Lesser Known Examples of the Mandela Effect

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon wherein a large group of people remember an event or detail from the past very differently than how (or sometimes even IF) it actually happened. The effect is named after Nelson Mandela, a political activist who many people falsely believed died in prison during the 1980's, when in fact he survived to become president of South Africa, and lived on until 2013.

Some famous examples of the Mandela Effect include the memory that the hoity-toity Monopoly mascot, Rich Uncle Moneybags, had at one time sported a fancy monocle (he never has), or that the popular children's book characters the Berenstain Bears were originally named the Berenstein Bears (they were always referred to as "Berenstain"). Many popular films have famous lines that are actually quite different than how they are routinely (mis)quoted, such as "Play it again, Sam," from Casablanca, and "Luke, I am your father," from The Empire Strikes Back (revisit these films if you believe these examples to be correct).

This effect can be disorienting to a person, sometimes leading an individual to believe that the past has somehow been altered, or that they have somehow crossed over into a parallel universe with subtle changes (such as in the Ray Bradbury story "A Sound of Thunder", where time travelers return from the past to find a disturbingly different world than the one they originally left). To some folks, their memories are indisputable facts, and the only explanation to combat contradictory evidence is to refute reality. This of course is a ridiculous over-reaction to new information, but the internet has provided the perfect forum for such behavior.

When I became aware of the Mandela Effect, I was instantly fascinated by the phenomenon, seeking out as many occurrences of it that I could. Some were surprising: I actually DO remember Curious George, another famous kid's book character, having a long monkey's tail that would aid him in his misadventures. But he never had a tail! Other cases proved surprising only in the sense that I didn't know so many memories could be so wrong. Many people apparently believed that the comedian Sinbad had once played a magical genie in a 1990's feature film called Shazaam (Sinbad himself publicly responded to these claims, confirming that he hadn't). But every instance of the effect, whether surprising or far-fetched, tells a story about the group of people stuck with the erroneous memory, and provides a unique look into our society's evergreen fascination with nostalgia.

Along my journey, I was astonished to see that many examples of the Mandela Effect, truly remarkable ones, had yet to be reported. Some of these lesser known inconsistencies were notions that I myself had foolishly held since childhood, others were false memories (easily disputed) that I would often overhear in conversation. I have compiled them here for your inspection, and perhaps as future evidence for myself that I have not slipped into another dimension. Enjoy!

1. Many people would be surprised to learn that Gallagher, the surrealistic 1980's stand-up comic, was never featured in a Saturday morning cartoon called The Sledge-o-matic Factory. Former CBS executives should perhaps accept some of the blame for this one, having the bone-headed idea to air a series of short animated films about sledgehammer safety...featuring a wacky Gallagher-like character named McGallagher.

2. The title "The Wizard of Oz" refers to the wizard that Dorothy is seeking in the magical land of Oz. The abomination that she creates along the way is always only referred to as "the monster" (as it is in the terrifying book from the mind of L. Frank Baum). It's a common mistake, but worth noting!

3. What most children of the 1990's might remember about Striped Fruitania candies were the psychedelic colors that they would see after eating them. In fact, "Fruit Stripe" (where on earth are they coming up with "Striped Fruitania"??) was a brand of chewing gum that featured five delicious flavors and caused only mild auditory hallucinations.

4. Several folks have a distinct memory of watching a disgruntled child who had failed to get a ball into the 1st bucket during the Grand Prize Game plunge a switchblade deep into Bozo the Clown's abdomen sometime in December of 1984. Upon reviewing the archival footage from that entire month's episodes for myself, I can confirm that the girl made it to the 3rd bucket. Also, it was just a regular kitchen knife.

5. If you happen to remember a certain lively teddy bear that regaled you and your friends with adventurous stories and jaunty tunes, then you should probably go ahead and stop looking for it in that old box you keep in your attic. It turns out that "teddy bear" was actually a traveling scamp that your parents paid to watch you on weekends, eventually ending his own life in the backyard while you watched from the window of your father's study. You can still taste the chocolate from the stolen candy bar that you were eating at the time.

6. Even that old box in your attic makes for a perfect example of the Mandela Effect. Go on up and check it out for yourself - it's just a dirty ottoman from some poor schmuck's living room that serves your twisted mind as a trophy of your first victim. Pretty neat trick, huh?

7. Despite steel insistence from many ardent fans, Universal Studios never produced a prequel film in the Jurassic Park series, rumored to have been released during the long lull between the 3rd and 4th films. Furthermore, large beasts known as "dino-saurs" never ruled the earth. The fossils we sometimes find today were hidden deep in the ground around six thousand years ago by the one true God in a brilliant test of faith for His creations. Repent your sins and join the Everlasting Glory!

I expect to see a few of these lesser-known examples of the Mandela Effect pop up on the internet any day now, perhaps as part of a Buzzfeed list or some other form of "click-bait". However, I can't help but enjoy the fact that at least some of them, and I think you know which ones, will forever remain our little secret!