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150 Life-Sized Buddy Bears Bring a Message of Peace to Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay transforms into a colourful symbol of unity with the arrival of the United Buddy Bears exhibition. Featuring 150 life-sized bear sculptures, 145 representing individual countries and five “special” bears, this striking display invites visitors to walk among two concentric circles of 2-metre-tall bears at the Supertree Grove Lawn, each standing paw-in-paw as a gesture of friendship and hope for a peaceful world.

Making its Singapore debut as part of a collaboration between Gardens by the Bay and the Embassy of Germany, the exhibition also commemorates 60 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Germany in the year of SG60. The showcase, which began in Berlin in 2002, has travelled through 36 countries including the US, France, Japan, and Egypt, before arriving on local shores.

Each country’s bear has been uniquely designed by an artist to reflect its culture, heritage, and creativity. Singapore’s own bear, originally created in 2010 by then Raffles Design Institute student Jacqueline Harliman, returns home adorned with orchids, henna patterns, and lotus motifs on a bold red background, symbolising the nation’s multicultural heritage.

The five “special” bears convey universal values:

Golden Rule & Global Ethic – representing consideration for others and interfaith dialogue
Human Rights – inscribed with Article 1 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Respect for All Life – promoting compassion towards all living beings
Einstein – a four-legged tribute to the legendary scientist

The Buddy Bears are the creation of German couple Klaus and Eva Herlitz, who envisioned art as a universal language to foster peace, tolerance, and international understanding. What began as a Berlin street art project in 2001 has since become a global movement.

The Singapore edition is presented with support from community partner Tote Board, main sponsors DHL Group and Hapag Lloyd, and other corporate partners including Lufthansa as the official airline.