You may have heard of the Mandela Effect phenomenon, or even experienced it without knowing what it’s called. The Mandela Effect is those moments where we are so sure that we recall something being a certain way, but we are in fact wrong. This unique experience is called that way because many people felt certain that they could remember Nelson Mandela dying while he was imprisoned in the ‘80s. Although in reality, Mandela only died in 2013.
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It’s amazing that so many people can swear they watched his funeral on Television more than 30 years ago. So do we all just have a terrible memory, or have we gone to a parallel universe? Probably neither. Here are some Mandela Effect examples that will really play with your mind.
We Are the Champions doesn’t end how you think
The legendary song We Are the Champions by Queen does not, in fact, end in the way that most people have in their minds. Those who ‘know’ the song remember the end of the song being ‘No time for losers, ‘cause we are the champions..of the world!’ But news flash, there is no ‘of the world’ in the song. Not at the start, middle, or not. The song ends at we are the champions. Just like that. Discovering this drives fans crazy because they feel so sure that the song ended otherwise.
It’s not “Oscar Meyer”
In actual fact, the Oscar Mayer brand of hot dogs and lunch meats is not spelled how you probably think. It’s not Meyer! It’s Mayer! However, people have grown up thinking that it’s always been, Meyer. People recall the jingle from the commercials and are persistent that the lyrics were ‘’My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R/ My bologna has a second name, it’s M-A-Y-E-R! Nope, that’s baloney, in many ways.
The Monopoly man does not have a monocle
Many people think that the Monopoly man, Rich Uncle Pennybags, from the addictive board game, has a monocle. But in actual fact, he does not. Sorry to break the news folks. Maybe people have been confusing him with the Mr. Peanut peanut mascot since he also wears a top hat and has a cane. But they are not the same person, and either way, there are too many people who cannot conceptualize that the Monopoly man does not have a monocle. They grew up picturing him as such and have ingrained this into their memories.
The tip of Pikachu’s tail isn’t black
Many people recall the tip of Pikachu from Pokemon tail being black. But if you have another look at a picture of him, there’s no black mark on his tail. We will never really know how so many people, who were so obsessed with Pokemon and devoted to playing could have dreamed up something that never existed. Very interesting. Perhaps since his tail was sort of funny looking, similar to a cross between a lightning bolt and an axe, it played tricks on the brain. But then again, everything can be justified.
The Berenstein Bears are actually called The Berenstain Bears.
The Berenstein Bears/Berenstain Bears debate is one of the most common Mandela effect debates. Many people remember the book and cartoon series about a family of bear being named The Berenstein Bears. But if you take a look now, they are actually named The Berenstain Bears. Many people are completely sure that they remember the family’s name being spelled with an ‘e’. Perhaps they changed the name over time? Are we living in a parallel universe? Regardless, this is a frustrating and confusing discovering for fans who grew up reading and watching the family of bears.
Curious George never had a tail
There are many people that claim to clearly recall seeing Curious George use his tail in order to swing from the trees. But the monkey Curious George never really had a tail. If you look at pictures of him this moment, you will see that you have been seriously mistaken for years. What is the explanation for this? That’s something only you can know. Or maybe since he is a monkey you assumed he must have a tail and then created a picture in your mind for life.
Chick-fil-A is not spelled Chic-fil-A, or Chik-fil-A.
There are lots of people who will not give up on their belief that the fast-food chicken restaurant, Chick-fil-A, is spelled as Chic-fil-A. And there are also some people who think the correct spelling is Chik-fil-A. But both of these are incorrect. The company has reportedly always been spelled as Chick-fil-A. Devastating, right? People can even clearly picture in their minds the company’s logo spelt otherwise. Where does this come from? Maybe they were dreaming of a chicken sandwich?
Darth Vader never said ”Luke, I am your father.”
Darth Vader does not, in fact, say ‘Luke, I am your father’. But how could this be? This is one of the most famous lines from film in history. Many people are slowly uncovering that this is not what Darth Vader. In fact, he says ‘No, I am your father’. So what really went down here? Did viewers merely misremember the movie line and interpret it how they preferred to? Or did some weird parallel freak accident happen here? At least we know he is his father. And there are several other Star Wars scenarios with the Mandela effect present.
C-3PO isn’t completely gold
There are many Star Wars fans that remember C-3PO being all gold. They were pretty thrown off and shocked to find out that he actually had a silver leg this whole time. Even most Star Wars memorabilia doesn’t include the silver leg, the replicate is also all good. At least this can make fans feel better that they are not completely alone in thinking this, and have not gone completely crazy. They are still rather caught off guard to discover something that they never noticed on the character.
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Mister Rogers’ theme song opening line is different than people recall
In the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood introduction, Fred Rogers, who both created and starred in the show, would sing a short jingle called ‘Won’t you be my neighbor?. Many people recall that it began with the line ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.’ But this is not what the line was! What is actually said is, ‘It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood’. Although only a very slight difference, it simply does not sound right to those who really had it in their mind for years that the wording was stated otherwise.
People think the Mona Lisa is smiling now, although she used to be emotionless
There are tons of people who will not give up on their belief that the legendary Mona Lisa has changed. The claim to clearly remember her having a straight, emotionless face. But somehow, they feel as though she’s obtained a newfound smirk. So there are a few options here. You’d probably like to believe that the artwork shifted itself. But how likely is that? Perhaps someone broke into to the Louvre? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s more likely that your memory has made a mistake. Or the universe is completely parallel…
Kit Kat does not have a dash
One of your favorite childhood treats, Kit Kat is spelled just as such. But where’s the dash? Well, there’s no dash! And there never was. Although for some reason some people really remember there being a dash in the chocolate bar’s name and have a clear image in their mind of a ‘Kit-Kat’ bar wrapper. But there simply isn’t one that exists. This is super frustrating for people, as they are so sure that at some point they had one. Sending you folks our deepest condolences.
People remember a Sinbad genie movie from the ’90s, but there isn’t one
Many people claim to remember a movie from the ‘90s that starred actor Sinbad. But you see, here’s the thing, there never was such a movie. Awkward. These same people are persistent that they are correct and are not merely confusing it with the flick Kazaam of 1996, which Shaq starred playing a genie. These people don’t even know the title of the movie the claim exists, and furthermore, have absolutely no idea what happened to the movie. Regardless, they are still certain that this movie happened.
Life isn’t like a box of chocolate, even in Forrest Gump
It appears as though the majority of fans of the movie Forrest Gump recall him saying that his mama would always say ‘Life is like a box of chocolates.’ The truth be told, he actually said ‘Life was like a box of chocolates’. Although this goes against what you probably very clearly remember, it didn’t happen this way. But close enough, right? Don’t be disappointed in Forrest Gump, sometimes life is not like a box of chocolates!
Hannibal Lecter never said ”Hello, Clarice”
If you have seen the film The Silence of Lambs, then there is no way you don’t know the famous line ”Hello, Clarice” But the thing is, this line was never said. When Clarice meets Hannibal Lecter for the very first time, all he says is ”Good morning” Nothing more. Pretty crazy how a well-known movie could have some famous lines that never happened. There’s no clear explanation for this, so try not to drive yourself too crazy.
Interview With the Vampire isn’t called Interview With a Vampire
The film Interview With The Vampire is the name of the show you were thinking of. But you probably thought it was called Interview With a Vampire. Right? It’s pretty similar, but not quite accurate. But don’t stress too much, most of the internet is mistaken too. If you merely type in ‘Interview With… the first thing that shows up is Interview With A Vampire. So you’re doing ok for now. You’ve probably still got your sanity in check.
The Queen in Snow White never said ”Mirror, mirror on the wall”
Now this one is a big shocker. You might want to take a deep breathe before. The famous quote from the film Snow White that you’ve probably said yourself or at least heard others say, is of course ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall,’’ But what had actually been said in the film was ‘Magic mirror on the wall’. Most people also remember the second part of the line being ‘Who is the fairest of them all?’ Apparently, however, the line is actually ‘Who is the fairest one of all?’ Weird, right?
Jiffy Peanut Butter Does Not Exist
So popular to what you probably thought you ate throughout your childhood, there is actually no such thing as Jiffy Peanut Butter. It does not exist. But there is Jif Peanut Butter! Most people really remember eating Jiffy brand of peanut butter, though. This is probably due to their advertisment that told mothers they could make their children a snack ‘in a jiffy’. This Mandela effect shouldn’t scare you too much, it is one that was common among many people and was even seen in an episode of American Dad where they uncover the peanut butter brand conspiracy.
Fruit Loops is actually spelled ”Froot Loops”
Some people say that the children’s cereal was originally named ‘Fruit Loops’ and was changed after to ‘Froot Loops’. However, there are other people that are convinced the opposite, that it went from ‘Froot Loops’ to ‘Fruit Loops’. It is a common belief that the switch occured during their childhood, but the answer is not so clear-cut. There are also some people who think it happened only very recently. Regardless of what you believe, today you will see ‘Froot Loops’ written.
The Flinstones or The Flintstones?
The popular children’s cartoon the Flinstones is actually the Flintstones. Yep. Don’t believe it? Google it. This is actually the show’s original spelling, but how did it magically return to it’s old name? You probably recall your favorite childhood cartoon as being the Flintstones, so this one might be easy to digest, but if you were to watch the show recently, it was the definitely the Flinstones. We must be living in a parallel universe with all these constant changes that we have no idea how they actually happened!
Looney…Tunes?
This Mandela effect situation will really shock you. The ”Looney Toons” would make the most sense since toons is found in the word cartoons, and it’s just so cute and catchy, right? Nope. The real name of the show is in fact ”Looney Tunes”. But it’s not even a musical show, so it really does not make sense within the context of the cartoon. You probably even recall seeing ”toons” written in the show. How does this happen? Crazy.
Febre…eze?
The well known household air freshener ‘’Febreeze’’ is used by people all the time, but most people don’t realize that it’s called Febreze. Some people even think it’s spelled with three e’s. Since when was it spelled with only one ‘e’? What the heck is Febreze? It’s actually pronounced Febreeze so this can most likely explain why you remember it wrong. And if not because of it’s pronunciation, then I guess you’re just living in a parallel universe! Scary!
Sketchers shoes
The popular sneaker brand ‘Sketchers’ is actually Skechers. It has been spelled wrong by most people, for basically ever. There’s no way the brand’s name is not Sketchers. But the hard truth is that it’s really called Skechers. Super sketchy. Similar to the Febreze issue, perhaps this is due to its pronunciation. But you probably have a seriously clear memory in your mind of seeing Sketchers written on shoe boxes and on in advertisements, this has nothing to do with pronunciation…
Smokey Bear
Smokey the Bear is actually really just Smokey Bear. No the. What? If you look online you can find photos as well as memorabilia of your favorite forest fighting bear where it is written ‘Smokey the Bear’. But what you will also find online, and do your research properly, you will also discover that his official name is just Smokey Bear. You probably even remember seeing Smokey the Bear written on the show. You’re not alone in this memory, but you’re wrong.
Harry Houdini’s Death
It is a popular belief that Harry Houdini, the master escape artist dying while attempting one of his legendary escapes. And people really clearly remember seeing him. However, in reality, Houdini died from a ruptured appendix after one of his student’s punched him. But perhaps this false memory is due to the 1953 movie with Tony Curtis, which includes a great deal of incorrect information. The one that may have made the greatest impact is where Houdini’s death is dramatized, he nearly drowns in the torture tank trick and dies right there on stage.
Rubix or Rubiks Cube?
One of the top selling toys of all time, the ‘Rubix’ Cube is in fact not called as such. What? It’s actually called a Rubik’s cube. Its name comes from the inventor’s name, whose last name was Rubik. And therefore, it’s the Rubik’s Cube. There is no such thing at the Rubix Cube. Furthermore, he was Hungarian, and the letter ‘x’ does not appear in Hungarian last name. But the toy you used to always try to figure out how to solve will now leave you with another problem to solve, how it could possibly not be called the Rubix Cube?
The show is not called Sex in the City
The very well known romantic comedy television series, Sex and the City which was broadcast from 1998 to 2004, is not in fact called Sex in the City! But somehow, many people really insist seeing ‘in the city’ written at some point or another throughout the show, and really took this to heart. Some people have even uploaded pictures on social media including memorabilia from the show that supports this inaccurate memory. Where did these people come up with this idea?! Very weird. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda would be disappointed, fans.
Cup Noodles
So the noodle soup brand ‘Cup Of Noodles’ does not actually have the word ‘of’ in its name. It’s really just ‘Cup Noodles’. How did this make sense? This doesn’t even grammatically make sense, let alone match up with our memories. So to be fair enough, it was in fact called Cup O Noodles until 1993. But how did it suddenly change 23 years ago without anyone really noticing? Maybe you’re getting confused with Lipton’s Cup-A-Soup, which is a more modern noodle soup? Either way, it really should be called Cup Of Noodles just like you remember it.
White-Out
Since white is spelled as such, without any doubts, there is no reason for anyone to have thought that ‘White-Out’, the smelly magic substance that could rid any mistakes made by pen in school, would be any different. Right? But in actual fact, there is! It’s really called ‘Wite-Out’. This makes absolutely no sense. Even the worst of blackouts couldn’t make you forget seeing ‘White-Out’ written throughout all your years of school. Super weird. Well that’s the Mandela effect!
Can you remember exactly how people were in the car when President Kennedy was shot? Most people would answer four; Kennedy, his wife, Governor Connally and the driver. But in actual fact, there were six people. The other two being Mrs. Connally and another anonymous man. This is one the biggest examples of the Mandela Effect. How could this be? The car was definitely only a 4-seater, but if you take a look now anywhere it’s a 6-seater. How could the sniper have even aimed to well with two other people in the car? This has got to be another conspiracy…
By Serena Carsley-Mann, Feb 23, 2017