Apart from doughnuts, the Mixue mascot, and BTS, dinosaurs are another thing Singaporeans just can’t seem to get enough of.
From dino-themed food courts to dinosaur displays at the airport, the Jurassic World-loving community is alive and well around these parts.
Now, one member of that community has taken his love to new heights.
A TikTok user named @yeejiaa recently went viral for dressing up as a T-Rex to take a photo with an animatronic dinosaur.
Viewers loved his antics, and praised the man’s creativity and sense of humour.
Yesterday (19 Jun), TikTok user Tan Yi Jia shared a wholesome yet hilarious experience he had at NEX Singapore.
The mall was hosting a Jurassic World-themed event in honour of the movie franchise’s 30th anniversary.
Among the most anticipated activities there was the Raptor Encounter, where visitors could get a photo op with an animatronic velociraptor.
Seeing a chance to do something out of the norm, Tan dressed up as a dinosaur himself — a T-Rex no less — to take a photo with his fellow reptile.
Source: TikTok
Furthermore, he took it up a notch by paying over S$50 to get a priority photo pass.
Judging by the video’s caption of ‘met my soulmate at NEX today’, Tan was prepared to have a meet-cute of epic proportions.
However, things did not appear to go exactly as he had hoped, as the velociraptor appeared to take a step back and snarl at him.
Source: TikTok
Nonetheless, he seemed to take the rejection in stride, quipping via on-screen text that the dinosaur did not like his “outfit”.
Before exiting, he even bid his lady love farewell by turning around to look at her and letting out a roar.
Although the T-Rex’s date may not have fared well, Tan still got lots of love from the event photographer and fellow mallgoers.
Before entering the photo area, he already got a high five from a kid watching the event.
As he made his way into the main area, he shared in the video that the photographer was “so amused” by his costume.
While he was leaving, many spectators also extended their phones to take his photo, akin to paparazzi swarming a celebrity.
Source: TikTok
Naturally, he also got plenty of amused looks from shoppers as he walked away, with one of them even reaching out to pat him.
Tan’s T-Rex stunt was an instant hit with viewers, with some saying they would have preferred to take a photo with him than the dinosaur.
Source: TikTok
Multiple commenters also found out about the event via the video and expressed their desire to go. Sadly, OP said the event ended yesterday (18 Jun).
Source: TikTok
Meanwhile, other users heaped high praise on Tan for his sense of humour.
Source: TikTok
At the same time, some viewers were disgruntled by the fact that he had to stand so far away from the dinosaur and felt the tightened security around it was excessive.
Source: TikTok
Finally, one user wished that OP could have interacted more with his soulmate, to which the latter agreed.
Source: TikTok
Speaking to MS News on how the idea for the stunt came about, Tan said he thought of it after stumbling upon the velociraptor photo experience on an earlier day.
Upon discovering that the next day was the last day to take photos with the dinosaur, he decided to bring his suit out.
Image courtesy of Tan Yi Jia
His purpose for doing so was to bring smiles to the faces of those around him, especially children.
Recalling how the crowd reacted to him, he said the reactions ranged from bewildered to amused.
Many children supposedly kept whacking his suit, and one of them gave him a high five, as seen in the video.
Interestingly enough, he could only see from the front of the suit. Thus, he could not see who whacked his suit unless he turned all the way around.
While waiting in line, he also got many enthusiastic responses from parents who asked their children to take photos with him instead.
At the same time, Tan praised the emcee for improvising the script to comment on his suit.
On whether he has worn the suit out before, he revealed that he had only done so for a Halloween event and other performances during his university days.
Following the warm reception for his stunt, Tan said he would certainly do it again if the opportunity arose.
While he nearly backed out at the last minute, he now has no regrets about doing it after seeing the joy his antics have brought to those around him.
Finally, he thanked his friends for accompanying him and giving him the courage to go through with the stunt.
What started out simply as one man donning a T-Rex costume unexpectedly turned into a roaring good time for mallgoers and TikTok viewers alike.
We have to give it to Tan for coming up with such a creative way to spend his weekend and spread joy.
Who knows, perhaps this is not the last we shall see of Mr T-Rex on the streets of Singapore.
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Featured image adapted from TikTok and courtesy of Tan Yi Jia.
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