17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

By Alma Fabiani

Published Feb 27, 2022 at 09:00 AM

Reading time: 2 minutes

27911

The Mandela effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believe that something occurred when it did not. More often than not, these false memories typically refer to pop culture or current events. It was only in 2010 that we termed the strange phenomenon, when self-described “paranormal consultant” Fiona Broome dubbed it the Mandela effect in reference to her false memory of the death of South African anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in prison in the 1980s—he actually died in 2013, after having served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999—which she claimed was shared by “perhaps thousands” of other people.

One prominent example of the Mandela effect comes from a 2010 study that examined people familiar with the clock at Bologna Centrale railway station, in Italy, which was damaged in the Bologna massacre bombing in August 1980. In the study, 92 per cent of respondents falsely remembered the clock had stopped working ever since the bombing when, in fact, the clock was repaired shortly after the attack. Years later, the clock was again stopped and set to the time of the bombing in observance and commemoration of the disastrous event.

While scientists suggest that these are examples of false memories shaped by similar cognitive factors affecting multiple people and families (such as social and cognitive reinforcement of incorrect memories or false news reports and misleading photographs that influence the formation of memories based on them) many believe they are proof that we’re existing in alternate realities.

We won’t try to find the answer to this loaded debate here. Instead, we’ve compiled 17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your whole childhood:

1. It’s Febreze, not Febreeze

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Make it make sense.

2. Skechers without a ‘t’ in there

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

With or without a ‘t’, we really hope these shoes stay in the past.

3. Froot Loops and not Fruit Loops

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Why, Kellogg’s? Learn how to spell for the sake of our sanity.

4. Looney Tunes, not Toons

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Honestly, this one is hard to swallow.

5. It’s Jif, not Jiffy

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

There was never a ‘Jiffy’ peanut butter, only ‘Jif’. That being said, people might be mixing Jif with its competitor, Skippy.

6. The Monopoly man never had a monocle

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

This might be a simple confusion between him and the Planters peanut company’s mascot, Mr Peanut. Still, give the man a monocle!

7. Pikachu’s tail never had a black stripe

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

In reality, it’s just yellow with a tiny patch of brown.

8. Kit Kat, not Kit-Kat

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Not sure if it’s because we’re based in the UK, but this one never even crossed our minds. No hyphen, duh.

9. Fruit of the Loom’s logo

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Many remember the clothing manufacturer’s logo featuring a cornucopia behind the fruits. It never did, apparently. At least they weren’t called ‘Froot’ of the Loom.

10. Cheez-It or Cheez-Itz?

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

If you said Cheez-It, you’d be correct.

11. The Mona Lisa doesn’t smile

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

This one is absolutely Earth-shattering.

12. What colour is chartreuse?

17 examples of the Mandela effect that will make you doubt your very own existence

Most people recall chartreuse is a magenta pink colour. In reality, it’s a shade of green.

13. C3-PO from ‘Star Wars’ had a silver leg

Even the biggest Star Wars fans—and Halloween costume sites—get it wrong. The robot isn’t all gold, he has one silver piece on his right leg.

14. Life is… not like a box of chocolates?

In Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks doesn’t say the infamous “Life is like a box of chocolates” quote. Instead, he says “Life was like a box of chocolates.” We’re saying, life used to be good until now.

15. Mirror, mirror on the wall

Turns out, this wasn’t a line in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs either. In fact, the Wicked Queen says, “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Childhood ruined.

16. Another one for the ‘Star Wars’ fans

When breaking the news to his son, Darth Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father.” He dropped the Luke and went straight for the revelation. Say what?!

17. Not a ‘Star Wars’ fan? What about ‘The Lord of the Rings’?

Hate to burst your bubble again, but the memorable line “Run, you fools!” was never said by Gandalf. Before his treacherous fall, you can clearly hear him saying “Fly, you fools!”

Keep On Reading

By Eliza Frost

The swag gap relationship: Does it work when one partner is cooler than the other?

By Eliza Frost

What is Banksying? Inside the latest toxic dating trend even worse than ghosting

By Eliza Frost

How exactly is the UK government’s Online Safety Act keeping young people safe? 

By Eliza Frost

Jessie Cave was banned from a Harry Potter fan convention because of her OnlyFans account

By Eliza Frost

Did Katy Perry just confirm relationship with ex-Canadian PM Justin Trudeau?

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty stars Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno caught in political drama

By Eliza Frost

Are you in Group 7? Explaining the latest viral TikTok trend

By Eliza Frost

We finally know why Conrad and Belly broke up in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2

By Eliza Frost

Everything you need to know about Trump’s state visit, including that Epstein projection

By Eliza Frost

American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney face backlash with employee’s LinkedIn post adding fuel to the fire

By Eliza Frost

Why is everyone saying ‘Six-Seven’? The meaning behind the viral phrase

By Eliza Frost

NHS makes morning-after pill free at 10,000 pharmacies across England

By Eliza Frost

If everyone has an AI boyfriend, what does that mean for the future of Gen Z dating?

By Eliza Frost

Everything to know about Justin Lee Fisher, arrested at Travis Kelce’s home over Taylor Swift deposition papers from Justin Baldoni

By Eliza Frost

People think Donald Trump is dead and they’re using the Pentagon Pizza Index to prove it

By Eliza Frost

Millie Bobby Brown reportedly accuses Stranger Things co-star David Harbour of harassment and bullying 

By Eliza Frost

The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Chris Briney is at the centre of a new love triangle, but this time for an audio erotica story 

By Eliza Frost

Taylor Swift announces new album on Travis Kelce’s podcast. Everything we know about TS12 so far

By Eliza Frost

Bad Bunny announced as halftime act for Super Bowl 2026—and conservatives aren’t too happy 

By Eliza Frost

How The Summer I Turned Pretty licensed so much of Taylor Swift’s discography for its soundtrack