Nov 5 2025 | Abbi Duhart | News Editor
Coined by Fiona Broome, the Mandela effect is a phenomenon that many people experience, whether they realize it or not, in which they have faulty memories of a certain person, character, event or anything similar. Each faulty detail is often experienced by a multitude of people, making the effect seem that much more mysterious and odd. Broome created the term “Mandela effect” when she discovered that she, along with many others, believed that Nelson Mandela died in the 1980s when he in fact died in 2013. She was shocked that so many people remembered a key historic event falsely and thus put a name to the phenomenon.
A common occurrence of the Mandela effect that many encounter is centered around Disney’s well-known character Tinker Bell. Many people, including myself, remember in the old Disney movie era how Tinker Bell would come out at the beginning of VCR movies when they show the Disney castle logo and would circle around the castle and tap the top of the “I.” Supposedly, this never actually happened and, instead, there was only a white half circle that went around the castle, with Tinker Bell never actually showing up. However, many Disney fans speculated about this and tried to dig up old Disney VCRs and DVDs, with some allegedly proving that Tinker Bell did, in fact, appear. Whether she actually appeared or not is still up for debate.
Those who are familiar with “Star Wars” often recall what is argued to be the most famous line in the franchise: “Luke, I am your father.” What if I said that this was never actually Darth Vader’s famous line? In “The Empire Strikes Back,” the line that Darth Vader actually says to Luke is “No, I am your father.” Many fans distinctly remember the use of Luke’s name in this line as Vader is talking to Luke, and the line is quoted this way by fans and non-fans alike. In the same vein, many Disney fans remember the famous line from the Evil Queen in “Snow White” being “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” The correct line spoken in the original “Snow White” is in fact “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Many people recall the use of “mirror, mirror” even though the Evil Queen never said this.
Another common Disney Mandela effect happens when recalling the original Mickey Mouse. When thinking about the clothes that he wears, many remember his shorts with buttons having suspenders. If fans go back and look, though, they’ll find that Mickey Mouse does not actually have suspenders, he only wears the shorts with buttons.
Those who read or watched it as a kid may recall the popular children’s show about Mama and Papa Bear as they raise their two bear cubs in Bear Country. But what comes to mind when prompted to spell out the name of this show? The correct spelling is “The Berenstain Bears,” even though many recall it being spelled as “Berenstein.”
Video game fans aren’t immune to the Mandela effect either. Those who spent their childhood playing “Pokémon” games or collecting Pokémon cards commonly argue about the appearance of the famous Pokémon Pikachu. Some fans recall his unique zig-zag tail having a black tip at the top, while some recall the black section of his tail being at the bottom. Fans who recall the black section being at the tip of his tail have fallen victim to the Mandela effect, because Pikachu does not have any black at the end of his tail.
When thinking about the show “Scooby-Doo,” people also often remember the character Shaggy as having a distinct Adam’s apple in his appearance. This characteristic often stands out to fans too because Shaggy is seen eating food a lot, making his Adam’s apple very clear. Shaggy also gulped a lot in the show out of fear, something that is believed to also feature his Adam’s apple. Yet, if we go back to view Scooby Doo, Shaggy doesn’t actually have an Adam’s apple at all. He does have the bulge when he swallows or gulps, so it is theorized that fans are just remembering this.
The Mandela effect is known as a phenomenon for a reason, but there are a few differing theories for why it occurs. One explanation is false memories. When we recall something that happened a while ago — more so the further back we go — our brains can set off neurons that are connected to other memories and details, potentially causing us to remember something incorrectly. Similarly, confabulation may happen, meaning that our brain subconsciously fills in gaps for things we don’t quite remember. Human brains try to make sense of this lapse of knowledge by filling in a reasonable explanation, even if we don’t realize it’s false. Our brains can also subconsciously change a past memory based on what we encounter after it. For example, perhaps the reason many people remember Tinker Bell at the beginning of Disney movies is because something similar occurred at a later date with something that was related. The fact that our brains do this also contributes to the fact that eyewitness testimonies are not always reliable.
A more unusual theory that some have surrounding the Mandela effect is alternate realities. In this theory, the individuals who make up the group believing that each instance of the Mandela effect happened are all from an alternate reality in which that version of the event is actually true. So, in the Tinker Bell Mandela effect, everyone who remembers Tinker Bell in the Disney intro somehow entered a different timeline in which Tinkerbell actually did appear.
No matter if someone has experienced the Mandela effect for themself, it can be interesting to think about why this phenomenon occurs in the first place. It can be easy to write it off as a coincidence if a couple of people experience each event, but large groups of people all report remembering the same false events. As humans, we naturally try to find reasonable explanations, but perhaps some things just can’t be explained.
Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu
