Remember These? 5 Mandela Effects from Your Childhood

As we get older, our memories may not be as sharp as they used to be. Details can get fuzzy, facts can get questioned. This results in memories that are foggy at best and completely false at worst. However, there seem to be some false memories quite a few of us share, known as Mandela effects.

A Mandela effect is a false memory shared by a large number of people. It gets its name from Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa. Many people believe died in prison in the 1980’s, but in all actuality, he passed away in 2013 at the ripe old age of 95.

If you scour the internet, you will come across hundreds of Mandela effects people have reported over the years. Here is a list of 5 Mandela effects that you may (or may not?) remember from your childhood.

The Berenstain Bears

One of the best-known Mandela effects is the spelling of this beloved bear’s family name. The Berenstain Bears is the creation of Stan and Jan Berenstain, who co-wrote the first book about the bear family in 1962. The family has starred in dozens of children’s books and several different cartoon incarnations over decades, keeping with the same theme of learning life lessons and the importance of family. Many people claim to remember the spelling as “Berenstein,” and are often shocked to find out the spelling is actually ‘Berenstain,’ named after the authors themselves.

Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes, along with Merry Melodies, debuted in theatres before the showing of feature films from 1930 through 1969. They were made to compete with Disney’s Silly Symphonies and starred similar anthropomorphic characters that are well-known to us today, such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. Despite many people who would swear up and down that they are “Looney Toons” because they are “cartoons,” the spelling is actually “Tunes” because of the music that accompanied the cartoon shorts.

Curious George

This curious little monkey first appeared in the book, Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys, written by Margret and H.A. Rey and published in France in 1939. His name was originally Sirocco, and when it was changed to George in later books, he was known in the United Kingdom as Zozo to avoid confusion with then-king George VI. Even though George was never drawn with a tail, a lot of people believe that at some point, he had one. This is an understandable false memory because most monkeys do have tails, but never George.

C-3PO

If you know about Star Wars, then surely you’re familiar with the famous droid duo, C-3PO and R2-D2. C-3PO, build by Anakin Skywalker when he was a child living on Tatooine, is believed by many to be a solid gold color from head to toe. However, one small detail is overlooked: a chrome-colored leg. This fact is further proven by the C-3PO toys that were produced in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s which all had one chrome leg. That’s no factory accident – it serves as a reminder to the audience that C-3PO was built by hand and not machine.

Rich Uncle Pennybags

Just about all of us have played Monopoly at some point in our lives, so the game’s mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags, is a well-known character. Later known as Mr. Monopoly, Rich Uncle Pennybags made his debut on the game he was named for, Rich Uncle. Sporting a top hat and holding a cane, he is meant to mimic the likeness of then-famous entrepreneur and millionaire, J.P. Morgan. However, many claim that one important detail is now missing: a monocle. This false memory is thought to be caused by the character’s resemblance to another top hat-wearing mascot, Mr. Peanut. There is no evidence that Uncle Pennybags had ever worn a monocle.

What’s your recollection of these Mandela effects? What other Mandela effects have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below!