An immersive and thought-provoking showcase that encourages visitors to explore and discover their sense of self through the deeper narrative behind the popular SKULLPANDA character, taking at the National Museum of Singapore from 12th December 2025 to 22nd February 2026.

SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore 

SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore is presented by POP MART, in collaboration with SKULLPANDA character creator, Chinese artist Xiong Miao, and in partnership with the National Museum of Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board.

“I’m truly excited and honoured to present SKULLPANDA’s work outside of China for the first time through the immersive showcase SKULLPANDA CAGE–UNCAGE. Singapore, with its unique charm—balancing tradition with innovation, structure with creativity—is a truly fitting venue for an exhibition that explores the tension between contrasting ideas and perspectives,” said Chinese artist Xiong Miao, creator of the original SKULLPANDA character series. 

SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore presents a visual journey through popular culture, that explores the tensions between containment and release that exist within our decisions. Through creative spatial design and unique visual language, this showcase is a space for visitors to contemplate, where they are invited to stand with SKULLPANDA, and confront how our choices are shaped by the multiple layers of our identity: as an individual, a part of a larger community, and more. 

Exploring Contemporary Culture in Singapore 

While the National Museum of Singapore presents shared narratives that shaped Singapore,  the SKULLPANDA CAGE-UNCAGE Singapore presents a totally different approach, turning the visual storytelling lens inward, inviting visitors to discover and explore the personal choices, contradictions, and conflicts that shape their own stories and identities. 

Through this form of self-reflective meditation, the National Museum of Singapore has created a space for introspection that allows one’s deeper understanding of self. This showcase also continues on the museum’s exploration of enduring appeal of contemporary collectible culture in Singapore, building upon its popular 2024 showcase Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play, that demonstrates how popular culture has resonated across generations. 

These showcases present the museum’s commitment to examining contemporary Singapore culture through fresh perspectives and unique experiences, creating new pathways to engage diverse audiences.

Six Zones for you to Uncover the Complexities and Contradictions of your Choice

Based on the SKULLPANDA The Paradox Series, there are six thematic zones for you to uncover the complexities and contradictions of your different choices and aspects that you have to make in your everyday life. They are Emotion, Direction, Fortune, Rules, Life, and Exploration. 

Spot the keys and locks at SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore, visual metaphors of our everyday life. Each zone presents an interactive and sensory experience that transforms abstract ideas into tangible reflections on life, inviting visitors to engage through touch, movement, and sound. Throughout your journey at SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore, you are encouraged to draw from your own lived experiences, and to physically connect with installations and sculptures, discovering the possibilities that lie within.

The Key

Begin your SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore experiential journey with The Key, where fragmented mirrors and keys invite you to reflect on the boundaries between reality and infinite possibilities. 

Now, it’s time to continue on into the six sections:

• Emotion: The lock and key are placed in opposition to each other, dissolving the conventional relationship. The SKULLPANDA’s signature astronaut helmet is reimagined as a floating sphere, catching the light, casting a shadow below. The interplay of light and dark, mirrors the tensions and harmony between perception and truth. Your emotional connections become visible through the threads of entangled lines. 

• Direction: Flip through the giant book, as the symbols unfold transparent book pages carrying images of imprisonment through thorns, shackles and webs. Unfolding page by page, presenting different paths to freedom, revealing how one might navigate through the obstacles and break free or they can find sanctuary within those constraints themselves. 

• Fortune: The Fortune that you have, it can have a dual nature of both dazzling and sharp. Look at the enclosed cabinet, look at the mirror. Do you see reflected images of yourself? How are you shaped by notion of wealth, the fragile balance between wealth and imprisonment? 

• Rules: An endless spinning top, presenting the concept of time, gravity and discipline, placed on a precarious scale, vulnerable to the slightest touch. The law of order distorts over time, they are on the verge of imbalance yet still seeking new equilibrium through motion. Is this the type of personal and working life that you have been going through or went through? 

• Life: Observe the sand flowing through, just like time itself in Life, experiencing the meditative theatre of life. Watch how life can unfold in both breath and depth, and how it can allow you to reshape how you view the idea itself.

• Exploration: Enter into a cage that has a interactive set of rotating blocks, build and rebuild your own patterns. Explore and ignite your curiosity to understand the world around you, opening up new perspectives. 

The Room

At the heart of this showcase is The Room, combining all of the six thematic zones together. Inside this chamber of one-way mirrors, two SKULLPANDA sculpture sit back-to-back, with a key in each sculpture’s hand, symbolising the weight of constraint and hope of freedom.

Do you feel the paradox of perception? When you are outside, it’s recognisable. Once inside, you can see and feel the infinite maze of displaced reflections. You are both the observer and the one being observed, giving you the feel of being trapped in a prison within it yet you are also observing the prison. 

Exclusive Highlights at SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore
There are exclusive highlights at this exclusive co-curated SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore, it pays homage to bird singing in Singapore. This is a beloved past time enjoyed in Singapore’s housing estate, a very much less-known aspect of Singapore life, that is introduced to international audiences. 

Observe the suspended bird cages, they are home to the original prototype of figurines from the SKULLPANDA The Paradox Series. This artwork is accompanied by a specially created video artwork by Xiong Miao, featuring her signature butterfly emblem gliding past familiar local sights of Singapore.

From one popular local culture bird singing uniting bird singing enthusiasts, to another popular culture shown by the passion and dedication of contemporary culture collectible fans. 

SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore Showcase-Exclusive Merchandise

Want to bring home a special memory from your visit to SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore at the National Museum of Singapore? Don’t miss the showcase-exclusive merchandise available for purchase at the Gallery Theatre retail zone to ticket holders only and is subject to eligibility and purchase limitations. 

Additional POP MART merchandise can be purchased at the POP MART POP-Up store at the National Museum of Singapore Longer Concourse, which is open to the general public.

Visitors can look forward to a special SKULLPANDA Plush Doll-Cage-Uncage, and POPOP, POP Mart’s jewellery line making its Singapore debut at the showcase for a limited time only. For more information on the showcase-exclusive merchandise, please visit this link. Details on purchase conditions may be found here.

New Era of Contemporary Popular Culture Visual Storytelling

Coming from a more old school era of popular culture collector, it is exciting and fun to see how popular culture has grown, risen and established a new era of contemporary popular culture. SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore at the National Museum of Singapore is more than just an eye opener, this special showcase has shown how contemporary popular culture has grown in stature and perception, from the small cute plushies that you might hang on your bag, they can become a contemporary cultural exhibition with its own stories and themes that connect with people from all walks of life beyond contemporary popular culture. 

SKULLPANDA CAGE:UNCAGE Singapore Exhibition Information

• Venue: National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897
• Date: 12th December 2025 – 22nd February 2026

Locations:

• Ticketed Showcase – Stamford Gallery (Level 1) and Gallery Theatre (Basement Level)
• Merchandise POP-Up Stores – Longer Concourse (Level 1) and Gallery Theatre (Basement Level)
• Free-to-Access Art Installations – Front Lawn and Level 1 Spaces

Ticketing Details

Ticket Tier Details:

• Early All Access Tickets – Priority access to the showcase and priority to purchase exclusive merchandise from 12th to 16th December 2025.
• Standard All Access Tickets – Entry to the showcase and access to purchase showcase exclusive merchandise from 17th December onwards
• All Ticker Tiers – Includes entry to the National Museum’s current exhibitions, Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City I and Singapore Odyssea: A Journey Through Time.

Tickets can be purchased here or through the showcase’s ticketing partner Trip.com

The post Identity, Choice and Conflict: Uncovering the Inner Struggle at SKULLPANDA CAGE-UNCAGE Singapore appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Coming down for a Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play, was very nostalgic for me personally. There were a number of toys that I grew up playing with, those vivid, fun, wonderful, playful and carefree childhood memories! When I saw the Tamiya cars, I had the burning desire to return back to playing Tamiya toy cars, buying my Tamiya Avante car and building it from scratch, just like my good old childhood days!

Play: Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play

Starting on 5th July 2024, the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) invites visitors to special experiential pop-up titled Play: Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play. This is the time to be young at heart again, relive and connect your nostalgic memories in this new toy-theme pop-up, and share your nostalgic childhood play and toys memories with the younger generations!

This special pop-up is developed as part of NMS Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, that aims to showcase and collect memories and objects from recent decades. The NMS worked with local toy collectors and artists to co-create this immersive and experiential pop-up showcase comprising large-scale artworks, extensive toy displays, and interactive experiences to tell the fascinating stories behind some of those beloved playtime icons of the past and trace their evolution over the years.

Chung May Khuen, Director of the National Museum of Singapore, said, “Toys are often our first teachers and helped shape our identities in our formative years. As they play such an important role in our lives, using toys as a focal point in this showcase creates a light-hearted way for visitors to connect with each other over their shared memories. We hope this will bring out the collective memories we share of toys across the eras in Singapore, and instil deeper appreciation for toys and play as treasured facets of our combined cultural heritage and the Singapore story.”

Artists help to spread the joys of play to new spaces inside and outside NMS

The NMS is currently undergoing some restoration and upgrading works, thus you can see the hoardings around it. Artists are playing a part to help spread the joys of play to new spaces inside and outside NMS, departing from the traditional exhibition experience of a museum. Play:Date activates various parts of NMS to create a unique and immersive storytelling experience.

Five colourful local artists artworks the hoarding around NMS facade

When you arrive at NMS, you can’t miss the bright and colourful artworks on the hoarding around NMS facade. They are decorated with five large-scale commissioned artworks by five local artists taking visitors on a journey of collecting and the joy of toys in our lives.

Bring toys into reality through a sculptor’s meticulous touch or as a part of a factory line by Tiffany Lovage (Night Shift) and Candice Phang (Joy in the Making).

Capture the excitement of people getting their hands on toys, by Shian Ng (Playtime Pandemonium) and Muhammad Izdi (Flea-ting Moments), with the latter paying homage to flea markets in Singapore, a hotspot for hobbyists. 

Ending the series is Kristal Melson’s When I Was Big, which encapsulates how toys cement themselves among our fondest memories as we grow up.

Each of the five artists artworks feature interactive and tactile elements, aiming to stimulate one’s innate curiosity and kickstart your process of learning through play.

A tunnel housing a digital parade of toy figurines 

Stepping into NMS, at the entrance to Play:Date, there is a tunnel housing a digital parade of toy figurines by local artist Lioncolony, also known as Oh Jia Hao, which are modelled after his iconic Gman character. These characters are inspired by a selection of toys from the 1950s to the 2000s from our National Collection and local collectors, and this digital parade artworks provide a precursor to the showcase’s overarching narrative of local and global social histories.

Jonathan Goh, Senior Assistant Director of the Museum’s Strategic Marketing and Communications department, who is overseeing the showcase shared, “The restoration works on our National Museum monument building can be challenging for us to continue to engage people to visit us. However, we decided to quite literally think outside of the box, and to purposefully transform these otherwise static and functional spaces into creative canvases that not only draw visitors in, but also enhance the experiences of our other offerings within the museum and foster deeper engagement with the public.”

Play:Date – A showcase displaying a collection of toys from local collectors 

The key highlight that you are here for, Play:Date – A showcase displaying a collection of toys from local collectors. Featuring a diverse collection of over 250 locally and globally recognisable toys largely from the 1980s to the present day. Play:Date collectively highlights the socio-historical significance of toys in Singapore story, told through the lens of local toy collectors and organisations.

There are three main sections that tell the nostalgic toy stories of the featured tours and stories from the toy collectors themselves in their toy-collecting journeys: 

It’s a Small World

Do you remember those miniature character figurines from instantly recognisable brands that have captured the hearts of children around the world? 

McDonald’s

Do you remember a series of local McDonald’s toys – including the popular Mr Kiasu figurines? They are from avid collector Tay Swee Hock!

Barbie 

Don’t miss the collection of Barbie dolls from Jian Yang, which includes unique collaborations with local brands and series made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. 

Collectible culture in Singapore from ActionCity

There is a collectible culture in Singapore from ActionCity, with locally designed figurines for global companies such as POP MART and Disney. This include the “Pucky Rose Knight”, the first Singapore-exclusive figurine designed to commemorate the opening of Southeast Asia’s first POP MART official store in Singapore. 

That’s also the first-ever art collectible designed by Singaporean Daniel Yu inspired by Mickey Mouse and the Jiangshi, a vampire character in Chinese folklore.

Drive-Through Time

This was one of my favourite nostalgic childhood memories, playing with toy cars and toy car races! You can spot Hot Wheels, Tamiya and Matchbox from the collections of Clarence Tan, Jeffrey Wong, Ian Goh, Ridzal Ajis and Muhammad Noor Farhan.

Don’t miss the remodelled Tamiya Rover Mini Cooper, painted in the style of British sitcom character Mr Bean’s iconic green car, that was personally autographed by Tamiya’s CEO Mr Shunsaku Tamiya. 

Hot Wheels fans, toy cars enthusiasts, and casual fans alike, you will be awed by The Original 16, the first-ever collection of cars released by Hot Wheels in 1968. Don’t miss the iconic yellow Matchbox cars with vehicles racing from trade lorries and trailers to helicopters and emergency vehicles. 

Batteries Included

This is another of my favourite nostalgic childhood memories! Before the era of touchscreen technology, it was the era of retro game consoles, bringing back nostalgic reminders of your childhood days. 

Do you remember this iconic digital game – Tamagotchi? They are from Rachel Liew’s collection, which includes various rare designs as well as popular characters such as Gudetama, Hello Kitty and Pac-Man. 

Tony Saw’s classic and special handheld consoles by Nintendo and Casio, including a unique calculator that allows students to play a boxing game under the guise of hitting then looks. The most recent experiences include the recreation of Sentosa on popular digital games Animal Crossing and Roblox.

Old-school gaming arcades experiences 

Old-school gaming arcades are an integral part of some of us childhood growing up years! Play:Date also features several immersive and interactive experiences inspired by those nostalgia plays. 

When you visit Play:Date, you can purchase tokens to participate in a Memory Match game, where you are challenged to memorise a sequence of simple objects displayed on a screen, or a Roadblock Highway game, in which you race to the finish line while collecting coins and avoiding obstacles. 

Complementing the nostalgic vibe of the showcase, you will also be able to view a ‘live’ camera image of yourselves via an ‘8bitfy screen’, featuring a retro 8-bit filter layered over the screen.

“Discover Your Play-sonality”

Last but not least, your play finale, you are invited design your own personalised avatar at the ‘Discover Your Play-sonality’ section, which was created in collaboration with local artists together with ActionCity. 

You can choose from a selection of four digital toy avatars with different personality types and physical appearances to create your very own ‘Play:Mate’. For a small fee, you can accumulate points by playing the on-site digital games, and exchange these points to customise your avatar with a variety of Singapore-themed accessories. 

You can then head over to the accompanying photo booth to take photos of yourselves with your ‘Play:Mate’, or opt for a physical photo printout with a donation to the museum.

Open Call for National Museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore Initiative 

There is an ongoing effort to enhance the National Collection with more recent social history items with an open call for National Museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore Initiative. Visitors are invited to share their own toy stories and to donate their toys dating from the 1980s to the present day. Some of these donations could potentially be displayed in the Museum’s galleries in the future. 

MUSEUM MARKET by ABRY

Alongside the showcase, MUSEUM MARTKET by ABRY is partnering with old-school Holland Village party shop Khiam Teck to bring nostalgic and traditional toys and games to visitors of the National Museum. 

A beloved local establishment that drew its shutters in May 2024 after over 80 years of business, Khiam Teck has been given a new lease of life with ABRY within the Museum’s walls, where customers can relive their nostalgic memories of buying old-school knick-knacks.

Play:Date – Unlocking Cabinets of Play

• Date: 5 July 2024 – 5 January 2025
• Timing: 10am – 7pm daily (last admission at 6:30pm)
• Location: National Museum of Singapore
• Admission fee: Free

* Information courtesy of National Museum of Singapore and Tate Zanur *

The post Come for a Play Date – Rekindle Nostalgia Toys and Play appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Three! Two! One! Happy Chinese New Year Series!

Best things come in pairs this Chinese New Year festive season, POP MART unveils the latest Three! Two! One! Happy Chinese New Year Series! in a beautiful peach blossoms surroundings!  

You have to check out Happy Chinese New Year Series, whether to buy as a whole collection or a few that you really like to decorate and display in your home for Chinese New Year festive season! 

Singapore-exclusive Sweet Bean UFO Catcher and Gashapon Machine Limited Edition 100% Figures!

Fans of Sweet Bean, you will get the chance to pre-order the Singapore-exclusive Sweet Bean UFO Catcher and Gashapon Machine Limited Edition 100% Figures! Hailing from the popular Sweet Bean I Am Here! series, this pair of collectibles come equipped with their own lighting, truly showcasing how adorable they are! Visitors to the Marina Square x POP MART Pop-Up store who pre-order a set of both figurines will receive an $8 POP MART voucher (1).

Take many sweet and memorable photos with irresistibly cute, life-sized sculptures from the Sweet Bean I Am Here! series surrounded by incredibly picturesque peach blossoms. Kickstart your Chinese New Year 2023 with the sweetest experience at Marina Square, courtesy of POP MART!

POP MART x MARIGOLD HL Milk

POP MART is collaborating with MARIGOLD HL Milk, Singapore’s No. 1 Low Fat Pasteurised Milk, in 2023, to reward their customers with exciting Sweet Bean promotions and exclusive gift with purchase in the coming months. Starting with the POP-Up at Marina Square, the first 200 customers to pre-order the limited edition 100% figures will receive free Marigold HL Milk. Follow MARIGOLD HL Milk FaceBook @MARIGOLD HL Milk SG or Instagram @hlmilksg for more updates on this collaboration.

Prosperous Treats Exclusively for Marina Square Rewards Members

Sweet Bean red packets

If you are a fan of collecting cute red packets, you would like this Sweet Bean red packets! Marina Square Rewards Members may redeem a set of Sweet Bean red packets (2) upon spending $80 at eligible F&B/retail outlets.

Complimentary Parking

Marina Square Rewards Members may redeem $3 Complimentary Parking Ticket (3) simply by spending $30 at F&B/eligible retail outlets.

$10 Marina Square eVoucher

Marina Square Rewards Members may redeem a $10 Marina Square eVoucher (4) by spending $150 at eligible F&B/retail outlets.

POP MART x Sweet Bean Atrium

From 6 January till 2 February 2023, visitors are encouraged to snap photos with Sweet Bean among peach spring blossoms and enjoy the lunar new year festivities at the Central Atrium.

Terms and Conditions:

• Up to 3 same-day combined receipts and charge slips from eligible purchases made at qualifying F&B/Retail Outlets (exclude receipts issued by temporary fair vendors at atrium fairs). Present receipts and charge slip at point of Redemption. Other T&Cs apply.
• Retail spending at the POP MART POP-Up store and other Marina Square Atrium booths not included.

Notes:

• Minimum spend of $38 applies
• Limited to 2 sets of Red Packets per member per day, while stocks last
• Limited to 1 redemption per shopper per day. Limited to first 100 redemptions on weekdays (Monday – Thursday) and 150 redemptions on weekends (Friday – Sunday).
• Limited to 1 redemption per shopper per day, while stocks last.

Happy Chinese New Year 2023!

Wishing all my readers a Happy Chinese New Year 2023 in advance! Enjoy a Sweet Spring Chinese New Year at Marina Square with POP MART!

The post Celebrate a Sweet Spring Chinese New Year at Marina Square with POP MART appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Marina Square is partnering global pop culture and entertainment company, POP MART, to celebrate Oh-So-Sweet Bean Christmas this year 2022. This 5m tall Sweet Bean Gashapon machine is filled with over 4,500 POP MART Gashapon balls containing surprise collectibles. This Sweet Bean Gashapon machine is awarded “Singapore’s Largest Gashapon Machine” by the Singapore Book of Records!

A Magical Christmas with Surprise Collectibles and Picturesque Memories 

Shoppers that are Marina Square Rewards members will get to enjoy the exciting experience of cranking the Gashapon machine and unveiling their surprise POP MART collectibles upon spending S$180* at the mall. With a spending of S$80, they will get to redeem 2 exclusive POP MART & Sweet Bean gift wrappers. 

That’s not all, visitors to Marina Square central atrium will be able to take photos with incredibly picturesque life-sized Sweet Bean sculptures from the popular I AM Here! series, that is going to be a hit on Instagram! 

You can’t miss them! Take photos and share those cute moments on your Instagram with Marina Square (@marinasquaresg) and POP MART (@popmartsg) Instagram accounts! 

POP MART POP-Up Store & Exclusive Launch of Sweet Bean Figurines 

Dates: 18th November 2022 to 1st January 2023 | 6th January 2023 to 2nd February 2023

If you are a toys and figurines fan, you would love this! It’s time to immerse into the world of pop toys at the POP MART POP-Up store! Keep a lookout for the retail launch of the highly-anticipated Sweet Bean Animal Playing series exclusively at the Marina Square Central Atrium. 

Fans can also look forward to placing a pre-order of the Singapore-exclusive Sweet Bean UFO Catcher and Gashapon Machine Limited Edition 100% figures from the sold-out I Am Here! series at the event. Do keep a lookout for the launch dates on POP MART Singapore’s social media channels (@popmartsg).

Enjoy Live Musical Performances by Notable Local Bands

It’s Christmas season! Come on down to Marina Square and revel in the Christmas festive spirit with other merry activities such as the Santa Meet-and-Greet, live music performances by notable local music acts, as well as Christmas carolling to make a fun Christmas to remember for everyone.

Music Line-up

• Jumpstart (@jumpstartsg): 20 November (5.15pm) & 10 December (6pm)
• Jason Yu (@jasonyuuu): 26 November (6pm), 3 December (6pm), 4 December (6pm), 17 December (6pm)
• Arya Yunata (@aryayunata): 19 November (6pm), 27 November (6pm), 11 December (6pm), 18 December (6pm), 23 December (7pm)

Sweetest Treats for Marina Square Rewards Members

UOB Cardmembers may redeem 2 exclusive POP MART & Sweet Bean gift wrappers upon charging S$60* to their UOB Card. 

Non-UOB Cardmembers may redeem the exclusive gift wrappers upon spending a minimum of S$80.

UOB Cardmembers may receive a POP MART collectible upon charging S$150* to their UOB Cards. 

Non-UOB Cardmembers may receive the POP MART collectible upon spending S$180. 

Additionally, UOB Cardmembers may redeem a S$10 Marina Square Gift Voucher with a minimum spend of S$250.

Simply present UOB Card, receipt(s), charge slip(s)^ at the Customer Service Counter located at Level 2 to receive the exclusive POP MART & Sweet Bean gift wrappers, S$10 Marina Square Gift Voucher and a token to collect the POP MART collectible at the Sweet Bean Gashapon machine.

Opening hours:

10am – 10pm (Daily)

Last Redemption at 9.45pm, unless otherwise stated

* While stocks last

* Other T&Cs apply

Notes:

^ Up to 3 same-day combined charged slips and receipts.

* Limited to first 4,500 redemptions. 1 redemption per member per day, first-come-first-served basis, while stocks last.

*** A TGH Photography x Canon EOS R10 Explorer Series production *** 

The post Largest Gashapon Machine in SG by Marina Square and POP MART for Oh-So-Sweet Bean Christmas appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.