Paul predicts rush on stamps
By Xu Chi |
July 13, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HUNDREDS of visitors lined up in front of the DEVNET Pavilion in Section B of the World Expo site yesterday to get a stamp of Prescient Paul, the psychic octopus, on their Expo passports.
Paul, the octopus that correctly predicted the results of eight matches during the World Cup, is now leading a new round of stamp mania, with items featuring its image also extremely popular on the Internet.
Many visitors to the DEVNET (International Development Information Network Association) Pavilion believed the stamp of Paul's cartoon image could bring them good luck.
Freezeo Hong, an official at the pavilion, said the stamp was designed to celebrate the conclusion of the soccer tournament.
Hong said he had never seen so many visitors lining up in front of their pavilion.
But many Chinese visitors were still sticking to their old habits in regard to stamping - lining up for hours but leaving immediately after they got the stamp.
A security guard at the entrance said he was mainly asked two questions by Chinese visitors - "Where is the octopus stamp?" and "Where is the exit?"
Some visitors even didn't know which pavilion they were entering as they talked about the stamps with their friends on the phone, referring to the building as the "Octopus Stamp Pavilion."
"Paul is my new idol and I hope the octopus can lend me some of its power to see the future," said Cao Jin, a 14-year-old boy from Jiangsu Province.
Cao left the pavilion after getting his passport stamped, not pausing to look at the exhibitions inside.
"I hoped the visitors would spare some time to tour the pavilion as they had already lined up for hours outside," said Hong.
Items featuring Paul's image have become popular at online shops via the Internet.
On taobao.com, items featuring Paul take up 16 pages, with more than 600 kinds of items, including T-shirts, toys, mobile phone accessories, photo frames, and even the latest Internet craze, bras for men.
Paul, the octopus that correctly predicted the results of eight matches during the World Cup, is now leading a new round of stamp mania, with items featuring its image also extremely popular on the Internet.
Many visitors to the DEVNET (International Development Information Network Association) Pavilion believed the stamp of Paul's cartoon image could bring them good luck.
Freezeo Hong, an official at the pavilion, said the stamp was designed to celebrate the conclusion of the soccer tournament.
Hong said he had never seen so many visitors lining up in front of their pavilion.
But many Chinese visitors were still sticking to their old habits in regard to stamping - lining up for hours but leaving immediately after they got the stamp.
A security guard at the entrance said he was mainly asked two questions by Chinese visitors - "Where is the octopus stamp?" and "Where is the exit?"
Some visitors even didn't know which pavilion they were entering as they talked about the stamps with their friends on the phone, referring to the building as the "Octopus Stamp Pavilion."
"Paul is my new idol and I hope the octopus can lend me some of its power to see the future," said Cao Jin, a 14-year-old boy from Jiangsu Province.
Cao left the pavilion after getting his passport stamped, not pausing to look at the exhibitions inside.
"I hoped the visitors would spare some time to tour the pavilion as they had already lined up for hours outside," said Hong.
Items featuring Paul's image have become popular at online shops via the Internet.
On taobao.com, items featuring Paul take up 16 pages, with more than 600 kinds of items, including T-shirts, toys, mobile phone accessories, photo frames, and even the latest Internet craze, bras for men.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
