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

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?

00:00 Opening title
00:14 Singapore's most popular game or toy?
01:11 Nostalgic childhood toys
02:08 Traditional 60s Beyblade: the wooden Gasing
04:02 What games did we play in the 60s?
05:13 Surprising origins of traditional games
06:25 Gasing vs Beyblade battle
09:13 Singapore's toy factories in the 70s
12:08 80s action figures from American cartoons
16:49 First Toys"R"Us outside North America
19:39 Early days of arcade machines
22:13 Gaming at home: consoles and handheld electronic games
24:24 McDonald's Hello Kitty collectible frenzy in 2000
26:19 Rise in Japanese pop culture toys
29:55 How the first Singapore edition Monopoly was created
35:30 The Singaporean Dream card game
37:15 Board games made by local designers
38:09 Why make The Singaporean Dream?
40:43 Video game exports Singapore culture internationally
44:02 HHow do games and toys make us who we are?

===========
About On The Red Dot: CNA's weekly programme documents the stories of ordinary Singaporeans and celebrates their resilience, identity and sense of belonging.
===========
On The Red Dot playlist:    • On The Red Dot | Full Episodes  

#CNAInsider #OnTheRedDot #Singapore #GamesAndToys #HelloKitty


For more, SUBSCRIBE to CNA INSIDER!
https://cna.asia/insideryoutubesub

Follow CNA INSIDER on:
Instagram:   / cnainsider  
Facebook:   / cnainsider  
Website: https://cna.asia/cnainsider