Chinatown Point Clarifies That Statue in Mall Isn’t a Recycled Rat Repurposed as an Ox

It’s already nearing the end of the month, and the Lunar New Year is not too far off.

Which means its also about time some of us start celebrating the year of the ox.

And despite the coronavirus going about, places in Singapore are still setting up beautiful CNY decorations.

Though one of them has begun to raise more than a few eyebrows.

Chinatown Point Clarifies That Statue in Mall Isn’t a Recycled Rat Posing as an Ox

So there’s going to be a picture below, and let’s see if you can guess in one try what animal it is.

Because it sure got me confused the first time.

This curious creature was spotted at Chinatown Point.

And we say curious, but people in the comments were more confused whether it was a rat due to the whiskers, or an ox because of the horns.

In the end, a pretty common consensus was that the mall might’ve been trying to repurpose another animal, likely a rat, into an ox.

An educated guess as well, since last year was the year of the rat.

Which…apparently was also not the case, as Chinatown Point would soon clarify themselves.

An Otter Statue For A Campaign

Not too long after the post went viral, one netizen posted an official reply from the mall.

The statue is, in fact, one of the many otter statues scattered around the Chinatown Point.

They stated that local artists were commissioned to design it as otters are a beloved animal among locals.

Detachable items like the horns and cap were then added in order to better suit the CNY mood.

MustShareNews also reported that as part of the #supportlocal initiative, artists also designed otter themed items such as red packets and carrier bags.

Starting from 21 Jan to 28 Feb, shoppers in Chinatown Point can redeem said items along with some otter plushies if you spend a certain amount in the mall.

One Netizen Got Creative

Amidst all the initial confusion and eventual animal reveal, one Facebook user made a rather interesting contribution.

Namely, by editing the picture into that of a tiger, and it looks really good.

In the user’s caption, it was also stated that it could be used next year when it would be the year of the tiger.

It was so well received that Chinatown Point even personally replied to the photo edit.

They asked the user a chance to join next year’s campaign and even offered them one of the aforementioned plushies and carrier bag sets.

Guess that’s one huat way to start the new year.

And by the way…did anyone else notice the bigly pineapple tarts? No?

Featured Image: Shin Min Daily