Merlion

The Merlion is a national icon of Singapore. It is shown as having the head of a lion and a body of a fish.

Symbolism
The lion head of the merlion is a reference to "Singapura" the old name of Singapore, which means "lion city" in Sanskrit.

The fish body represents Singapore's humble beginnings as a fishing village, then known as Temasek, meaning "sea town" in Old Javanese. The Merlion was first used in Singapore as the logo for the tourism board. Its name combines "mer", meaning the sea, and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore's original name—Singapura—meaning "lion city" or "kota singa".

The symbol was designed by Alec Fraser-Brunner, a member of the Souvenir Committee and curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in use from 26 March, 1964 to 1997 and has been its trademarked symbol since 20 July 1966. Although the STB changed their logo in 1997, the STB Act continues to protect the Merlion symbol. Approval must be received from STB before it can be used. The Merlion frequently appears on STB-approved souvenirs.