TraceTogether otter, Covid-19 virus among pandemic imagery young children love

Little Emma Wong had an unusual request for her third birthday this month: a cake featuring a smiling cartoon otter, straight out of the TraceTogether contact tracing mobile app.

She is among children who, born just before or during the Covid-19 pandemic, took to the habits and imagery that defined the pandemic - such as the TraceTogether otter mascot - as the only way of life they have ever known.

The otter, animated to swim back and forth against a dark blue-green backdrop, was introduced in a software update last November as a visual marker to ensure that the app's check-in screen is not a screenshot to fool gatekeepers at venue entrances.

Such is the otter's ubiquity that it has become a part of pandemic popular culture despite TraceTogether falling out of widespread use in most settings since April this year .

"She saw the otter a lot as we bring her out frequently," said Emma's mother, civil servant Aretha Loh, 33.

"Sometimes, she would ask for a phone to hold on to at home to watch the otter swimming back and forth."

Ms Loh, who is married to content manager Mcken Wong, 35, added: "She has only ever asked for the TraceTogether otter, and not a generic otter, for her toys or cakes.

"So we think she likes the specific back-and-forth animation and cartoon design (of the otter mascot)."

Bakery shop Bob the Baker Boy brought the otter to life as an edible 3D sculpture, perched atop a chocolate cake frosted with teal butter cream.

Owner Fong Mayee, 29, told The Straits Times that it is the first time her shop received a request for a customised cake featuring the TraceTogether otter, though it is not the first pandemic-themed cake order.

She said: "Orders for pandemic-themed cakes are few and far between, and are usually meant as a prank for adults, such as those celebrating their birthday in quarantine.

"The pandemic has a very negative connotation in Singapore, so most parents wouldn't want... cakes for their children to feature that theme."

To lighten the sombre mood at the onset of the pandemic, another bakery, White Spatula, introduced a whimsical take on the coronavirus itself as a cake design back in April 2020. It is still available for order.

The design, a studded sphere shaped like the virus as seen under a microscope, albeit with big goofy eyes, was a hit with adults and children alike, notching around 90 orders that year, said owner Betty Yap.

"We started off thinking it would be for adults, but a few months later, parents got excited at the idea of a coronavirus-shaped cake... instead of the usual animal cake for their children's birthdays," she added.

But the design was not meant to make light of the virus' danger, she said.

Ms Yap, 49, is herself the mother of a two-year-old daughter, born in December 2019 - as much a child of the pandemic as Emma.

"We just came back from a holiday in Australia, where indoor masks are not required, so she was puzzled why we weren't wearing them. She was taught to wear a mask and keep a safe distance... and thinks it is the normal way of life," she added.

In response to ST queries, a Government Technology Agency spokesman said use of the otter mascot will be discontinued together with TraceTogether when the pandemic ends, as the otter has been associated with TraceTogether, Covid-19, contact tracing, the Government and GovTech.

The Government has also already publicly promised to phase out TraceTogether once it is no longer needed for the pandemic, he added.

"Thus, we plan to keep the otter associated with TraceTogether, and we are not planning to use the otter for other purposes," he said, adding that the agency has no plans to release official merchandise of the mascot.

Although there will be nostalgia when TraceTogether and the otter are phased out, the spokesman said the team behind it is looking forward to doing so, because it means the goal to protect Singapore and its residents in the pandemic has been achieved.

"The otter represents... the simple act of bringing joy and encouragement to others to press on in the face of challenges. It is heartwarming to know that the public value and connect with the otter as much as we do."