M’sian Man Finds Mysterious Tiny Huts In JB, Netizens’ Guesses Go Wild

Tiny huts found along roads in Johor Bahru

Mention the words “mysterious tiny huts” and most of us will automatically think of fantasy games and Studio Ghibli movies. This is because most huts that Malaysians are used to seeing are ones that we don’t have to bend our knees to enter, such as portable guard houses or pondok-pondok rehat.

So when a Malaysian man stumbled across mysterious tiny huts with curled roofs abandoned along streets in Johor Bahru on Google Maps, he took his curiosity online to a Facebook group to find out what they were from others. It resulted in a swarm of creative guesses from netizens, including references to Doraemon’s “Anywhere Door” and Hobbit houses, before they figured out the huts’ real functions that date back to the 1960s.

Huts with curled roofs found in 3 locations across JB

Image credit: Matno Yusup

These tiny hut discoveries were shared on Facebook group Malaysiaku Dulu Dulu’s page by netizen MatNo Yusup. Sharing Google Maps screenshots of identical miniature huts in 3 different locations in JB, he reached out to members of the group for answers to his finds:

“What is the function of these pondoks? I saw 3 small pondoks with the same architecture so far in Johor Bahru through Google Maps. Some say that they used to be guard houses that doubled as siren huts in the 60s.”

Image credit: Matno Yusup

This piqued the curiosity of many in response to his discovery, as pictures he shared showed miniature huts with curled roofs, a narrow doorless entryway, and a single window. They also appeared to be left abandoned among bushes alongside JB roads, with their unique roofs largely left untouched and rusting away.

Image credit: Matno Yusup

Some locations where he managed to spot these little huts are Senai Highway, Jalan Ismail, and Jalan Taruka. They are all around a 20-minute drive from each other, and with no consistent locations for them as the first is located across from a mosque, and the other two near a residential area and an educational institution.

History as a siren hut and milk stall

Netizens found answers to his questions about what the unique, quaint huts were all about. Yusup updated his post to share his findings, thanks to some of the helpful comments he received.

According to many Malaysians’ personal recollections, the huts were indeed used as siren huts during the 1960s-70s to make announcements such as berbuka puasa to the Muslim community in the area.

Huts now left abandoned
Image adapted from: Persatuan Bangsa Johor

But as time went on, these huts went out of fashion as siren huts, and served as stalls selling milk in the 1980s, as recalled by a Facebook user. This was because there was a boom in the dairy industry in Malaysia, coupled with milk drinking campaigns from brands such as Dutch Lady during the time, which made these huts a quick way to get milk to the community.

Netizens come up with theories about the unusual sight

Before the huts’ history was helpfully deciphered by many, netizens came up with several lighthearted guesses as to what these huts could be as they are a sight to see for those of us who aren’t familiar with them.

Some joked that they were homes for fictional characters such as Hobbits and Smurfs, and one even said it resembled Doraemon’s Door that lets the beloved Japanese cartoon character travel to any location it desires, because of its small and unusual size.

Netizens come up with various guesses about the tiny huts
Image adapted from: Matno Yusup

But others were more interested in the history of the unusual structure, even calling for efforts to preserve it. This included Raja Shamsul Azwan, who commented, “If this truly is a siren hut from the old days, it should be preserved and beautified because it is part of our heritage.”

Image adapted from: Raja Shamsul Azwan

Huts in cosy sizes found across Johor Bahru

Malaysia boasts a rich history that makes sights such as these tiny huts in Johor Bahru not as far-fetched as they seem – another Malaysian man recently found out the history of abandoned heritage buildings on Google Maps too. So we’re thankful for curious Malaysians who bring our attention to historic sights around us that well deserve a shoutout.