KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 ― Blöndal Malaysia has expressed surprised that many Malaysians are mourning the loss of its mascot, which had greeted commuters along the Federal Highway for over 17 years.
However, the Swedish electrical appliance maker said the iconic polar bear named Björn has not disappeared, but was merely relocated to the company’s new headquarters just 2km away.
“The new offices have been under construction for the past six months, and we have delayed bringing Björn until we were sure that everything was ready for him. Now that he is in place, we look forward to being able to officially launch our new office within the next week or so.”
“Of course, if people are still worried about Björn, we would be happy to welcome anyone who would like to drop by in the meantime,” Blöndal Group chief executive Sophus C.C. Broberg said in a statement to Malay Mail Online.
Its new address is at 8, Jalan Jurunilai U1/20, Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park in Shah Alam, which means that the bear would now be relatively hidden from commuters’ view.
Yesterday, photos of the statue were circulated on social media by mobile crane specialist Arun Raja, leaving several Malaysians nostalgic and melancholic over the loss of a childhood memory.
The photos showed a crane handling the statue, and also the statue sitting on the roadside.
It is understood that the photos actually showed the bear statue being placed on top of the new building, instead of taken down.
According to Blöndal’s website, the polar bear mascot symbolises its founder’s family heritage from Iceland, and the company’s “quiet strength in spirit and determination to lead and guide those in our influence towards a better future”.
“Björn is a symbol taken from our family´s heritage that goes back over 1,150 years in Iceland and has stood for our quiet strength in spirit and determination to lead and guide those in our influence towards a better future,” Broberg said.
“For the thousands of our employees, hundreds of thousands of customers and the millions of Malaysians that saw it over the years, its familiar visage was a source of joy as a sign of home, or the best landmark for people to navigate by.”
The company, which supplies water dispenser, water filters, and air purifiers here, can still be contacted through its hotline 1-300-88-0123.
