Mani the parakeet
Encyclopedia
Mani the parakeet also called Mani the parrot, is a Malaysian-born Rose-ringed Parakeet
who resides in Singapore
. It has been an astrologer 'assistant' to M. Muniyappan since 2005, working from his Little India
fortune-telling shop along Serangoon Road
. M. Muniyappan is locally known to makes his predictions using a simplified form of cartomancy
.
Mani became a celebrity in Singapore, and later internationally, when he picked the correct winners for all of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
quarter-final ties, as well as the Spain-Germany semi-final. However, Mani failed to predict the Spain
– Netherlands
final by choosing Netherlands as the winner of the 2010 World Cup. At one point on July 5, 2010, a day before the Uruguay-Netherlands semi-final match, Mani topped Google's
"Hot Searches" in Singapore.
Prior to his World Cup stint, Mani and his owner M. Muniyappan, used to see an average of 10 customers a day. Following his World Cup success, this increased to around 10 customers an hour.
that saw him gain widespread recognition.
According to Singapore's The New Paper
, Mani's most contentious pick for the World Cup thus far was underdog Netherlands to beat Brazil. His prediction later proved to be correct.
The quarter-finals saw Mani guessing the four winners of the matches correctly – Spain, Germany, Uruguay and Netherlands. In the semi-finals, he predicted that Uruguay would beat Netherlands and Spain would defeat Germany, thereby leading to a Uruguay vs Spain final. Mani went on further to predict that Spain would be champions.
The Uruguay vs Netherlands prediction turned out to be wrong, with Netherlands progressing on to the final. As a result, Mani made a new prediction for the World Cup Final between Netherlands and Spain. It tipped a Dutch win over Spain. On the other hand, fellow oracle star Paul the Octopus
of Germany
went for a Spanish victory, resulted in some media outlets describing the game as an octopus-versus-parakeet showdown. However, Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 and Paul was proven to be triumphant.
of Singapore was the first to feature his story and predictions, and newspapers from across the globe soon followed suit – partially as a result of The New Papers frequent broadcast on the bird. News agencies including the AFP
and Associated Press
ran reports on Mani, alongside newspapers such as The Guardian
, the Daily Mail
, and American magazine Vanity Fair
.
Mani's story is closely aligned with that of Paul the Octopus
, who has maintained 100% accuracy in its predictions for Germany in the FIFA World Cup 2010. The World Cup final saw some media outlets terming it as more of a Octopus vs Parakeet showdown, with the two having chosen opposing teams. Paul the Octopus
emerged the winner in the psychic showdown.
Rose-ringed Parakeet
The Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...
who resides in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It has been an astrologer 'assistant' to M. Muniyappan since 2005, working from his Little India
Little India, Singapore
Little India is an ethnic neighbourhood found in Singapore that has Tamil cultural elements. Little India lies to east of the Singapore River—across from Chinatown, located west of the river—and north of Kampong Glam. Both areas are part of the urban planning area of Rochor...
fortune-telling shop along Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road
Serangoon Road is a road from Little India to Boon Keng of Singapore . There is another road, from Woodsville Interchange to Sengkang called Upper Serangoon Road.Another way is via Jalan Besar and Bendemeer Road....
. M. Muniyappan is locally known to makes his predictions using a simplified form of cartomancy
Cartomancy
Cartomancy is fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. Forms of cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were first introduced into Europe in the 14th century...
.
Mani became a celebrity in Singapore, and later internationally, when he picked the correct winners for all of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
quarter-final ties, as well as the Spain-Germany semi-final. However, Mani failed to predict the Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
– Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
final by choosing Netherlands as the winner of the 2010 World Cup. At one point on July 5, 2010, a day before the Uruguay-Netherlands semi-final match, Mani topped Google's
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
"Hot Searches" in Singapore.
Prior to his World Cup stint, Mani and his owner M. Muniyappan, used to see an average of 10 customers a day. Following his World Cup success, this increased to around 10 customers an hour.
Predictions
While Mani typically assisted his owner Muniyappan in fortune-telling in day-to-day work, it was his predictions over the matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
that saw him gain widespread recognition.
According to Singapore's The New Paper
The New Paper
The New Paper is Singapore's second-highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, first launched on July 26, 1988, by Singapore Press Holdings . According to SPH, its average daily circulation for August 2010 was 101600....
, Mani's most contentious pick for the World Cup thus far was underdog Netherlands to beat Brazil. His prediction later proved to be correct.
The quarter-finals saw Mani guessing the four winners of the matches correctly – Spain, Germany, Uruguay and Netherlands. In the semi-finals, he predicted that Uruguay would beat Netherlands and Spain would defeat Germany, thereby leading to a Uruguay vs Spain final. Mani went on further to predict that Spain would be champions.
The Uruguay vs Netherlands prediction turned out to be wrong, with Netherlands progressing on to the final. As a result, Mani made a new prediction for the World Cup Final between Netherlands and Spain. It tipped a Dutch win over Spain. On the other hand, fellow oracle star Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus was a common octopus from Weymouth, England. Paul lived in a tank at a commercial attraction, the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behaviour was used to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football...
of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
went for a Spanish victory, resulted in some media outlets describing the game as an octopus-versus-parakeet showdown. However, Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 and Paul was proven to be triumphant.
Results
| Date | Tournament | Stage | Match | Prediction | Results | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
Quarter-finals 2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage The knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. It began on 26 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 11 July with the final match of the tournament held at Soccer City, Johannesburg, in which Spain beat the... |
v | 2-1 | ||||
| 2 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Quarter-finals | v | 4-2 (PSO) | ||||
| 3 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Quarter-finals | v | 0–4 | ||||
| 3 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Quarter-finals | v | 0–1 | ||||
| 6 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Semi-finals | v | 2–3 | ||||
| 7 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Semi-finals | v | 0–1 | ||||
| 11 July 2010 | World Cup 2010 | Final 2010 FIFA World Cup Final The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, to determine the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 with a goal from Andrés Iniesta four minutes from the end of extra time... |
v | 0–1 2010 FIFA World Cup Final The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, to determine the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 with a goal from Andrés Iniesta four minutes from the end of extra time... |
Method of divination
Mani exits his small wooden cage and chooses between two white cards — each hiding the flag of the countries of a match that will be played. Mani will pick one of the cards up with his beak and flip it over, revealing the winner for the match. Some Singaporeans, in particular older generations, seek fortune tellers for advice.International reportage
Following his successful stint in predicting the semi-finalists of the World Cup, Mani rose to international stardom. The New PaperThe New Paper
The New Paper is Singapore's second-highest circulating paid English-language newspaper, first launched on July 26, 1988, by Singapore Press Holdings . According to SPH, its average daily circulation for August 2010 was 101600....
of Singapore was the first to feature his story and predictions, and newspapers from across the globe soon followed suit – partially as a result of The New Papers frequent broadcast on the bird. News agencies including the AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
and Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
ran reports on Mani, alongside newspapers such as The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, and American magazine Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
.
Mani's story is closely aligned with that of Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus was a common octopus from Weymouth, England. Paul lived in a tank at a commercial attraction, the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behaviour was used to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football...
, who has maintained 100% accuracy in its predictions for Germany in the FIFA World Cup 2010. The World Cup final saw some media outlets terming it as more of a Octopus vs Parakeet showdown, with the two having chosen opposing teams. Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus
Paul the Octopus was a common octopus from Weymouth, England. Paul lived in a tank at a commercial attraction, the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behaviour was used to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football...
emerged the winner in the psychic showdown.
External links
- YouTube: Singapore Psychic Bird Predicts Holland to win World Cup 2010 (video of Mani in action)