Tracing the birth and growth of our 5 favourite public transport mascots.
Happy 10 Years: The Thoughtful Bunch
Have you ever found yourself sandwiched in the crowd, jostling against other commuters and unable to get through the train doors — only to notice there is actually space, just that people aren’t moving in? Or perhaps you’ve been unable to alight from a train as hordes of people rush to board?
Many of us can relate to frustrating moments like these happening at least once in our lives. But the thing is, these circumstances don’t occur because people are deliberately unkind. Sometimes, they simply don’t realise they’re doing it.
Sometimes people just need a little nudge in the right direction…. which is what we can count on the Thoughtful Bunch to do!
- Hush-Hush Hannah: Keeps her volume down so others enjoy a quieter ride
- Move-In Martin: Moves in to make space so others can board
- Stand-Up Stacey: Gives up her seat to those who need it more
- Bag-Down Benny: Puts his bag down so others have more room
- Give-Way Glenda: Queues to one side of the door and lets others alight first
The start of a gracious culture
You’ve seen these loveable characters in MRT stations, in trains, maybe even in supermarkets — in fact, they’ve become such a permanent fixture that it seems like they’ve been around forever! But did you know, the Thoughtful Bunch was only conceptualised in 2014 as part of LTA’s graciousness campaign?
The first graciousness campaign launched in 2009 as a way to encourage commuters to show graciousness on public transport, so all commuters can have a more pleasant ride.
Back then, the campaigns were fronted by local celebrities. In 2009, Phua Chu Kang took the stage (or platform) with his catchy rap, “A happy journey starts like that”. And who could forget the Dim Sum Dollies dancing on the MRT belting out the words “you can love your ride”, just a year later?
Bringing the Thoughtful Bunch to life
These initial campaigns got the traction needed, but the LTA team felt more needed to be done to connect with commuters and demonstrate how each and every one of them plays a part in making a gracious commuting culture possible — they needed characters that were relatable to you and I.
This train of thought led to the development of The Thoughtful Bunch. Move-In Martin, Give-Way Glenda and Stand-Up Stacey were the first characters introduced in mid-2014, each with a key graciousness message to promote. The public was invited to design their own thoughtful characters as well, and just months later, Hush-Hush Hannah and Bag-Down Benny joined the Thoughtful Bunch ranks.
"The 5 characters represent you or I — the “everyman” commuter, just trying to do the right thing. And as they do, they invite other commuters to do the same."
Check out this Design of The Thoughtful Bunch video interview by AsiaOne, featuring Agnes Lim, LTA’s Director of Marketing Communications! Hear from her as she shares more about the origins of the characters, their impact on commuter behaviour, and how they’ve evolved to remain relevant and engaging over the years.
The Evolution of the Thoughtful Bunch over the years
The last decade has seen the Thoughtful Bunch grow in tandem with our commuting culture and go beyond just appearing at public transport nodes, to find a special place in our hearts.
Look back with us at their life story over the years, as we celebrate the Thoughtful Bunch’s 10th anniversary this year!
The Evolution of the Thoughtful Bunch over the years
What’s happened now since the 2020s?
Did You Know?
The Thoughtful Bunch’s outfits are carefully designed to look accessible to everyone. The goal is to show that anyone can be a Stand-Up Stacey, Move-In Martin, and a Give-Way Glenda — they only need to try!
So what’s next?
In the years to come, we look forward to seeing the Thoughtful Bunch continue to collaborate with community partners to spread the message of graciousness and make the commuting culture a kinder, more comfortable one for all.
It’s been a great 10 years — let’s look forward to 10 more!
Visit the Gracious Commuting webpage for more updates.