Klang man transforms living room into Milo gallery with over 1,000 items, including mug from 1950s
PETALING JAYA, July 10 — Mohd Yusof Ali always associates the green and white hues of Milo’s logo with happy memories of his late father.
The 41-year-old Milo superfan began collecting the brand’s merchandise and gifts 15 years ago as a tribute to his dad, who used to own a sundry shop.
“I’ve been a Milo collector for 15 years. My interest began when I was a kid in the 1980s and suppliers used to drop off Milo goods at our store.
“We would always get free gifts with the delivery, like pencil boxes and water bottles.
“When I became an adult, I started having a sense of nostalgia for these items so I started collecting them. Now, I have everything from old Milo tins to umbrellas,” Yusof told Malay Mail.
His impressive collection consists of over 1,000 Milo-related items including mugs, clothing, pins, and posters, all of which are displayed proudly at his home in Klang.
Yusof estimates that he owns around 90 per cent of all the gifts and merchandise ever released by Milo since it ventured into the Malaysian market 70 years ago.
He even has a rare kopitiam mug with the brand’s logo that first came out in the 1950s.
With such an impressive collection, Yusof said it’s common for him to get requests from fellow Milo enthusiasts from as far as Johor or Melaka who want to visit his home and view the gallery in person.
“Sometimes I have friends from different states who stop by Klang and ask if they can come to my place and see my collection.
“Whenever I have the time, I’ll make sure to invite them over.”
Yusof’s passion for the beloved chocolate malt drink also helped him forge new friendships online after he started a Facebook group for Malaysian Milo enthusiasts, where people can show off their collections and exchange items with each other.
The group has managed to attract over 6,100 members since it was first started in 2016.
Things quieted down a bit during the movement control order (MCO) but Yusof said Milo’s latest billboard campaign helped revive the group’s excitement in recent days.
“During the MCO period, things started slowing down in our Milo collector’s group because we couldn’t meet up.
“Some of us noticed that Milo had put up different billboards across Malaysia with unique designs for each state, and I suggested that we snap a photo when we see them and compile them into a Facebook post.
“I think this campaign is great because it shows off the uniqueness of each state and really brightens up the atmosphere.”
The Goodness of Milo campaign has billboards in different states honouring the area’s landmarks and icons.
After more than a decade of growing his collection, Yusof has no plans of giving up his hobby anytime soon.
He’s lost track of how much money he’s spent on the items in his gallery but for him, the real worth lies in each object’s sentimental value.
“I probably spent thousands of ringgit on my collection but I don’t pay too much attention to the numbers because I feel like these are items you can’t put a price on.”
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