In 2010, the magical octopus emperor Paul successfully predicted the World Cup champion and attracted worldwide attention. The savvy Chinese businessmen also saw business opportunities and used octopuses to attract money.

　　 3-year-old Paul currently lives in the Oberhausen Aquarium in Germany. As a result of successfully predicting the results of 8 World Cup matches including the championship, Paul caused a sensation all over the world.

　　 Although after the World Cup, Paul “returned to his old business” and continued to visit the children in the aquarium, the “octopus fever” that Paul brought and the business opportunities caused by it were not diminished. Chinese businessmen saw infinite business opportunities from the eight claws of the octopus Paul, and they all smiled.

　　 Wang Shu (voice) is a seller of daily creative products on Taobao. She said, “I have sold more than 50 octopus-shaped drawers for 8 yuan each after the “Paul fever” among fans and fashion-seeking young people. Other products with octopus patterns, such as tablecloths , Tableware, cushions, etc., sales are also very hot."

　　Ferry Li is also a seller on Taobao, mainly selling plush toys. He was very surprised by the recent hot sales of octopus toys in his small shop.

"I'm a football blind, and I don't know how the octopus Paul is different from other marine animals. There are many kinds of stuffed animals in my shop. In the past, octopus toys were the slowest selling."

　　 But since the appearance of Paul the Octopus, everything has changed. Ferry Li said that the price of octopus toys in his store has doubled or tripled. But he was also a little disappointed. "There were very few manufacturers of octopus toys before, so now the supply is very tight."

　　 At present, if you enter the words "octopus" or "octopus Paul" on eBay, 45,000 related products will appear, ranging from clothing, food, toys, fashion accessories, and electronic products.

　　 The octopus Paul, along with the lucky blue sweater of the German coach Loew, and the loud horns used by South African fans to cheer, was listed as one of the top ten best-selling souvenirs of the World Cup by Taobao.com.

　　 Some Taobao sellers even changed the name of the store to "Paul" or other words related to octopus, so that their small store can be found more easily by buyers.

Song Wen, 35, is the owner of a DIY T-shirt shop in Dongcheng District, Beijing. He is currently working day and night to print T-shirts with octopuses, while his wife Wang Li is working day and night to design related octopuses. The new patterns, these patterns added artificial crystals and embroidery and other popular design elements.

　　 In the past week, Song Wen sold more than 500 octopus T-shirts, each with a price ranging from 50 yuan to 200 yuan. He said that they have to seize the opportunity to rush to work as soon as possible, because they don't know when the "octopus fever" will subside.

Xiao Ya (sound) is a customer in Song Wen's shop. He has just graduated from university and is looking for a job. Like other Paul fans, she has been collecting products related to Paul, thinking that these things will bring her good luck.

　　 In addition, some domestic travel agencies are also preparing to use the "Paul Effect" to continue to promote popular overseas tourism. A staff member of a travel agency surnamed Zhu said that their travel agency plans to add the Oberhausen Aquarium in Germany to the itinerary to attract more Paul fans to visit. Mr. He said that we will name the new travel itinerary "2010 World Cup Quest Tour", the fee is 13,000 to 15,000 yuan per person, and the price is the same as other European tours.

　　 But not everyone likes this fleshy mollusk, especially fans of the teams that were accurately predicted to lose the game.

　　 At the Dongdong barbecue restaurant in Dongcheng District, Beijing, almost every customer will order a grilled octopus. A waiter surnamed Sun said that during the World Cup, they would sell more than 30 kilograms of octopus meat every day.

　　 At the Lishuiqiao Seafood Market in Changping District, Beijing, 28-year-old Liu Qibin is buying aquatic products. He said, "I have never eaten octopus meat before, but as a fan of the German team and a fan of Klose, I really want to eat this evil little guy in my stomach. Who will let it predict that my favorite German team will be in? Lost in the World Cup."

　　 Now, the market price of fresh octopus is 60 to 65 yuan per kilogram. An owner of a fishery shop surnamed Fang said that before the World Cup, octopus meat could only be sold for about 40 yuan per kilogram, and only a limited number of octopus were sold in the market.

　　 Tu Bing (sound) has been selling seafood in the market for many years. Recently, because of Paul's popularity, he also added octopus to his purchase list. He said, "Now, I can sell at least 50 kilograms of octopus every day. Some customers buy octopus back as pets. Some customers ask me how to raise octopus, but I think that octopus is not as good as a dog."

　　 Scientists say that the average life span of an octopus is no more than 3 to 4 years. Octopus has a certain memory, and the IQ is equivalent to that of a 2-year-old child.

　　With the current uncertainties in the real estate and stock markets, Chinese investors hope that the Emperor Octopus will come out again to help them predict the future direction of investment.