# Have you experienced the Mandela Effect? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190 "2018-07-19T10:52:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/1 "2018-07-19T10:52:06Z")
It was Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday the other day (he died in 2013). In honor of the anniversary of his birth, this might be an apropos topic. The [Mandela Effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_Effect) is a phenomenon that is named after Nelson Mandela because many people have a false memory about his death in the 1980’s. It is basically a false memory shared by a lot of people. Do any of these exist? -The Berenstein Bears -MacDonald’s -Oscar Meyer hot dogs -Rich Uncle Pennybags of Monopoly with a monocle -Sex in the City TV show -Chik-Ffl-A -Darth Vader: “Luke, I am your father” -Mister Rogers: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” -Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates.” [20 Examples Of The Mandela Effect That’ll Make You Believe You’re In A Parallel Universe](https://www.buzzfeed.com/christopherhudspeth/crazy-examples-of-the-mandela-effect-that-will-make-you-ques) If any of these existed for you, then you have experienced the Mandela Effect. You’re remembering something that didn’t exist, or you’re using information from a secondary source. There are a lot of theories as to why many people wrongly remember the same thing, from alternate realities to glitches in how memory works. Do you have a favorite example of the Mandela Effect? Or post about the theory you have for why this happens. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/2 "2018-07-19T13:42:15Z")
Most of the cases cited are just spelling mistakes, and for proper names too, that’s not much of an effect. Better examples would be the non-existent alternate endings to movies, that would be a big effect. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/3 "2018-07-19T13:51:13Z")
Iswydt ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/4 "2018-07-19T13:55:10Z")
One that is not on that list is the world’s most popular convenience store 7-11. Guess again. It’s _7-eleven_ ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/5 "2018-07-19T14:23:05Z")
Yeah, common misattributions or game-of-telephone distortions don’t quite hit me as Mandela effect. It would be something more like “remembering” actual impeachment charges filed against Nixon or the Miracle on Ice as the gold medal game. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/6 "2018-07-19T14:24:56Z")
“Beam me up, Scotty.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/7 "2018-07-19T14:25:35Z")
Interesting. Some I neverknew / thought about either way, like Oscar Mayer and Berenstain. The Mister Rogers and Forrest Gump examples are kind of lame because that seems more like misheard lyrics. Never heard the one about Mona Lisa and not really even sure what that one is all about. I think we mentally put a monocle on Uncle Pennybags because we’re conflating him with Mr. Peanut. The one that really got me was “We are the Champions”. I absolutely hear that last “. . . of the world” in my “mind’s ear” And what the hell kind of a monkey has no tail? How much more hilarity would ensue if George had a tail to swing by? I can’t imagine what the creator was thinking. I’m surprised the article doesn’t include the famous “Play it again, Sam” and The Newlywed Game’s “In the butt, Bob” 🙂 I look forward to seeing what other things people come up with. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/8 "2018-07-19T14:27:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Most of the cases cited are just spelling mistakes, and for proper names too, that’s not much of an effect. Better examples would be the non-existent alternate endings to movies, that would be a big effect. There’s another thread around here where people claim to have seen an alternate ending to “Big” (which I’m sure is what you’re alluding to) when in fact the “alternate ending” was from an altogether different movie. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/9 "2018-07-19T14:40:22Z")
Heffalump and Roo, of the ones on your list, the “box of chocolates” and Mr. Rogers ones sound right to me even though they must be wrong. Much like “Luke, I am your father,” I’ve probably been exposed to the wrong version more than the right one, so I’m not surprised they imprinted. > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > The one that really got me was “We are the Champions”. I absolutely hear that last “. . . of the world” in my “mind’s ear” That one’s not really fair. Freddy Mercury sang that in many live performances and recordings of those live performances may be more popular than Queen’s studio recording. It exists in your mind’s ear because it is part…_of the world_. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/10 "2018-07-19T14:44:24Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > And what the hell kind of a monkey has no tail? The ones in [Zamboanga](https://youtu.be/d6pMZ71LAic?t=37s). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/11 "2018-07-19T14:46:43Z")
I have a clear memory of the alternate Big ending and a conversation I had with my friends about the ending afterward. I also remember a movie called Shazam starring Sinbad. Never saw it but I can picture the VHS box cover. I am from the alt-dimension! Most of your examples are just uninteresting spelling mistakes and minor word changes. “This” becomes “the”, “is” becomes “was”. ---
**Author:** ![Sterling\_Archer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Sterling\_Archer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterling_Archer)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/12 "2018-07-19T14:48:01Z")
I also definitely remember the Disney intro with the castle and Tinkerbell. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/13 "2018-07-19T15:09:09Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > I also remember a movie called Shazam starring Sinbad. Never saw it but I can picture the VHS box cover. I just watched a video from searching on this topic. It was such a popular idea that Sinbad made Shazam that he actually did do a short clip of it later. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltst5EDnde4) is not the clip, but a short explanation of the background of the issue. The video also talks about some of the creator’s own alternate movie ideas. > [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > Most of your examples are just uninteresting spelling mistakes and minor word changes. “This” becomes “the”, “is” becomes “was”. Yeah, I picked the ones that were easy and quick to put in a list. I was hoping others would bring up the longer ones. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/14 "2018-07-19T16:03:37Z")
Some of those are just nit-picking. They’re trying to pad out a known phenomenon to make it seem more pervasive. Forrest Gump’s quote isn’t “wrong”, considering that earlier in the movie momma did actually say “life IS like a box of chocolates”. It’s always been "Sex IN the City " to me because I first heard about the show from friends, and they pronounced “and” sort of like “n”, so I (and presumably many others) were “given” the wrong name from the start. Queen does sing “we are the champions…of the world!” in the first time through. Just because it doesn’t END that way is a micro nit. On the other hand, I am 100% sure I saw Burgess Meredith say [“It doesn’t DO anything. That’s the beauty of it!”.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=413962) Not only is that not the correct wording, I never watched Burke’s Law\*. \*Well, i don’t REMEMBER watching it. Maybe I did - in the parallel universe! ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/15 "2018-07-19T16:34:05Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > I have a clear memory of the alternate Big ending and a conversation I had with my friends about the ending afterward. Please see the ending to the movie “14 Going on 30” to see if that matches your memory. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6783tkwbZw0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6783tkwbZw0) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/16 "2018-07-19T16:42:47Z")
> [@Sterling\_Archer](#): > > I also definitely remember the Disney intro with the castle and Tinkerbell. Where she has a wand and swishes it before the arc appears across the logo? Did that never happen? ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Peebles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/17 "2018-07-19T17:56:55Z")
I started out in a universe where Bison had gone extinct. At some point, I don’t know when exactly, I crossed over to one where you can buy Bison meat at the grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/18 "2018-07-19T18:01:18Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Forrest Gump’s quote isn’t “wrong”, considering that earlier in the movie momma did actually say “life IS like a box of chocolates” I’m pretty sure his momma said “Life is a box of chocolates” ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/19 "2018-07-19T18:38:41Z")
[My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.](https://youtu.be/C89u535IMbk?t=22s) Sally Fields did say “Life is a box of chocolates, Forrest.” ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190/20 "2018-07-20T02:54:58Z")
Moonraker. I definitely recall the scene where Jaws smiles at the girl and she smiles back and has braces which brought them together. A few years ago I re-watched all the Bond films and when I got to Moonraker, the girl didn’t have braces. I was like WTF. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-experienced-the-mandela-effect/818190.md?page=2)