local celebrity, Kimberly Chia, who made a special appearance to create her own personalised love message.

A couple creates their love message on the Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE at the Samsung LoveMobile event.

The couple behind the most creative submission that day also won an exclusive Valentine’s Day package worth $11,000 which includes a 12-course set dinner by Julien Royer, Chef de Cuisine of JAAN, Swissôtel The Stamford, a jewellery set, a one-night stay at the luxurious Executive Club Room at the Swissôtel The Stamford, a 120-minute Couple Spa treatment at Willow Stream Spa, champagne and a bouquet of 99 roses.

This was a a little piece I did myself.

Wana win yourself some attractive prizes?

You can continue to submit their entries online at Samsung Mobile Singapore’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/SamsungMobileSingapore) till 28 February 2013, by using the LoveMobile App – an app that looks like the S Note on GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE and you will also stand a chance to win astounding prizes including the grand prize of an exclusive MINI Stratford** customised with their submitted design.

** Excludes Certificate of Entitlement (COE)

The Samsung Mobile PIN is located at the heart of Orchard Road in Ngee Ann Civic Plaza, and will be open till 12 March 2013. This is the first Samsung Mobile PIN in Asia and is designed with the theme of “Your World Without Walls”. The unique exhibit will encourage consumers to fully interact and experience the latest intuitive technology across Samsung’s suite of mobile devices, including the GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE, GALAXY Note II LTE, GALAXY S III LTE and GALAXY Camera.

For more details, please visit Samsung’s website at www.samsung.com.sg or Samsung’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SamsungMobileSingapore.

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Vivocity sets the record for The Largest Display of Floating Lanterns

Hi Huneybees,

The Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed and I was so glad I could be part of a record setting event on the eve of it. It was held at VivoCity and it was recorded into the Singapore Book of Records.

Check out the crowd that day!

Singapore’s largest lifestyle and retail destination, VivoCity, commemorated the popular Mid-
Autumn Festival by successfully setting an entry into the Singapore Book of Records together
with its shoppers.

Entertaining performances by National Arts Council.

Shoppers were given the chance to participate in the record-breaking event by registering their interest at any of the mall’s Customer Service Counter between 31 August and 29 September and performers from the National Arts Council entertained participants. 20 participants also got to walk off with OSIM products.

Such sweet moments....

Held at the Amphitheatre, the mall brought together 1388 shoppers who set afloat lanterns at the wading pool area to establish the new record for "The Largest Display of Floating Lanterns."

It's time to collect our lanterns.

The event provided a spectacle of lights and colour complementing the festive mood among
the crowd. Officials from the Singapore Book of Records verified the record entry during the
event.

More photos from that day can be found here.

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