Paul the Octopus
Sea Life Centres | |
Named after | Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus – poem by Boy Lornsen |
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Paul the Octopus (26 January 2008
During divinations, Paul's keepers would present him with two food-containing boxes decorated with the flags of the teams in an upcoming match. Whichever box Paul ate from first was considered his prediction for which team would win the match.
His keepers at the
Life
Paul was hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, and was then moved to a tank at one of the chain's centres at Oberhausen in Germany.[3] Paul's name derived from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus.[4]
According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life: "There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they came close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were."[5]
The animal rights organisation
Following Paul's rise to fame, businessmen in Carballiño, a community in Galicia, collected about €30,000 for a "transfer fee" to get Paul as main attraction of the local Fiesta del Pulpo festival.[7] Manuel Pazo, a fisherman and head of the local business club assured people that Paul would be presented alive in a tank and not on the menu. Sea Life rejected the offer nevertheless.[8]
Paul was last checked by staff on 25 October 2010, and was in good health, but the following morning he was found dead. He was aged two-and-a-half, a normal lifespan for the species. His agent, Chris Davies, said "It's a sad day. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth". Sea Life Centre manager Stefan Porwoll remembered Paul as an octopus who had "enthused people across every continent".[9][10]
Divination
Paul's career as an oracle began during the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament.[3][11] In the lead-up to Germany's international football matches, Paul was presented with two clear plastic boxes, each containing food: a mussel or an oyster. Each container was marked with the flag of a team, one the flag of Germany, and the other the flag of Germany's opponent. The box which Paul opened first (and ate its contents) was deemed to be the predicted winner of the match.[12] There was no method for Paul to pick a draw, despite this being a possible outcome for group stage matches.
Professor Chris Budd, of the
There was discussion as to whether differences in flags design could have influenced Paul
Career Record
UEFA Euro 2008
In UEFA Euro 2008, Paul predicted Germany to win all of their games, a correct prediction in 4 out of 6 cases. He failed to predict their defeats by Croatia in the group stage,[19] and by Spain in the championship's final.[3][a]
Germany's opponent | Stage | Date | Prediction | Result | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poland | group stage | 8 June 2008 | Germany | 2–0 | Correct |
Croatia | group stage | 12 June 2008 | Germany[3][19] | 1–2 | Incorrect |
Austria | group stage | 16 June 2008 | Germany | 1–0 | Correct |
Portugal | quarter-finals | 19 June 2008 | Germany | 3–2 | Correct |
Turkey | semi-finals | 25 June 2008 | Germany | 3–2 | Correct |
Spain | final
|
29 June 2008 | Germany[3] | 0–1
|
Incorrect |
2010 FIFA World Cup
Paul's accurate choices for the 2010 World Cup, broadcast live by German news channel
There are always people who want to eat our octopus but he is not shy and we are here to protect him as well. He will survive.
— Oliver Walenciak (Paul's keeper)[22]
Paul correctly predicted the outcome of the semi-final, by choosing the food in the box marked with the Spanish flag. German supporters drew hope from his incorrect choice for the Germany versus Spain match in the
Paul's notoriety attracted criticism from the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who accused him of being a symbol of Western decadence and decay.[28] Ahmadinejad went on to say that "Those who believe in this type of thing cannot be the leaders of the global nations that aspire, like Iran, to human perfection, basing themselves in the love of all sacred values."[29]
Doubts were expressed as to whether "Paul" was actually the same octopus in both 2008 and 2010.[30]
Match | Stage | Date | Prediction | Result | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Germany vs. Australia | group stage | 13 June 2010 | Germany[31] | 4–0 | Correct |
Germany vs. Serbia | group stage | 18 June 2010 | Serbia[31] | 0–1 | Correct |
Ghana vs. Germany | group stage | 23 June 2010 | Germany[31] | 0–1 | Correct |
Germany vs. England | round of 16 | 27 June 2010 | Germany[32] | 4–1 | Correct |
Argentina vs. Germany | quarter-finals | 3 July 2010 | Germany[22] | 0–4 | Correct |
Germany vs. Spain | semi-finals | 7 July 2010 | Spain[33] | 0–1 | Correct |
Uruguay vs. Germany | 3rd place play-off | 10 July 2010 | Germany | 2–3 | Correct |
Netherlands vs. Spain | final
|
11 July 2010 | Spain[34] | 0–1
|
Correct |
Similar predictors
Some other German oracles did not fare so well in the World Cup. The animals at the Chemnitz Zoo were wrong on all of Germany's group-stage games, with Leon the porcupine picking Australia, Petty the pygmy hippopotamus spurning Germany's apple-topped pile of hay (instead of Serbia), and Anton the tamarin eating a raisin representing Ghana.[35][36][failed verification]
Mani the parakeet of Singapore became famous for correctly predicting the results of all four quarter-final matches. Mani contradicted Paul by picking the Netherlands to win the final, resulting in some media outlets describing the game as an "octopus-versus-parakeet showdown".[37][38]
Rabio the Octopus who correctly predicted the results of all of Japan’s group stage games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was killed and sent to market, on 2 July 2018 by the Japanese fisherman who had caught it.[39]
Legacy
In 2010, uTouchLabs developed an iPhone app called "Ask the Octopus".[40]
A 2010 Chinese thriller film Kill Octopus Paul depicts Paul's predictions as being part of an international match-fixing scheme.[41]
On 17 June 2014, during the
Notes
References
- ^ "Muere el pulpo Paul [Paul the Octopus dies]". El País. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus. "Psychic octopus Paul predicts Spain to beat Holland in World Cup final", The Guardian, 9 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g "World Cup 2010: 10 things you didn't know about Paul the psychic octopus", The Daily Telegraph, London, 7 July 2010, archived from the original on 22 June 2014, retrieved 12 June 2014
- ISBN 9783414821485
- ^ "Paul the World Cup 'psychic' octopus: Rock The Week |". Metro. UK. 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- ^ Ruf, Cory (8 July 2010), "PETA demands Paul, the World Cup-predicting octopus, be set free", National Post, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ bieten 30.000 Euro Ablösesumme für "Pulpo Paul"[permanent dead link] FTD 10 July 2010
- ^ Kraken-Orakel vs. Propheten-Papagei FR online nach einer DPA Meldung, 8 July 2010
- ^ "Paul the World Cup octopus dies in his tank in Germany". BBC. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ Branigan, Tania; Connolly, Kate; Jones, Sam (26 October 2010). "Paul the octopus is dead – but conspiracy theories are thriving". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
- ^ "Paul the octopus chooses Spain over Germany". IOL. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ Erskine, Carole (25 June 2010), Psychic Octopus to Predict England Result, Sky News, archived from the original on 28 June 2010, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ a b Shenker, Sarah (9 July 2010), What are the chances Paul the octopus is right?, BBC News, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ Grieshaber, Kirsten (6 July 2010), "Tentacle trauma: Paul the octopus says Spain will sink Germany at World Cup", Associated Press Newswires, Factiva APRS000020100706e676001l9
- ^ "Weymouth's psychic octopus Paul is no sucker", Dorset Echo, 9 July 2010, Factiva NQTCE00020100709e6790002t, retrieved 10 July 2010
- ^ Farivar, Cyrus (9 July 2010), Martin Kuebler (ed.), Octopuses have a well-developed brain, are attracted to colors and are 'delicious', Deutsche Welle, retrieved 10 July 2010
- S2CID 16247757
- ^ "Darum hat sich Krake Paul für Spanien entschieden", Die Welt (in German), 8 July 2010, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ a b "Wie endet die Partie Deutschland – Kroatien?: Tier-Orakel sind sich uneins", Der Westen, 11 June 2008, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ Armstrong, Paul (9 July 2010), Would you trust World Cup's octopus oracle?, CNN, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ Shenker, Sarah (9 July 2010). "What are the chances Paul the octopus is right?". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
- ^ a b Hyde, Thomas (7 July 2010), "Germany v Spain: Psychic octopus Paul unfazed by death threats, says keeper", The Daily Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 10 July 2010, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ Octopus Paul predicts Spain over Germany in WCup, 6 July 2010, archived from the original on 9 July 2010
- ^ Breitenbach, Dagmar (8 July 2010), Fry Paul the oracle octopus, German fans say, Deutsche Welle, retrieved 9 July 2010
- ^ Abrams, David (8 July 2010), Germans Eat Paul The Octopus, allvoices.com, archived from the original on 12 July 2010
- ^ "Spanish PM Jose Zapatero offers Paul the psychic octopus state protection". Herald Sun. 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Paul the psychic octopus predicts Spain will beat Holland". The Daily Telegraph (London), 9 July 2010
- ^ "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks Octopus Paul". The Daily Telegraph. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ Keating, Joshua. "What's Ahmadinejad's problem with Paul the Octopus?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Don't Mess with the Octopus: Oracle Paul Celebrates Perfect World Cup Record", Der Spiegel, 12 July 2010
- ^ a b c Snyder, Whitney (24 June 2010), "World Cup Octopus: Paul's Predictions Stun Germany", The Huffington Post
- ^ 'Psychic' octopus predicts Germany victory over England, BBC News, 25 June 2010
- ^ "Paul The Octopus Predicts Spain Will Beat Germany", The Globe and Mail, Toronto, 7 July 2010, archived from the original on 9 July 2010
- ^ Christenson, Marcus (9 July 2010), "Psychic octopus Paul predicts Spain to beat Holland in World Cup final", The Guardian, London
- ^ "World Cup Forecasts: Paul the Octopus Predicts a German Advance", Spiegel Online International, 23 June 2010, Factiva SPION00020100623e66n0002z, retrieved 10 July 2010
- ^ Binational octopus Paul predicts German win over England in next WCup game, 25 June 2010, Factiva APRS000020100625e66p001d2, retrieved 10 July 2010
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ignored (help)[dead link] - ^ "World Cup Final a Battle of Octopus vs. Parakeet". CBS News. 9 July 2010.
- ^ "Octopus Paul vs Mani the parakeet: Who will triumph?". Yahoo! Singapore. 10 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 July 2010.
- ^ Octopus Rabio's tipping tentacles on target for all Japan's World Cup Games
- The Huffington Post. 14 September 2010.
- ^ "Movie "Kill Octopus Paul" takes look at soccer betting". Reuters. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
- ^ Curtis, Sophie (17 June 2014). "Belgium vs Algeria Google doodle remembers Paul the 'psychic' Octopus". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ "Is today's World Cup final Google doodle carrying a hidden message?". Outside of the Boot. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
Further reading
- Kirschbaum, Erik (8 July 2010). "German fans want revenge grilling of oracle octopus". Reuters. Berlin. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- "Paul's picking Spain". The Daily Gleaner. Berlin: dailygleaner.com. 10 July 2010. p. B4. Retrieved 10 July 2010.