Paul the Octopus, who amazed followers and sports fans alike is set to be enshrined and commemorated in a ceremony that looks on the unlikely octopus’ accomplishments which included predicting several winning outcomes of the World Cup in 2010 including the final game that would ultimately secure Paul’s position as the most famous octopus of all time. And if there was any doubt that the psychic cephalopod was larger than life when he was still kicking (with all eight legs) then a six foot tall statue honoring him will remove any final doubts of this much beloved figure.
The stories started as a tongue in cheek observation about the octopus’ incredible luck at predicting the winner of each world cup, but after the predictions kept coming the story quickly turned to pure astonishment. And so began the psychic triumph of Paul the Octopus and his rise to fame. Eventually he would be covered more than any cephalopod of 2010, and even have a bidding war take place over which country had the right to possess him. Rather than selling their beloved psychic octopus, however, Paul’s owners decided to keep him where they knew he would be safe and well taken care of.
And after the World Cup, Pauls predictions had already secured him in a position of authority in the world of psychics. A creature that had never spoken or understood a word of English was being spoken of as a psychic over many even famous celebrity psychics around the world. And it was all due to his own method of prediction which was just as perplexing as the fact that he got it right every time in his final year.
Paul would open a container filled with mussels and consume their contents. There were always two containers placed in front of him, and each had a flag of one of the countries set to play in the finals in the next few days. And not once did Paul select the wrong box in his final predictions. Each time the news was published on the Internet and carried by international news syndications long before the match and each time he proved right.
But Paul’s predictions not only became a matter of international anecdotal interest, but rumors spread in the final days of his prediction spree that betting operations closed down early or would not take bets on the World Cup because of Paul’s uncanny accuracy. And others suggested that friends would refuse to listen to Paul’s predictions because they were so accurate before a big game because it would ruin the fun and the suspense for them. His predictions were so accurate, in fact, that a gambler doubling his bet each game and following Paul’s predictions would have stood to make more than ten times their original bet. And many did, no doubt only further fueling his wild popularity.
And so perhaps it is fitting that Paul the psychic octopus will be enshrined in a monument that will show Paul the Octopus standing triumphantly atop a football with a window showing the final resting place of one of the world’s most beloved octopi. And that final resting place is an urn made of solid gold.