The Merlion is Singapore’s mythical beast with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. This imaginary creature is used as a symbol of Singapore. The 8.6-meter-tall, half-lion, half-fish sculpture was located at the mouth of the Singapore River, and the statue was later installed in its new home in Merlion Park. The Singapore Merlion is made from cement fondue, its eyes from little red teacups, its skin from porcelain plates and weighs about 40 tons. The Merlion logo had been designed by a member of the Remembrance Committee and also the Van Kleef Aquarium’s curator, Fraser Brunner.

In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek (which means “maritime city” in Javanese). A Palembang prince discovered the island and saw a strange beast that he believed to be a lion. He decided to stay on the island with his men and named the island ‘Singapura’, which means Lion City (Singa means lion in Malay, pura means city in Sankrit). However, recent studies indicate that lions have never lived there, the creature that Sang Nila Utama (the Javanese prince) saw was a white fox or the Malayan tiger. The Merlion’s fishtail is said to represent Singapore’s early beginnings as a fishing village.

Merlion attracts more than a million visitors each year who make the trip to Merlion Park. Today, there are five official Merlion statues in Singapore. You can find them on Sentosa Island, Merlion Park, Mount Faber, and the Singapore Tourism Board headquarters on Orchard Spring Lane.

On February 28, 2009, the Merlion in Merlion Park was struck by lightning around 4.25pm ​​on Saturday. This incident occurred because Merlion himself lacked lightning protection. Some 30 people rushed to a nearby restaurant for safety, while other onlookers continued to snap photos of the 38-year-old tourism icon. Repairs to the statue took until the end of March, although Merlion himself resumed the jet of water on March 18, 2009.