Happy 200th Birthday Singapore! And what better way to celebrate our bicentennial, than with a toy figurine of our national icon, from an iconic toymaker!
Introducing the Singapore Merlion, the third in a series of Singapore exclusive Funko Merlion figurines from local toy retailer, Simply Toys.
Ah, Funko. The bane of all wallets and consumer of storage space. For many an avid collector, nothing quite beats the feeling of showing your love for your favourite pop culture icons with the now-iconic squat, square-headed, not to mention absolutely adorable vinyl figures to line up your office desk or display cabinet.
After selling out on the first two Merlion figurines from 2016, we now have a new, iconic Merlion representing the Little Red Dot in 2019.
Last year, another Singapore icon — the Singapore Girl — was immortalised in Funko Pop vinyl glory, much to the amazement of locals and tourists alike. This time, the Merlion – a 2019 Simply Toys exclusive — will be the one to dominate your desk or display cabinet.
A curious mix of lion and fish, the Merlion is Singapore’s fictional figure of myth, and also national mascot. The iconic statue spewing the jet of water can be seen on the fringes of the Singapore River, just in front of the Marina Bay Sands.
And before you wonder, yes, this is a new Merlion figure and not a mere repaint.
Funko recaptured the details fantastically, from the mane to the scales on the fish tail. But what makes our jaws gape (and probably yours, too), is the water spouting from the mouth.
This isn’t the first time the Merlion was rendered in a vinyl Funko Pop. The first iteration came back in 2016, complete with a limited-edition Simply Toys exclusive sunburst variant which debuted at the Singapore Toys, Games and Comic Convention of that year.
This year’s edition is a little smaller, sure, but the cool new water effect more than makes up for it.
The 2019 Merlion Funko Pop will be launched progressively from August 2 (just in time for Singapore’s National Day on 9th August!), priced at US$19.90, and will be available exclusively at the following retailers across Singapore:
- Our very own online Geek Shop! (Starts shipping from 2 Aug)
- All Simply Toys, Toy Outpost and Hako outlets
- Gift Greetings
- Tokyu Hands
- Singapore Flyer
- Takashimaya Toy Department
- Isetan Scotts
- Tangs Orchard and VivoCity
- Times Junior @ Jewel Changi Airport
- Kaboom and Kidztime at Changi Airport
The old porcelain and sunburst Merlions are no longer available for sale in stores, but can still be found online via eBay. According to the Funko mobile app, they are currently going for approximately US$44 and US$35 each.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Si Jia
