Teamy, the productivity bee, was the mascot for the national productivity campaign. The successful introduction of Singa the Lion for the National Courtesy Campaign four months before sparked the idea to design a mascot for the government's push for a more efficient workforce.

A bee was chosen as a mascot for productivity because they are insects known to work well in teams and are also industrious and cooperative. Similarly, Teamy’s name is derived from the word ‘team’. The creators were deciding between using a bee and an ant as the mascot. Eventually, the bee was chosen because it had wings and could fly further. However, Teamy is not like any bee, its sting has been removed so that it looks friendly.

The team behind Singa the Lion were on the committee to design Teamy, and they were joined by a journalist, an advertising executive and NPB’s deputy chairman. Animator Bill Toh, who was then working at the government's Educational Television Services, claims to have been the illustrator of the bee itself.

Over the years, as Singapore called on its workers to not just be productive but innovative as well, Teamy also began carrying a lightbulb to represent bright and creative ideas. In 1999, the mascot was retired.