Media Monster

Bidding War For Paul The Psychic Octopus Heats Up

The Spanish seem to be winning everything these days. There was Rafael Nadal’s triumph at Wimbledon and the win at the World Cup. And now, it looks like they’ll be leading the way in the bidding war for Paul the psychic octopus.

The story, which has garnered more headlines than most player transfers in the soccer media, may be the biggest deal ever made about an octopus outside of Detroit.

The Madrid Zoo Aquarium has pledged to do what ever it takes financially to acquire Paul from the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany. After having initial offers rejected, it looks like Madrid is trying to set up a cash-plus-animal swap for the clairvoyant cephalopod, despite his impending retirement from the soothsaying game.

We can only speculate which animal is going in the other direction, but we’re thinking that Oberhausen could be in the market for a couple young penguin prospects or, inspired by Thierry Henry’s move earlier this week, a dolphin past his prime.

We can also bet that Real Madrid will get in on the bidding at some point, since they’re usually in the market for expensive things that don’t help them win championships around this time of year.

If it seems like a lot of fuss for an octopus, just ask yourself this question: have you ever inspired an iPhone app?