Kaka

2 min readNov 19, 2023

Someone shared in a heritage group in Facebook of this snack, Kaka.

I had it often in the early-1980s as a boy growing up from kindergarten to Primary School. It was very popular in Singapore then.

It not only brings back fond memories of my childhood days but of my grandmother’s love.

You see, she brought that for me often as the mama shop was located at my first HDB block.

How a mama shop looked like in the 1980s (Source: National Heritage Board’s e-book on “void decks”)

It cost 20¢ — not expensive but I won’t call it dirt cheap either. It was also the price of the kachang puteh when I entered primary school in 1983. It was just an affordable purchase to spoil her grandson.

I also vaguely recalled the pack would come with a free toy inside, usually a spin that comes with a string which you used your fingers to manoeuvre. I remembered my father warning me to be careful as it was reported in the Straits Times of an accident caused by a spin, causing injury to a boy’s eye. However I was not sure whether it was the same type of spin found in Kaka.

To sidetrack, although that HDB block is still around, the mama shop has disappeared. Presumably, HDB preferred to create more space for the residents. It is sad as the mama shop formed a big part of the history of that estate.

Where the mama shop used to be located at Block 23 Hougang Avenue 3

I am not sure when Kaka stopped selling in Singapore but my guess would be late-1980s. I thought it is now gone for good. But hey, I did a random Google search and realised that you can still get Kaka in Tanjong Katong! So what are you still waiting for?