Sep 25, 2026
SINGAPORE, 28 September 2026 — Every Hero starts Small. This time, with a Lil' Bucket. This Children’s Day, KFC and Mandai X are teaming up on a year-long Ranger Buddies collaboration. From 1 October 2026, children can discover wildlife through collectible cards and digital missions featuring Ranger Buddies Al and Min, bringing fun and purposeful learning into an everyday learning moment.
Developed by Mandai X, the growth accelerator and venture-building arm of Mandai Wildlife Group, Ranger Buddies is an award-winning children’s edutainment brand that nurtures future-ready global citizens. Through storytelling, gamification and real-world experiences, it helps children explore the world around them, grow in confidence and character, and discover how small actions can make a positive difference for themselves, others and the world.
The partnership brings together KFC’s everyday family dining experience with Ranger Buddies’ purposeful learning, creating new opportunities for children to explore wildlife, build positive values and engage with the world around them.
Mr Terrence Tang, Head and General Manager, Edutainment, Mandai X, said: “Ranger Buddies is designed to bring purposeful play and learning into the places and moments that are already part of children’s everyday lives. Through our partnership with KFC Singapore, we can create more opportunities for children to build curiosity and care for the world around them. This collaboration extends Ranger Buddies into a familiar family setting while staying true to our purpose of nurturing future-ready global citizens .”
Added Ms Jaslyn Lam, Director of Marketing and Food Innovation of KFC Singapore: “At the heart of the partnership is a shared belief that meaningful learning happens through play. While KFC's Lil' Bucket Meal was designed to fuel children's imagination and family bonding moments, Ranger Buddies extends that spirit of discovery beyond the dining table through interactive storytelling, collectibility and digital missions.” Starting 1 October 2026 and running till 30 September 2027, KFC restaurants islandwide will become Ranger Buddies Outposts – playful starting points for children to explore, discover and embark on everyday missions. From customised Lil' Buckets and tray liners to collectible cards – every touchpoint invites children into Ranger Buddies Al and Min’s world of adventure.
COLLECT, LEARN AND EXPLORE WITH THE RANGER BUDDIES FIELD KIT Begin your mission with limited-edition KFC x Ranger Buddies Collectible Cards, available FREE with every purchase of a Lil' Bucket Meal or a Lil' Bucket Family Meal, from 1 October 2026 onwards at participating KFC outlets, while stocks last.
Each card pack also contains a special KFC x Ranger Buddies mission card. This unlocks monthly digital adventures within the Ranger Buddies app (https://app.rangerbuddies.com/), encouraging our future heroes to continue their journey beyond the restaurant itself.
More than just cute keepsakes, these meaningful collectible cards introduce children to Ranger Buddies Al and Min, and their C.O.U.R.A.G.E. animal companions, with 5 unique collectible cards to discover every month. Each card also introduces young explorers to fascinating animals, their unique abilities, and the environmental challenges they face – turning every pack into a fun gateway to learning, discovery, and action.
Also available from 1st October will be a limited-edition KFC x Ranger Buddy Card Binder $29.90, available exclusively at KFC Kallang or merch.kfc.com.sg. It's the perfect showcase for your little ones to collect and display their KFC x Ranger Buddies Collectible Cards.
TRANSFORMING MEALTIME INTO MISSION TIME
Not just a traditional kids’ meal collectible, the KFC x Ranger Buddies Collectible Cards extend the experience long after the meal is finished.
The first mission, Creatures of the Deep, invites children to look beyond the fearsome appearances of deep-sea animals and discover the roles they play in keeping ocean ecosystems healthy. Through the mission, children learn why even the ocean’s strangest creatures deserve understanding and care.
Future missions will take families on new Ranger Buddies adventures, from learning how to live in harmony with nature in “Bring Harmony Back with Sally”, to discovering how climate change is affecting Antarctica in the festive mission “Get Ready for Christmas with Arlo”.
Each mission turns curiosity into action through age-appropriate digital play.
To begin, scan the QR Code on the Lil’ Bucket or mission card to create a Ranger Buddies account. After each mission is completed, children can spin the wheel for a chance to earn rewards, including KFC treats and tickets to the indoor attractions and selected wildlife parks at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
This creates a positive feedback loop that connects learning with action, reinforcing sustainable habits from a young age. And it all begins from a KFC Lil’ Bucket.
IMMERSIVE RANGER BUDDIES OUTPOSTS
KFC outlets islandwide (excluding Singapore Polytechnic) will become Ranger Buddies outposts, featuring specially designed Ranger Buddies trayliners for our little guests, customised Lil’ Buckets, and table stickers.
The trayliners invite families into the world of Ranger Buddies, where they can join Al and Min to discover fascinating animals and learn wildlife facts together. The KFC Lil’ Buckets themselves will also be dressed in customised Ranger Buddies wildlife designs, and table stickers show the way into the Ranger Buddies Tree House in the Lil’ Bucket World via convenient QR Codes.
VISIT THE KFC LIL’ BUCKET WORLD Located within the KFC app is a safe learning space, the KFC Lil’ Bucket World. This dedicated section is your home in the KFC world – a place for kids and kids-at-heart to play, earn rewards, and feel part of a community made just for you!
In the Lil’ Bucket World, redeem your rewards and also participate in games and learn more about the Ranger Buddies. Find your Lil’ Treasures waiting inside, with a Lil’ Playhouse for brain-teasing educational games, and more, as well as Lil’ Celebrations for your KFC party booking form.
Inside, children can also visit the Ranger Buddies Tree House, a gateway into the world that the Ranger Buddies call home. Find out more about Ranger Buddies Al and Min, get to know the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. animal buddies, watch animated short videos, check out animal educational fun facts, and locate all the KFC Ranger Buddies outposts in Singapore.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Brand Cellar
Gayle Lim (+65) 9727 7210 gaylelim@brand-cellar.com
Fermantha Tan (+65) 9790 7671 fermantha@brand-cellar.com
Alanis Tan (+65) 8495 2817 alanis@brand-cellar.com
Cheryl Loh (+65) 9389 4483 cherylloh@brand-cellar.com
Kentucky Fried Chicken Management Pte Ltd
Jaslyn Lam (+65) 9844 9093 jaslyn.lam@kfc.com.sg
Ginger Soon (+65) 9645 6632 ginger.soon@kfc.com.sg
Mandai X
Ong Kai Ling kailing.ong@mandai.com
ABOUT COLONEL SANDERS
Before KFC, Harland Sanders was a proud owner of a restaurant called ‘Sanders’ Court and Café’, located across the street from a busy highway gas station in Kentucky, USA. During that time, he served home-cooked food to truck drivers and vacationers on road trips. The food was so good that his restaurant became a destination instead of a pit stop. Only at the age of 65, after reaching retirement age,
Colonel Sanders devoted himself to franchising KFC throughout North America. Colonel Sander’s signature blend of 11 herbs and spices took over 1000 tries to perfect, due his relentless determination to create the best home-made fried chicken with no shortcuts. The secret recipe is, to this day, kept locked at all times in a vault in KFC’s headquarters in Kentucky, USA. To ensure no one company has the full recipe and in order to keep its exact components a secret, two separate companies blend halves of the ingredients beforehand. Ultimately, the halves are married into the well-loved and mysterious spice mix that we all know and enjoy today.
ABOUT KFC SINGAPORE
Kentucky Fried Chicken Management Pte Ltd is the leading quick-service restaurant chain in the chicken category in Singapore. KFC is renowned for serving its customers delicious, complete family meals at affordable prices. The first KFC restaurant in Singapore was opened in 1977, and there are now 74 restaurants island-wide.
KFC a.m. was introduced in November 2007 and is now served at 67 of its restaurants. The company also provides KFC Delivery as part of its commitment to meet the needs of consumers. There are more than 19,400 KFC restaurants in 120 countries and territories around the world. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.)
To find out more about KFC in Singapore, please visit www.kfc.com.sg.
ABOUT RANGER BUDDIES
Developed by Mandai X, Ranger Buddies is an award-winning edutainment brand that nurtures children who are empowered to make a positive difference for themselves, others, and the world. Guided by young Ranger Buddies Al and Min, together with their seven animal buddies, Ranger Buddies combine storytelling, gamification, digital technology, and real-world experiences to help children explore the world around them, grow in confidence and character, and take meaningful action with care.
To find out more about Ranger Buddies, please visit www.rangerbuddies.com
ABOUT MANDAI X
Mandai X spearheads purpose-led innovation to build global ventures that create better choices for harmony between people and nature. As the impact acceleration and venture-building arm of Mandai Wildlife Group, it leverages over 50 years of experience in wildlife and nature conservation to bring together communities, businesses and governments to drive growth and impact at scale.
To find out more about Ranger Buddies, please visit www.mandaix.com