Conspiracy? Or, faulty memory? Hannah explores The Mandela Effect.
By Hannah Hall
Remember in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back when Darth Vader says his iconic line, “Luke, I am your father”? If you said yes, then you would be subject to a phenomenon called “The Mandela Effect.” The Mandela Effect is when a large group of people all share a memory that is not 100% true, or that never really occurred at all. (And I’m sorry to break it to ya but Darth Vader never actually said “Luke” in that line.) This phenomenon was first accounted for with the death of the former South African President Nelson Mandela. Some remember him dying in prison during the 1980s, but in fact he passed much later in 2013. Since then, there have been many other instances of collective false memories. Lucky for you, I have compiled ten Mandela Effects with their respective realities.
Without further ado, here is the list, in no particular order.
- The Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia
Mandela Effect: We think the logo for Fruit of the Loom is a fruit assortment inside of a cornucopia.
Reality: The logo is just a pretty pile of fruit, no cornucopia.
- Risky Business
Mandela Effect: Tom Cruise slides into frame with a button-up shirt, socks, and sunglasses.
Reality: He isn’t actually wearing any sunglasses in this scene.
- Monopoly Man Monocle
Mandela Effect: The Monopoly Man is wearing a dapper suit, with his cane, top hat, and monocle.
Reality: There is no monocle to be found!
- Three Little Pigs
Mandela Effect: The big bad wolf says to the three little pigs, “Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down.”
Reality: He actually says, “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in.”
- Oscar Meyer
Mandela Effect: “Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner.” That is how you spell Meyer, right?
Reality: Nope, the spelling of America’s beloved hot dog brand is Oscar Mayer, with an A.
- Forrest Gump
Mandela Effect: Forrest says, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”
Reality: The quote actually starts as “Life was like a box of chocolates…” not is.
- Pikachu
Mandela Effect: Pikachu is bright yellow with black spots on his ears and tail.
Reality: Pikachu does not have any black marking on his tail.
- Flinstones
Mandela Effect: The stone-age family of 4, including pet Dino, is called the Flinstones.
Reality: They are actually called the Flintstones, with a T.
- C-3PO
Mandela Effect: C-3PO has a body made of all gold.
Reality: Our fave droid actually has one silver piece on his leg.
- ET
Mandela Effect: ET says, “ET phone home.”
Reality: It is actually the other way around, the quote is “ET home phone.”
If you read all the way through, I hope you were stumped at least once. If not, comment on your own Mandela Effect that you have come across in your life.
Conspiracy Theories Editor: Jake Sonderman
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