Now you see it, now you don't: Avocado 'bell curve god' at NUS removed for third time

It all started with an innocuous avocado plushie keychain that someone had dropped on campus at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in March.

Another person found and propped it against the base of a lamp post near the College for Design and Engineering. 

Very soon, the keychain was dubbed the "bell curve god" by students because of the avocado's curved shape. 

They created a shrine for it and made offerings such as beverages and snacks to get blessings for good grades.

The bell curve grading system assigns students grades based on how their academic performance compares to one another.

Alas, the shrine — along with the keychain and offerings — was purportedly removed by school authorities in mid-April after it attracted pests, reported Today.

Soon after, a 3D-printed replica of the keychain appeared at the same lamp post, according to social media posts by students. 

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That, too, vanished. When Shin Min Daily News visited the location on April 25, it was no longer there.

The next morning, two replicas of the keychain holding hands popped up at the lamp post, reported the Chinese evening daily.

Students who spoke to AsiaOne said the replicas were still there on Monday (April 29).

But when AsiaOne made a trip there on Tuesday morning, the replicas were gone again.

Mechanical engineering student Morri Qu, 22, was disappointed to find the "bell curve god" gone. She had stopped by the shrine in early April when she had an exam.

She did better than expected and believed that the "deity" had bestowed on her good luck.

"I feel a little sad it's gone now. I know the first one was attracting insects, but the new one wasn't," she said.

Made shrines, offerings

The "bell curve god" first came to the attention of students when the person who supposedly placed it at the lamp post uploaded a picture in March to a Telegram channel called NUS Lost and Found, according to students who spoke to AsiaOne.

A 24-year-old architecture student, who gave his name only as J Tan, said his classmate was the one who made the shrine via 3D printing in early April.

Tan, along with his friends, then left some coins at the shrine as a joke.

To their surprise, the practice caught on and students started offering items such as talismans, a miniature Japanese sword and snacks at the shrine.

Common for university students to pray to 'bell curve god' 

It is common practice for university students to pray for intervention from the "bell curve god" during exam periods.

In the bell curve grading system, the grades are distributed along a bell-shaped curve, with most students receiving an average grade and fewer students receiving above or below average grades.

The "god" supposedly protects students from ending up at the unfavorable end of the curve, which would give them poor grades.

AsiaOne has contacted NUS for comment.

bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com