How do you know your memories are real? What proof do you have? Looking back, many people have recently recalled small changes in our world occurring. Their memories say one thing, but the truth another. Thousands of people remember names of companies, movie lines, events and people dying falsely. A proposed theory for these false memories is called the Mandela Effect. The Mandela Effect is a theory that states that universes merge and a wide spectrum of changes can occur in our world as a direct result. This conspiracy is mostly held up by the logic of the butterfly effect. The butterfly effect states that even the slightest change at a given point in time could ripple and change the world drastically. Is a ripple in our universe to blame for the false memories thousands of people harbor?
Nelson Mandela
This conspiracy derives its name from Nelson Mandela. Fiona Broome, an author and researcher, wrote in specific detail about Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 80’s, not long after his “death”. Many of her colleagues remember the exact day Nelson Mandela died in prison and recall specific details. Some people even remember what they were doing when they found out. People were shocked to find out Nelson Mandela actually died fairly recently in 2013. When headlines said “Nelson Mandela passes away” in 2013, people were shaken. It was as though their memories weren’t real.
The driving force behind the Mandela Effect is it’s hundreds of examples, including:
The Berenstain Bears
A great, very prevalent example of the Mandela Effect, this cartoon’s spelling has baffled people for years. The Berenstain Bears is an old cartoon about a family of bears, popular in the late 1990’s. Many people in our population swear that it used to be spelled Berenstein Bears and not Berenstain Bears. To this day, when I ask people what they remember the show being spelled as, they always spell it “Berenstein”. People even pronounce it that way. There is no existing record of the company changing the shows name.
Sex in the City is actually Sex and the City
The very popular TV show Sex and the City was a hit in the early 2000’s. Many people remember the show actually being called “Sex in the City”. The show has no recorded name change. It supposedly has always been called Sex and the City though thousands of people recall it being “Sex in the City”. An odd thing about this theory is that a perfume line actually exists based on Sex and the City called “Sex in the City: Feelings”. This perfume is still found to this day, as shown in the photo below.
In Snow White the line “Mirror mirror on the wall” is actually “Magic mirror on the wall”
The famed movie line, “Mirror mirror on the wall” is quite incorrect. This has been quoted thousands of times…could a simple misquote spread that rapidly? Many people claim that “Magic mirror on the wall” doesn’t even begin to sound correct. Here’s the line in a clip from Snow White.
“Oscar Meyer” is actually Oscar Mayer
“Chic-Fil-A” is actually Chick-Fil-A
“Jiffy” peanut butter has always just been Jif
It has never once been called Jiffy though many people remember Jif peanut butter being dubbed “Jiffy”.
Bill Graham’s Funeral
Many people recall seeing Billy Graham have a televised funeral. This actually never happened. Billy Graham is alive and well today. According to the Mandela Effect website, multiple people have claimed to be severely shocked by this Mandela effect.
“Loony Toons” is actually spelled Looney Tunes
“Reddit Whip” is actually Reddi Wip
“JC Penny” is actually JC Penney
“Kit-Kat” has no hyphen; it’s just Kit Kat
Curious George doesn’t have a tail
The Monopoly man doesn’t have a monocle
This example is so prevalent that people have even cosplayed and made fan art of the monopoly with a monocle.
Despite the facts behind this conspiracy, there are still some explanations that could replace the Mandela Effect. The thought that parallel universes or time travelers are altering the world we live in currently sounds down right crazy. That’s until you experience the Mandela Effect for yourself.
The Conspiracy Cat 