A small bright green crocheted octopus peeked out from behind a plant on the Warner College of Natural Resources’ living plant wall, waiting to be found by either a lucky passerby or an avid collector.
Since August 2022, crocheted octopi have been popping up around campus thanks to Octopi of Colorado State University, a small group of students dedicated to random acts of kindness.
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The group, a fully anonymous effort composed of about 10 students, wished to be referred to by their initials.
M.M., the director of octopi operations for Octopi of CSU, finished hiding the bright green octopus in Warner’s living plant wall before snapping a photo of the octopus, which was accompanied by a note wishing the finder a good day.
“I think the anonymous part of it (is special). People don’t really know who’s behind it, (and) I think it’s kind of a special fun thing about it. But I also think it’s just that it’s, like, this free thing that just appears and people find them. It’s just something small that can bring joy to people.” -L.T., Octopi of CSU member
“I’ve seen people running to look for (the octopi),” M.M. said. “We’ve been followed on campus while hiding them because people are so excited. I’ve seen people jump up and down and hug their friends when they find them and take pictures with their friends when they all get an octopus.”
M.M. said that usually, it takes finders 30 seconds to four hours to find each octopi.
“When it comes time to hiding, it’s very ‘Mission: Impossible,'” M.M. said. “So (we have to find) a location that has a good balance of (where) someone will find this but not being to be too easy for someone, and (we) drop it, take a quick picture and run because you never know how fast they’re going to go.”
In addition to crocheting, some Octopi of CSU members work more on the administrative and organizational side of operations, including E.M., a member who does not crochet but works on stuffing the octopi, cutting out notes and felt embellishments and hiding octopi.
“Mostly it’s me just kind of … trying and find those little moments where (campus) is kind of empty,” E.M. said. “I’m looking around and if anyone’s there, and I’ll just try and find a good spot, but then I have to squat and take the photo and everything, so it’s a little odd.”
M.M. said each octopi takes — on average — 20 minutes to make for experienced crocheters and 45 minutes for people new to the hobby. The group, which has collaborated with over 10 organizations on campus thus far, does not charge for their materials or services.
L.T., a member of Octopi of CSU, got involved working on an upcoming college collaboration. One of the group’s hopes for the future is increased collaborations between Octopi of CSU and academic departments, student organizations and other groups on campus.
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“I think the anonymous part of it (is special),” L.T. said. “People don’t really know who’s behind it, (and) I think it’s kind of a special fun thing about it. But I also think it’s just that it’s, like, this free thing that just appears and people find them. It’s just something small that can bring joy to people.”
Octopi of CSU has been shared by CSU parent Facebook pages and other family groups, saying the random act of kindness helped a first-year student struggling to adjust to college.
“Especially within a large public university setting, there are just so many people on campus, and it’s sometimes hard to feel like you’re part of a community,” M.M. said. “For so many, you see a new face every 30 seconds, and so having groups like this that work to … spread kindness helps build that community.”
With over 2,400 followers on Instagram, Octopi of CSU has quickly grown a following of avid octopi finders.
“I was hiding one in the Engineering Building, and we heard a group of girls walking down the stairs, and they found it,” E.M. said. “And people were like, ‘What the heck is this?’ And the friend was like, ‘You haven’t heard of Octopi (of) CSU?’ … They were all so excited.”
In addition to further collaborations, the group is hoping to hide 500 octopi around campus this year, building on the 270 hidden last semester.
“It’s just it’s so great to see the visual happiness that people have,” M.M. said. “I’ve given them to people walking around when they’re crying or having a hard day on campus. And online, we get a lot of those similar comments as well, talking about how people have found them on tough days, and it made them smile and just made them know that there’s someone there for them.”
Reach Allie Seibel at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @allie_seibel_.
