Singapore’s iconic Merlion, a half-lion, half-fish statue by the waterfront at Merlion Park, is a favorite with both locals and tourists. Now, Singapore design brand Uniplay (a sustainable art toy arm of Unigons Global) has reimagined this national symbol with a fun and low-waste twist. Their Fortune Merlion is a 3D printed collectible made from around 30 recycled plastic bottles. It was first released as a colourful, limited-edition surprise box for Singapore’s 60th National Day (SG60) and quickly sold out. A new white version is now available to order, giving fans another chance to own this special figure.
What Is a Merlion, Anyway?
Towering at 8.6 m and weighing 70 tonnes, the original Merlion statue is located at Merlion Park, a 2,500 m² waterfront plaza near the Central Business District at Marina Bay. First unveiled as the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964, the iconic statue at Merlion Park was later constructed in 1972 by sculptor Lim Nang Seng. What’s more, it captures the country’s dual identity: the fish half symbolizes its origins as a fishing village (Temasek), and the lion’s head represents its original name, Singapura, meaning “Lion City.”
More than a statue, the Merlion is a cultural symbol and a photographic attraction. In a nation that welcomed 16.5 million tourists in 2024, the Merlion keeps ranking among the top-visited sites, alongside Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay. In fact, hundreds of tourists have shared selfies with the so-called “mythical guardian,” which has been regularly featured in souvenirs and films, like Crazy Rich Asians.
The Merlion sculpture at Merlion Park. Image courtesy of Visit Singapore/Singapore Tourism Board.
The Fortune Merlion
To mark SG60, local startup Unigons teamed up with Uniplay to create the Fortune Merlion. Unlike any collectible before it, this version is 3D printed entirely from recycled PET bottles. The first limited run of 60 blind-box editions sold out almost instantly and included ten colors representing Singapore’s diversity and festive spirit.
Now, a new white edition is back for US$118. Each 18-centimeter-tall figurine comes blind-boxed and includes a secret compartment with charm tokens. This latest release, called the “LOVESG” Fortune Merlion, features a blind-box series of nine colorful, heart-shaped magnetic bubbles that snap onto the Merlion’s mouth, along with six charms representing universal values like growth, love, luck, joy, fortune, and bloom.
Unigons partnered with local organizations, including Yeo’s, PlasticTinkers, and Greenfinity, to bring the Fortune Merlion to life. Yeo’s contributed recycled plastic bottles, Greenfinity supported collection through local recycling programs, and PlasticTinkers handled the production, using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing with custom filament made from recycled PET. Together, they not only sourced the materials sustainably but also made sure the project was meaningful enough to be recognized by the Singapore Book of Records.
The “LOVESG” Fortune Merlion, new white limited edition. Image courtesy of Uniplay.
The Fortune Merlion is at the crossroads of several big ideas. It blends 3D design with sustainability, showing how modern technologies like 3D printing can be used in smarter, greener ways. It also reimagines a well-loved cultural symbol in a creative way. And by using recycled plastic, it supports the circular economy, keeping waste out of landfills and giving it a new life.
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