If any of these seems familiar, you are probably a Singaporean
who had your childhood in the 80s or early 90s.
Yahoo! Singapore has collaborated with Remember Singapore to come up with a compilation
of some of the things you would have probably encountered, played,
watched, ate or read during your childhood. Enjoy!
Sesame Street
An American children television series, Sesame Street has found
its way to many countries in the world, including Singapore. Many
of its muppets, created by Jim Henson, were children's favorite TV
characters. The popular muppets include Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big
Bird, Ernie and Bert, and many more.
Don't Worry Be Happy
One of the first and longest running Chinese sitcom in
Mediacorp's history, the drama serial had a total of six seasons
spanning from 1996-2002, and starred local heavyweights Chew Chor
Meng (Ah Bee), Lynn Poh, and May Phua.
Good Morning, Sir! (Aiyoyo Lao Shi)
The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) television serial
featured Chen Liping, who acted in the role as "Miss Ai-Yo-Yo",
which earned the actress the "Most Unforgettable TV Character"
Award for that role in Star Awards 2003.
English pop
The eighties and nineties saw the rise of Michael Jackson as he
released three successful albums in Thriller (1982), Bad (1987) and
Dangerous (1991). His music videos of Beat It and Billie Jean
sparked the MTV industry, which further cemented his 'King of Pop'
status.
Madonna debuted in 1982 and released many hits in Like a Virgin,
Material Girl and La Isla Bonita from 1984 to 1987. Other popular
artistes included the likes of Rick Astley, Bananarama, Belinda
Carlisle, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael and Roxette.
Video and cassette tapes
The first VCR (Videocassette Recorder) was launched to the mass
market in 1971. By the late eighties, they became reasonably
affordable for a consumer to rent and watch a film in the comfort
of his home. He could even schedule his video player to do a record
of a TV programme at a later timing. By the late nineties, video
tapes became endangered species as VCSs (Video Compact Discs) and
DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) made their way into the video
playing and recording industry.
Similarly for cassette tapes, it allows users to playback music
or sound recordings that is recorded on the tape itself.
Ice Ball
Ice balls are finely grated ice packed into a ball and topped
with red- and green-coloured sugar-coated syrups. They were often
sold by roadside hawkers and were typically eaten by using just the
fingers or hands.
Haw Flakes
If you are Chinese, you probably grew up with these round
reddish brown sweet berry-scented wafers rolled up in bright
cylinder-shaped pink wrappers. And they are often touted as a candy
that helps aid digestion.
Fancy Gem Biscuits
Manufactured by Singapore's old branded Khong Guan Biscuit
Company, these little biscuits with sweet star-shaped coating at
the top were joyful tidbits for children. And they came in various
colors -- pink, yellow, green and white.
White Rabbit Creamy Candy
Another addictive candy, each white rabbit creamy candy has a
soft, chewy texture, and is wrapped in a thin edible film made of
sticky rice. Its popularity here declined after the nineties, and
was almost banned after being hit by the melamine contamination
scandal in China in 2008.
A&W Vanilla Float Drink
Remember the good old days where you enjoyed the real draft
goodness of A&W Root Beer Float, topped with creamy, delicious
vanilla A&W signature soft serve?
