People sometimes recall events happening even though they never did, this is the Mandela Effect. The Anchor took a deep dive into the events, movies, and characters that fall under the umbrella of Mandela Effects.

Where do “Mandela Effects” originate from?

Nelson Mandela was the President of South  Africa from May 10th, 1994 to June 14th, 1999. The term “Mandela Effect” was coined by Fiona Broome who recorded on her website in 2009 that she recalled Nelson Mandela’s death in the 1980s. 

Even though that never happened, as Broome recorded more about this phenomenon, she noticed that she wasn’t alone. Many people recall Nelson Mandela’s death in the 1980s, even remembering news coverage and a speech by his widow. Although none of those things happened, Nelson Mandela didn’t pass until 2013.

Soon more people began noticing other events, characters, and movies that were falsely remembered and misquoted. 

The Anchor Student Survey

The Anchor hosted a research group with students to get their reactions and knowledge about popular Mandela Effects. 

Not a single participant was able to guess all of the authentic versions accurately. The most explosive reaction that occurred from this survey was from Snow White. Many people remember the famous line, “Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? But in reality, it has always been, “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” 

Abby Detert, sophomore at CCAHS exclaimed, “I am shocked, I feel like my childhood was ruined. I always remembered it being ‘Mirror Mirror on the wall.’”

There were many other reactions just like this. “There is no way, I feel lied to – It can’t be Magic Mirror on the wall,” said sophomore Philip Helmke.

Another effect we covered was how Double Stuf Oreos was spelled. Many people remember it being two f’s while it is only one.

Westin Major, a sophomore at CCAHS was shocked. “It doesn’t make sense for it to only have one f. It’s not grammatically correct nor do I remember it being that way”.

“I really enjoyed this whole experience,” said sophomore Edgar Mhoon Lopez. “The entire thing made my brain hurt, and I still think Double Stuf Oreos should be spelled with two f’s.”

There was an increasing shock wave as the survey continued and more events, characters, and quotes were revealed.

Possible Causes

There are a variety of theories that people believe are possible causes for Mandela Effects. Some believe that it’s due to alternate realities or parallel universes. While others believe in false memories.

False memories are a collection of untrue, distorted memories of an event. Some of these false memories may contain some truth, but they are all events that never actually happened. 

There are endless possibilities of how Mandela Effects have occurred.

Examples

“Luke, I am your father,” 

Many people recall that famous line from Star Wars. Even though that was never a line in the movie series. It was always “I am your father”. 

Fruit of the Loom

The recognizable brand, Fruit of the Loom, never had a cornucopia in its logo. It was always just an assortment of fruit and never included in the background.

Pickachu’s Tail

Lots of people remember their favorite pokemon character, Pickachu, having a black-tipped tail. Even though he has never had a black tail.

There have been a variety of changes these past few years, have you ever noticed these changes in famous brands, logos, movies, or even characters? What else have you missed? Or is it possible that you’ve fallen for the Mandela Effects?