He was just a small town cephalopod, living quietly in an aquarium in Oberhausen Germany, entertaining children, moving languidly around his tank and generally being ignored. But, this summer, it all changed and Paul, as the octopus was called, became an international superstar by accurately picking the winners of all the games that the German World Cup soccer team faced. And, to finish it off, he accurately picked the winner of the entire World Cup.

It all started innocently enough, when he correctly picked the winner of the first game. People smiled, a lucky guess, said most. Then he picked the winner in the next game. Ah, another lucky guess. But people took notice. Even better, the media took notice.

By the time he correctly picked the third game result, the media were in full frenzy, as only the media can.

Suddenly, the sleepy little German town of Oberhausen became media central. Satellite trucks sprouted like mushrooms around the aquarium. Interview requests poured in from around the world, but Paul remained silent. OK. He’s an octopus and not known for his verbal skills, but he was now, as they say in Hollywood, hot.

His streak continued, picking the winners of several more games.

When he picked Germany to lose against Spain, Germans thought, well, now he’s going to fail, as Germany was on a roll, and many thought it seemingly possible that Germany might win the whole thing. But, Paul was not to be denied.

By picking Spain over Germany, there were calls for Paul to made into a calamari dish or perhaps served up as sushi….but aquarium officials demurred and increased security.

In the end, Paul amazed everyone and correctly picked the winner of the World Cup Final between the Netherlands and Spain.

Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of Paul. Rumors spread like wildfire. It was reported that Paul was spotted hanging with squid supermodels at Sea World in San Diego, California…. Other reports had him accepting a teaching job at Woods Hole Oceanography institute.

But the truth is that Paul, even though he was born in England, had become quite German and decided that all the flash and hoopla were not for him.

He stayed in Oberhausen, doing what he did best, languidly moving around a fish tank…seemingly oblivious to everything.

This week, the news that everyone dreaded, was released by aquarium officials in Oberhausen. Paul was dead.

Murder most foul?

Conspiracy theorists immediately suspected squid play...I mean…foul play pointing to the rumors of Beatle Paul McCartney’s demise in the 70’s.

Their suspicions were fueled by reports that Paul had been cremated. No autopsy, no open casket, no official investigation.

Other conspiracy theories suggested that Paul was the subject of a mob hit, as his uncanny ability to pick winners was lowering the profits from illegal gambling.

Another theory is that museum officials sold Paul to a Japanese sushi consortium, pointing to a website has that has blurry photos of an alleged sushi chef leaving the aquarium in Oberhausen

Still another claim was that Paul was just tired of all the attention, and in a late night dash, escaped from Oberhausen to spend the rest of his days relaxing in the Mediterranean.

Museum officials have been tight lipped saying only that Paul is dead. A memorial has been set up in his tank complete with a replica of the world cup.

So ends a remarkable career. And in life as in death, Paul continues to be a lightning rod for publicity.

Personally, I like the relaxing in the Mediterranean theory the best.

Author: Andy Valvur

Editor: Neil King