Paul the Oracle Octopus gets memorial
The Oracle Octopus, famous for his World Cup predictions, is now honored.
San Francisco residents are waking up today to the news that Paul the Oracle Octopus, who had predicted with accuracy the eight outcomes of the World Cup, now has a memorial.
Paul the Octopus had a legion of fans who had wanted a memorial set up for him. In response, the aquarium where he lived in Oberhausen, Germany, has made one for him now. It is 6-1/2 feet tall and is made of plastic (some say bronze or marble might have been more fitting) and inside is an urn covered in gold leaf that contains Paul's cremated remains, according to the Washington Post.
San Francisco resident Amy Mulholland says: "I was sorry to hear he died back in October. He was such a fun creature and we were all left wondering how he was able to make those predictions. He will be missed, but I am glad they are doing something to keep his memory alive."
"We acted upon the wishes of fans and created a place of remembrance," said Tanya Munzig, spokeswoman for the aquarium where Paul lived. "This monument was also built to show visitors just how much people around the world loved Paul."
Paul was undoubtedly the most famous octopus in history. He died last October in his sleep, according to the staff at the German aquarium.
"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, passed away," said a statement to the press, back in October 2010, according to news.yahoo.com.
It was during the FIFA 2010 World Cup that Paul shot to fame. He accurately foretold the outcome of eight FIFA World Cup games by picking a mollusk from a box. It was when he moved the mollusk that the gamblers of the world would then make their bets.
And they did so because they quickly learned that Paul the Oracle Octopus was always right.
Paul even predicted Spain's win over the Netherlands for the final.
"His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself ... We had all naturally grown very fond of him," said a spokesman for the aquarium.
Paul the Octopus was given a variety of opportunities after the World Cup. He was even invited to live in Spain. During one phase of the World Cup, however, fans who didn't like what he was predicting started sending the aquarium food recipes that featured octopus as one of the ingredients.
All that has now been forgotten, and fans are just sad that he has gone.
San Francisco residents can follow this and other new stories on San Francisco station KTVU Channel 2 News.
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See photos of Paul the Oracle Octopus in a slideshow on the left.
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