Mandela Effect

The Mandela Effect is a term for where a group of people all misremember the same detail, event, image, or quote. It is named after the instance in which a large group of people all shared the same memory that Nelson Mandela died prior to his actual death on December 5, 2013, usually at some time during the 1980s. The Mandela Effect became a popular term when a peculiar example popped up where most people recalled the Berenstain Bears books being spelled as “Berenstein”, which differs from the “Berenstain” spelling presented as correct by most of the currently available evidence.

The term “Mandela Effect” was coined by self-described paranormal consultant Fiona Broome, who wrote that she first became aware of the phenomenon after discovering that she shared a specific false memory — that South African anti-apartheid activist and president Nelson Mandela died in prison during the 1980s — with many other people.

Examples of the Mandela Effect

• Berenstein Bears
• “If you build it they will come.” From Field of Dreams
• “Luke, I am your father.” From The Empire Strikes Back
• “The lion will lay down with the lamb.” From Isaiah 11:6, The Bible
• “We're going to need a bigger boat.” From Jaws
• Fruit Loops
• Looney Toons

Claimed explanations for the Mandela Effect

• Confabulation
• Cognitive Dissonance
• False Memory
• Alternate Timelines
• Historical vandalism (i.e. changing historical artifacts)