Fifa World Cup phenomenon Paul the psychic Octopus is set for a new career – as an Elvis impersonator.
The Sun newspaper reports that the sea creature has been signed up by magician Paul Daniels’ agent, Chris Davis, (who hails from Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire) and is set to become this year’s Christmas hit – with his own range of toys and books.
The psychic cephalopod became a global star after predicting the correct outcome of all Germany’s matches in the soccer World Cup in South Africa. Now he is to be turned into an Elvis Presley tribute act by Davies. Among Paul’s projects are a one-off documentary and an album deal called “Paul The Octopus Sings Elvis”.
Davies said he was getting 200 offers of work a day – one from a Russian who wanted to pay £100 –000 for a prediction.
Paul is a media phenomenon and has been followed by all the world major news agencies and newspapers. Among the headlines about his exploits were claims that the Germans wanted to make calamari of Paul after he correctly predicted that Germany would lose to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals, and that there was a legal wrangle between Germany, Italy and England over his nationality. The Italians claim he was caught off the coast of Italy, the English say he was raised in England, while the Germans say, as he has been living at the Sealife Aquarium in Germany, he is German. The Spanish have also honoured the octopus for his 100% prediction rate at the 2010 World Cup (which they won).