By Nicole Fernandes
TORONTO, June 19 (Reuters) – A tiny oranda goldfish named Swimbappe is making a big splash in Toronto with daily World Cup match predictions made from his own underwater pitch, capturing the curiosity and hearts of soccer fans in the city.
Swimbappe, named after France captain Kylian Mbappe, lives in a tank designed like a soccer field that is displayed outside an office building in downtown Toronto.
Every day, the orange creature lines up in the middle of the pitch to predict the day’s match winners.
With teams’ flags displayed above the tank, a small crowd usually counts down before the fish swims left or right to deliver his verdict.
Swimbappe has made 14 correct predictions, with only four wrong, and 10 draws.
“The draws are a little bit difficult for him to communicate to us with his fish body,” said Tim Glenn, creative director at OneMethod and one of the minds behind Swimbappe.
PAST ANIMAL ORACLES
Swimbappe is chanelling the spirit of past animal World Cup oracles, including Paul the Octopus, who rose to fame during the 2010 World Cup for his uncanny ability to predict the results of Germany’s games. Orangutans and elephants have also been involved in the predictions game.
This summer, Glenn, a soccer fan, wanted to create something to engage the public during the World Cup and his team sorted through nearly 100 potential names, including Finaldo, before landing on Swimbappe.
“This is kind of our way of participating in this big cultural moment that’s happening for our city here in Toronto and also for our country here in Canada,” Glenn said.
Animals have been making their mark on the tournament. In Mexico City, Merlin the Duck became an unexpected sensation after the white-feathered bird was spotted waddling around the streets in a miniature Mexico jersey. Dawn the Duck joined Scotland’s Tartan Army during a pre-match bagpipe march in Providence, Rhode Island.
Swimbappe has been reeling in a steady flow of passersby.
“Everyone’s excited to see him in the window on their way to work or on their way to a game,” said Glenn, who has been thrilled with the reception that his small fish is receiving.
A group of schoolchildren walked by chanting “Swimbappe! Swimbappe!” on Friday. Moments earlier, a handful of people huddled around to watch Swimbappe make his prediction for Brazil and Haiti’s Group C match later in the day. The fish swam off to his right, favouring huge underdogs Haiti for the victory.
“There’s a method to his madness,” said Glenn. “We just have to trust his process and believe in Swimbappe.”
(Reporting by Nicole Fernandes in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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