PAP logo appears in 'Law & Order: SVU' episode, supposed to be for electric company van

Dun dun.

Ashley Tan | February 28, 2020, 07:09 PM

You might have heard of the rather famous U.S. detective crime television series Law & Order.

The franchise received so much recognition and popularity that several spin-offs were made, one of which is Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which focuses on sexual crimes.

The show is particularly well-known for its opening line, followed by the iconic "dun, dun" sound effect.

Something familiar

Enjoying the show is all well and good, but one Mothership reader spotted something rather out of the ordinary while indulging in a binge session of fictional true crime.

Season 21 (yes, that's an insane number of seasons) episode 17 of the show centres around the SVU team busting an underground human trafficking ring.

At around the 4-minute 23-second mark, the female protagonist Detective Olivia Benson exits a decoy van the team was using to stake out the area.

You might notice something familiar printed on the side of the van.

Photo from Mothership reader

Here's a clearer shot.

Screenshot from Law & Order: SVU

And another scene featuring the same van.

Screenshot from Law & Order: SVU

PAP logo?

Yes, the logo on the van almost seems to resemble the logo of Singapore's preponderant People's Action Party.

Similar colour scheme of red and blue, and similar symbol of lightning strike superimposed over a circle.

Photo from Wikipedia

It is uncertain if the creators of the show took inspiration from the PAP, or even knew the logo of Singapore's ruling party.

Then again, the lightning symbol isn't wholly unexpected considering the fictional company the van belongs to in the show is that of an electrician.

The Chinese words below the logo translates to "Zhang's Electrician".

Still a pretty strange coincidence.

If your interest has been piqued, here's the promo for the episode to whet your appetite.

This isn't the first time locally familiar items have been spotted in overseas shows.

A rather recognisable "No Durian" sign, largely similar to the ones spotted on MRTS in Singapore or trains in other Asian countries, was sighted in an interplanetary train in sci-fi movie The Expanse.

Top photo from Mothership reader