(Singapore, 24th) Mysterious purple glowing orbs have appeared in various parts of Singapore. While most netizens called them out as “obviously fake,” some still believed they were witnessing a rare natural phenomenon known as “ball lightning.” However, e-wallet company YouTrip has finally revealed that the mysterious purple orbs were actually a marketing gimmick to promote their brand mascot.
According to a report by “8world News,” videos circulating on social media recently showed a purple glowing orb zipping through Singapore’s roads, parks, and along the bottom of HDB blocks, occasionally causing flashes of lightning. Although many netizens pointed out that the special effects were far too fake and clearly AI-generated, the phenomenon still generated a heated discussion.
On Monday evening, YouTrip posted videos on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, revealing that the mysterious purple orbs spreading online were in fact part of a promotional campaign for their mascot—a purple dragon named Trippie.
In the later part of the video, the purple orb “flies to” the waterfall at Jewel Changi Airport, then darts into a suitcase placed on the ground. The suitcase then opens to reveal three purple cartoon plush toys.
YouTrip has in recent years heavily promoted its cross-border e-wallet service in locations such as Singapore, and reports also indicate that the company is considering going public.
In fact, YouTrip had pulled off a similar publicity stunt this past April. At that time, the company released a video of a purple sky above the Johor Bahru checkpoint to commemorate the launch of their Malaysian ringgit wallet. That video accumulated over 3 million views.
Of course, real phenomena similar to ball lightning may indeed exist.
According to data from “China Meteorological News,” Xue Xiushu, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that ball lightning, also known as rolling thunder, is a mysterious and rare natural phenomenon.
Chinese lightning protection expert Guan Xiangshi said, “It does look very much like a fireball, appearing as a round, glowing ball floating in the air, sometimes as big as a soccer ball, sometimes only a bit bigger than a fist.
Lightning protection expert Guan Xiangshi also said, “It is truly baffling; although it often occurs during thunderstorms, it can sometimes appear on clear, cloudless days.”
Because it appears as a luminous sphere of color, ball lightning has sometimes been mistaken for an unidentified flying object.
In fact, depending on the temperature of the sphere, ball lightning can appear yellow, purple, blue, bright white, or ghostly green. For example, at lower temperatures, it appears more red, whereas at higher temperatures, it appears more purple and blue.
According to a report by “8world News,” videos circulating on social media recently showed a purple glowing orb zipping through Singapore’s roads, parks, and along the bottom of HDB blocks, occasionally causing flashes of lightning. Although many netizens pointed out that the special effects were far too fake and clearly AI-generated, the phenomenon still generated a heated discussion.
On Monday evening, YouTrip posted videos on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, revealing that the mysterious purple orbs spreading online were in fact part of a promotional campaign for their mascot—a purple dragon named Trippie.
In the later part of the video, the purple orb “flies to” the waterfall at Jewel Changi Airport, then darts into a suitcase placed on the ground. The suitcase then opens to reveal three purple cartoon plush toys.
YouTrip has in recent years heavily promoted its cross-border e-wallet service in locations such as Singapore, and reports also indicate that the company is considering going public.
In fact, YouTrip had pulled off a similar publicity stunt this past April. At that time, the company released a video of a purple sky above the Johor Bahru checkpoint to commemorate the launch of their Malaysian ringgit wallet. That video accumulated over 3 million views.
Of course, real phenomena similar to ball lightning may indeed exist.
According to data from “China Meteorological News,” Xue Xiushu, a researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that ball lightning, also known as rolling thunder, is a mysterious and rare natural phenomenon.
Chinese lightning protection expert Guan Xiangshi said, “It does look very much like a fireball, appearing as a round, glowing ball floating in the air, sometimes as big as a soccer ball, sometimes only a bit bigger than a fist.
Lightning protection expert Guan Xiangshi also said, “It is truly baffling; although it often occurs during thunderstorms, it can sometimes appear on clear, cloudless days.”
Because it appears as a luminous sphere of color, ball lightning has sometimes been mistaken for an unidentified flying object.
In fact, depending on the temperature of the sphere, ball lightning can appear yellow, purple, blue, bright white, or ghostly green. For example, at lower temperatures, it appears more red, whereas at higher temperatures, it appears more purple and blue.