THE WEEKLY RANT
by Jenna Carson
How is it possible that hundreds of people remember something that doesn’t exist? The Mandela Effect, named after the former president of Africa, Nelson Mandela, is the idea that there is time travel or alternate universes, and people are going back and changing small things, which in turn causes people to have memories conflicting with the real world.
Let’s talk about a few examples, shall we?
We all know of the classic tale of Snow White, right? In one of the most famous and quoted scenes of the movie, the evil witch is seen standing in front of a magic mirror. Everyone remembers her saying, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” However, that’s not really what she says. In the movie, the real line is, “Magic mirror on the wall”. Some people may think it’s just someone mishearing the actual words, but how can so many people mishear the same thing? Easy. Time travel.
Another quote that everyone has apparently mistaken is from E.T.. “E.T. phone home”. Actually, E.T. says, “E.T. home phone.” What? No. That can’t be right. E.T. wants to phone home, not home phone. Unfortunately, it’s true. The iconic line is “ET home phone.”
I’ll bet you have a jar of Jiffy peanut butter in your cabinet. Or, at least, you think you do. What if someone were to tell you that there is actually no such brand as ‘Jiffy’? The brand of peanut butter everyone is having issues with is Jif. The company, after getting hundreds of questions, finally announced that it has always been called Jif, not Jiffy. It has never changed its name since it was first launched in the late 50’s. They claim it was called Jif because it was easy to say, spell, and remember. But how can something so easy to remember cause so many conflicting memories?
As a kid, everyone loved cartoons; especially the Looney Toons show. But, wait; Looney Toons or Looney Tunes? As it turns out, the show has always been called Looney Tunes. However, people who recall it being the former argue that the whole reason it was called the Looney Toons was because it was supposed to represent the fact that it was a crazy cartoon show. Confusion could be caused by someone mixing up Tiny Toons and Looney Tunes, but like the previous examples, the Mandela Effect could play a big part in it as well. Tiny Toons got its name from being the younger versions of the characters from the Looney Tunes. So why isn’t it Tiny Tunes, then? Maybe it’s because in an alternate universe, the show was originally called Looney Toons.
Everyone owned a box of crayons at some point. Whether your favorite color was blue, or green, or even chartreuse. You know, that dark maroon color that you think will give your picture that extra pop of color? Actually, the color is a shade of yellow-green. However, if you thought that it was a shade of red or purple, you are not alone. Disagreements have been around for years about this certain color, but does anyone stop and ask why someone believed that chartreuse was a dark shade of maroon? Mandela Effect strikes again.
Berenstein or Berenstain? The name of the popular children’s book has been debated on many occasions. Almost all people remember it being the Berenstein Bears, but the title has always been Berenstain Bears- with an A, not an E. Some people may not care or find the topic irrelevant, but others are getting frustrated. This is a big deal for Mandela Effect believers because this is one of the most popular of the ideas.
The Mandela Effect was named by Fiona Broome. She called it that after the first time she encountered it; when Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s. People rioted, news clips were shown of the funeral, there was a heartfelt speech given by his widow. Except, none of that happened. Nelson Mandela died years later on December 5th, 2013. Thousands of people thought he died in prison, and when they found out he was still alive, they were confuzzled. How could a man that everyone remembers dying in prison, die years later due to a respiratory illness?
Quotes, deaths, and TV shows aren’t the only things being changed. Logos are being modified as well. The Monopoly Man? He has no monocle. The Ford logo? It has apparently always had the little loop on the ‘F’. Own a can of Febreeze? Nope, you probably own a can of Febreze. Only one ‘E’, not two. Did you wear Sketchers as a kid? Sorry, they’re called Skechers. I’ll bet at some point, your favorite cereal was Fruit Loops. Mine would be too, if it were real. They’re actually called Froot Loops.
How about Mr. Rogers’ ‘It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood’? Wrong. The real lyrics are ‘It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood.’How beautiful is it, really, Mr. Rogers?
Take this quiz to see if the Mandela Effect affects you:
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