[Post 1038] 2000s Hello Kitty Craze & Other Toys That Shaped Singapore Culture | On The Red Dot | 1-Hour Special

Summary

Gasing was popular in the 60s, with matches held between kampungs. In the 70s, toy factories popped up, in tandem with Singapore’s industrialisation strategies. By the 80s, kids in Singapore were clamouring for action figures from America, like the indefatigable He-Man. Video games arrived and a generation of children had their first brush with digital culture.

But nothing can beat the frenzy for McDonald’s Hello Kitty toy collection in 2000, a saga enmeshed in the national consciousness for the ‘ugly’ behaviours it brought out.

Putting the spotlight on locally created games, the documentary also looks at how the Singapore edition of Monopoly came about. Who’s behind the satirical card game, The Singaporean Dream? And how did a video game bring Singapore to an international audience?