Paul the Octopus’ legacy continues to live on through phone apps, a hit youtube song, and World Cup memorabilia.
But it appears a successor has already moved into his beloved kingdom.
Paul II AKA “Little Paul” is the new tenant of Paul’s Oberhausen tank and the new squid was supposed to train under Paul, but as we all know the Octopus Oracle now sleeps with the fishes.
Paul II has yet to prove any psychic capabilities and since Paul unexpectedly died of natural causes before his arrival, Paul II never even met the man that gave him his name. A spokeswoman at the Sea Life Center said that Paul II, a French-born squid, had yet to be “tested”:
We haven’t tested him yet. The old Paul was supposed to teach him. But unfortunately he died before he could do that.
The center also has announced plans to erect a memorial outside of the facility that will be dedicated to the famous Calamari Kid as I liked to call him this summer. Along with the shrine, the center will also have a monitor next to landmark displaying the “most touching and memorable moments of his life” most likely being when he picked a perfect 8 of 8 picks for the World Cup. The spokeswoman admitted that this is not “normal”, but then again neither was the original Paul:
This is not the normal way we deal with our sea creatures. But Paul was one of the most extraordinary animals we ever had. It seems appropriate to build a monument for him because he achieved such fame during his lifetime.
And there is quite simply not another Paul in the world. I feel sorry for Paul II because the expectations during his short life will be so high and with no picking experience or time around Paul, this random Octopus (that was not directly related to Paul in the first place) is at a huge disadvantage. Paul wasn’t the only squid at the center that was picking games this summer. He was just the only one getting them all right.
Paul II will supposedly be picking the Euro 2012 matches once that tournament arrives in a few years, so he will have plenty of time to try to channel Paul’s old energy in his old habitat. My guess though, is that Paul II will not live up to the name. Because there is only one Paul the Octopus and he wasn’t French.
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