<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>More than 200 'cows' abducted by thieves
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teo Wan Gek
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These wooden cut-outs of cows put up all over the island have been the target of thieves, despite signs warning that the 'cows' are under surveillance. Moove Media hopes the 'cows' will spread some cheer amid the gloomy downturn. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Missing - 200 cows.
Or wooden cut-outs of the animal, to be more precise.
That's one third of some 600 that were put up on Jan 25, the eve of Chinese New Year.
The cut-outs, in red, blue, pink, yellow and green, bear auspicious Chinese characters like prosperity and luck and were put up at 50 spots islandwide.
They belong to Moove Media, an advertising arm of transport giant ComfortDelGro.
The objective, said Moove's chief executive officer Jayne Kwek, is to 'bring cheer and hope to Singaporeans', especially in the current downturn.
This is the fifth year that the firm has staked out spots for the cows. The campaign, which began in 2005, normally sees cut-outs put up in April. The number varies from 500 to 1,000.
But given that this is the Year of the Ox, the campaign was brought forward to coincide with the Chinese New Year.
The 600 cut-outs, which cost $100 each to make, will be displayed till Friday.
Weighing about 8kg each, they have apparently 'mooved' some people to steal them.
More than 200 are missing, with the biggest number gone from places like Sixth Avenue and Thomson Road.
Signs beside the cut-outs that say 'cows under surveillance' have not deterred the thefts.
Some people are believed to have driven vans to the locations to cart the 'cows' home. Then there are those who have called Moove to confess that they have removed the cut-outs - but without offering to pay for them or reinstate them at their original spots.
'This man called to tell me that he took it home when he was drunk, and wanted to know if there were really surveillance cameras around,' said Mrs Kwek.
This is not the first time that thieves have struck.
In 2005, half of the 1,000 cow cut-outs went missing within the first two weeks.
In 2006, the cut-outs, which bore a flower theme, proved so popular that the company managed to retrieve only 20 of the 500 cut-outs.
'We put the retrieved cows in what I like to call our 'barn',' said Mrs Kwek. They are often recycled and restyled for the next year.
The cow cut-outs have caught the attention of many Singaporeans, and puzzled some.
Ms Chang Yi Xin, 22, a student, sees them every time she is on her way home along Ulu Pandan Road.
'I find them really cute but I don't know what purpose they serve, and what's their significance,' she said.
Ms Jasvendar Kaur, 40, a legal editor, is equally puzzled.
'When I first saw them, I thought they brightened up the place but I didn't know what the purpose was, as there were no words,' she said.
Despite people not knowing that it is a Moove initiative, Mrs Kwek said: 'Even if the benefit is intangible, it doesn't matter as that's not the point. To me, the landscape is my canvas and this is art.'
The Singapore Land Authority charges from $19 to $110 per sq m a month for using state land for advertisement signs.
And if you like the cow cut-outs enough to buy one, you can, said Moove - provided you donate a minimum of $188 to its adopted charity, The Nursing Home Foundation. What do you think of the cut-out cows? Send your comments to [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teo Wan Gek
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
These wooden cut-outs of cows put up all over the island have been the target of thieves, despite signs warning that the 'cows' are under surveillance. Moove Media hopes the 'cows' will spread some cheer amid the gloomy downturn. -- ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->Missing - 200 cows.
Or wooden cut-outs of the animal, to be more precise.
That's one third of some 600 that were put up on Jan 25, the eve of Chinese New Year.
The cut-outs, in red, blue, pink, yellow and green, bear auspicious Chinese characters like prosperity and luck and were put up at 50 spots islandwide.
They belong to Moove Media, an advertising arm of transport giant ComfortDelGro.
The objective, said Moove's chief executive officer Jayne Kwek, is to 'bring cheer and hope to Singaporeans', especially in the current downturn.
This is the fifth year that the firm has staked out spots for the cows. The campaign, which began in 2005, normally sees cut-outs put up in April. The number varies from 500 to 1,000.
But given that this is the Year of the Ox, the campaign was brought forward to coincide with the Chinese New Year.
The 600 cut-outs, which cost $100 each to make, will be displayed till Friday.
Weighing about 8kg each, they have apparently 'mooved' some people to steal them.
More than 200 are missing, with the biggest number gone from places like Sixth Avenue and Thomson Road.
Signs beside the cut-outs that say 'cows under surveillance' have not deterred the thefts.
Some people are believed to have driven vans to the locations to cart the 'cows' home. Then there are those who have called Moove to confess that they have removed the cut-outs - but without offering to pay for them or reinstate them at their original spots.
'This man called to tell me that he took it home when he was drunk, and wanted to know if there were really surveillance cameras around,' said Mrs Kwek.
This is not the first time that thieves have struck.
In 2005, half of the 1,000 cow cut-outs went missing within the first two weeks.
In 2006, the cut-outs, which bore a flower theme, proved so popular that the company managed to retrieve only 20 of the 500 cut-outs.
'We put the retrieved cows in what I like to call our 'barn',' said Mrs Kwek. They are often recycled and restyled for the next year.
The cow cut-outs have caught the attention of many Singaporeans, and puzzled some.
Ms Chang Yi Xin, 22, a student, sees them every time she is on her way home along Ulu Pandan Road.
'I find them really cute but I don't know what purpose they serve, and what's their significance,' she said.
Ms Jasvendar Kaur, 40, a legal editor, is equally puzzled.
'When I first saw them, I thought they brightened up the place but I didn't know what the purpose was, as there were no words,' she said.
Despite people not knowing that it is a Moove initiative, Mrs Kwek said: 'Even if the benefit is intangible, it doesn't matter as that's not the point. To me, the landscape is my canvas and this is art.'
The Singapore Land Authority charges from $19 to $110 per sq m a month for using state land for advertisement signs.
And if you like the cow cut-outs enough to buy one, you can, said Moove - provided you donate a minimum of $188 to its adopted charity, The Nursing Home Foundation. What do you think of the cut-out cows? Send your comments to [email protected]
