The Mandela Effect
The Mandela Effect, Named after the mass confusion surround the death of Nelson Mandela, is the name given to the phenomenon of the mass remembrances of events that seemingly never happened. The theory began with the aforementioned Nelson Mandela who passed away in 2013 despite a hefty majority of people remembering him dying in an African prison in the 1980s. Since then the community surrounding the Mandela Effect has grown rapidly as more residuals are discovered and more theories arise as to just how this all can possibly be happening. Before we dive into some of those theories, let’s break down some of the most iconic and recent Mandela Effects that may affect you.
The Berenstain Bears
No, you didn’t read that wrong and no, that’s not a typo. The spark that lit the fuse is largely attributed to these childhood storybook bears. Most often remembered as the “Berenstein Bears” even the most detailed search through the archives will show these bears have always been named the “Berenstain Bears”. While some residuals of old TV Guides and VHS tapes have surfaced, no source that can be traced back to the production or company responsible for these books or shows ever show them being spelt with an “e”.
… A box of chocolates
Everybody and their mother is familiar with the cultural classic that is Forest Gump. Even for those who haven’t seen it (Do you exist?) there is one quote from the film that has surpassed pop-culture. Go ahead and say it to yourself, It’s the catchphrase, The Slogan, The repetend line through out the film. Dis you say “Life Is like a box of chocolates”? If so, You’d be wrong. I know what you’re thinking, how could this be can hear Tom Hanks say it plain as day. I urge you to go back and watch that clip on YouTube, listen closely and hear that iconic line… “Life WAS like a box of chocolates”.
Who’s the Fairest of them all?
Yet another pop culture classic, Snow White. Admit it fellas, you know the quite too. Ya know, that famous quote, “Magic Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the fairest of them all?” That’s right, No “Mirror, Mirror” in this reality. One of the absolute most baffling examples as that exact line has been seen quoted in Shrek as well as inspired its own spinoff of the same name. Yet in the Disney animated Snow White film “Mirror, Mirror” is never spoken. Stranger still, seemingly in the other languages the movie is translated in, that line DOES appear. Residual?
Down The Rabbit Hole
There is an ever-growing list of Mandela Effects that seemingly keep getting wilder and wilder. If none of these have made you question this reality, I encourage you to check out the following video on some of the most bazar Mandela Effects.
So How Can This Be?
As of now there are two major theories as the the reasoning behind the Mandela Effect phenomenon.
The Timeline/Paradox Theory
The first theory revolves around the possibility of a paradox involving the timeline we know to be our reality. And yes, before you jump to it, this theory well precedes Loki and the Multiverse. The theory goes that the world (our world that we have perceived in this reality) has actually ended, and not just once. However rather than physically ending the reality we perceive has merged into another reality causing a paradox, one where we retain the memories from our initial reality despite the subtle differences making these non-existent in the current one. Three notable points in history have been linked to this theory as three different points we have merged with three different realities. The First paradox event is said to be Y2K, originally thought to be “The end of the world” Year 0 would wipe all computer based intelligence ability to comprehend the actual year causing a reset. The second paradox shift is though to be the year 2012 when the Mayan Calendar predicted the end of the world. Lastly and most recently is the year 2020 which was considered to be the coming of days due to the unforeseeable and outrageous events the year hosted. While we can look back at these three fixed points as nothing more than hoaxes and false predictions, oddly enough there seems to be a spike in Mandela Effects following each of these years.
Simulated Reality Theory
Simulated Reality theory is the theory that it is very possible and even extremely likely that we currently live inside a computer generated simulation. The crux of the theory relies on the fact it would be next to impossible to answer this question without first being able to create a simulated reality of our own that perfectly mirrored our reality. However by doing so we also run the equal possibility of either creating the first simulated reality or being the last reality to do so. The Mandela Effect comes into play as the response to a “patch” of sorts. While a new reality or update to our current one could easily overwrite the code for a company like “Febreeze” so that the code reads it was actually always spelled “Febreze”, rewriting the code of near sentient, growing AI as a whole would be a lot more challenging. This would lead to peoples “false memories”. Memories of something that actually existed and was witnessed however was overwritten so that it seemingly never existed inside the current reality.
Closing Thoughts
This is just scratching the surface of the Mandela Effect theory. This ever expanding and ever growing phenomenon is one of my favorite things to discuss and monitor. I highly encourage anyone unfamiliar to look into some of the documented effects as I can almost assure you one of them will strike a chord. Let me know what your favorite Mandela Effects are and which ones sent you over the edge below, then be sure to check out more articles like this one right here!
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