Ang bao designed to look like S$1,000 note selling at S$5.90 for pack of 10

Early April Fools' Day prank for Chinese New Year

Karen Lui | January 28, 2021, 06:44 PM

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UPDATE: The product has been taken down from wheniwasfour's store, website and social media.

Seasoned ang bao collectors know that the true auspicious colours for Chinese New Year are orange (S$100 note) and blue (S$50 note).

Some of the lucky ones may have even encountered the elusive purple jackpot, also known as the S$1,000 note.

While S$1,000 notes will no longer be issued from this year onwards, existing notes in circulation remain legal tender.

Nonetheless, you can still experience a form of the purple jackpot this year, albeit of debatable value.

Local design studio wheniwasfour has released a new product for those who wish to pretend that they are rich enough for "Bling Empire".

S$1,000... Not

The Big Boss Red Packet (S$5.90 for a pack of 10) is designed to look like a S$1,000 note with an auspicious red currency band for a more authentic look.

Photo by wheniwasfour

For extra huat-ness, the serial number on each note is 888888888.

Besides the 'note', the red band displays the number "1,000", once on the front and twice at the back, with auspicious sayings.

Photo by wheniwasfour

On the front, the huat Chinese character is particularly large while the smaller characters read 'Gong Xi Fa Cai', which are well-wishes for prosperity and wealth.

At the back, it reads 'Zhu Ni Tian Tian Bao Fa', which literally translates to "wishing you guaranteed riches everyday".

Measuring 9cm in width and 17cm in height, the ang bao is made of 190g thick paper and stamped with gold foil.

Photo by wheniwasfour

At the time of writing, the unique red packets have gone out of stock online within 6 hours of the product launch on Instagram and Facebook.

However, wheniwasfour has "taken measures to restock them as soon as possible", estimating to have new stocks by Feb. 10.

In the meantime, there are still limited stocks in-store available for purchase.

Photo by wheniwasfour

wheniwasfour

Address: Bras Basah Complex 231 Bain Street #04-41 S(180231)

Opening hours:

12pm to 7:30pm, Mondays to Fridays

12.30pm to 6:30pm, Saturdays

Closed on Sundays and public holidays

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Top images by wheniwasfour.