I'm sure by now you've heard about the Mandela Effect. Or you've at least seen the internet "debate" about a childhood book series and TV show, The Berenstain Bears. However, many of us remember the show and books to be called The Berenstein Bears spelled with an "e". This simple spelling has caused such a great uproar, it's brought about a theory called The Mandela Effect. The name comes from the false memory that many people have about Nelson Mandela's death. Many people clearly remember him dying in prison, but he actually died many years later in 2013.
According to the Know Your Meme website, "The Mandela Effect is a theory of parallel universes, based on the idea that because large groups of people have similar alternative memories about past events. Advocates of the theory claim that for these collective experiences to be true, the fabric or reality must have shifted at some point in the past, and therefore not only do parallel, inhabitable universes exist, but that we are constantly switching between them."
Sounds crazy, right? I thought so too until I looked further into it. Do you remember the show about Curious George? The monkey and the man in the yellow suit? Many people remember George to have had a tail, but in "reality", he does not have one.
When you think of the color chartreuse, do you think of a pink or red color? I do, too. But apparently, we're both wrong. Chartreuse is actually a yellowish green color.
Jif Peanut Butter was actually never called "Jiffy" Peanut Butter. Guys, I can't be the only one who remember it being called Jiffy.
Another example that has made me question everything is a quote from Snow White. Apparently, the queen never says, "Mirror mirror on the wall," she says, "Magic mirror on the wall." What?! Another movie line that is throwing people for a loop is from Forrest Gump, which people are also debating on if his name is spelled with one or two "r's." Do you say "Life is like a box of chocolates," or "Life was like a box of chocolates"? I've always said "is" but apparently, he says "was."
You can be the judge about whether or not you think this theory is true. All I know is that my entire life is a lie and I'm going insane.