The oldest mosaic playgrounds in Singapore

Even if you’ve yet to see the iconic site in person, we’re pretty sure you’ve seen it on your Instagram feed. Built in the 1970s, this mosaic-clad dragon play structure is the poster child of retro playgrounds
 in Singapore. Back in the good old days, children would slide down its colourful back. Today, safety hazards have gotten in the way of that, but the beloved playground still holds significant sentimental value as the only dragon playground with a sandpit in Singapore – head down for a dose of nostalgia. Alternatively, it makes an ace backdrop for the 'gram.

Easily spotted from afar due to its distinct red, green and yellow mosaic tiles, this fruity playground in the east sees slices of watermelon transformed into a slide and wooden plank swings that have been reduced to immobile benches. The fruity theme continues just a seed's throw away where there are mangosteen domes for some hide-and-seek, or shelter away from the sun. Built in 1989, the playground was designed as a nod to the fruit farms of rural Tampines before the town was developed. While they first opened with sandy pits, they now stand on rubber mats.

Docked next to Elias Mall in Pasir Ris, this sampan-shaped playground was first opened in 1994. It's obvious that the play space took inspiration from the bumboats that have been cruising down the Singapore River for more than 150 years. But don't expect your usual sampan in one piece – the mosaic boat is split into two halves, with one featuring a tyre ladder for the kids to clamber over, and the other featuring a terrazzo slide which leads into the sandy ground.

This playground is temporarily closed.

Hidden within the quaint estate of Dakota Crescent, the dove playground was first introduced in 1979. It features a concrete dove linked by a metal bridge to a pyramid-like structure with rubber tyre swings suspending from under it. In 2016, the estate was up for en bloc redevelopment, and its residents were forced to move out. The fate of the playground still remains uncertain as some parts of the old estate remain in limbo. But for now, the concrete dove lives to sing another day.

This playground is temporarily closed.

Turn back the clock at this whimsical playground in Bishan. A stone's throw away from the neighbourhood bus interchange, the fairytale-inspired clock playground dates back to 1988 and is known for its brightly-coloured tiles – albeit faded – as well as bold curvatures. It's decked with ladders that lead to the back of the giant cuckoo clock, and a terrazzo slide that continues into the sandpit, making it one of the few sandpit playgrounds to exist in Singapore today.