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Entertainment & Pop Culture57 Mind-Bending Mandela Effect Examples You Have to SeeFollow Entertainment & Pop CultureView feed57 Mind-Bending Mandela Effect Examples You Have to SeeNo, Darth Vadar did not say “Luke, I am your father.”By Cameron Jenkins, Sarah VincentUpdated: Apr 30, 2026Fact-checked by Clare EllisResearch Editor34We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.We all remember the moment when Darth Vader famously said to Luke Skywalker “Luke, I am your father,” in the film Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, except that’s not exactly what happened. The phenomenon in which society collectively misremembers an event, pop culture moment, or historical fact is called the Mandela effect. And it turns out that there are quite a few moments throughout the years where this has occurred. In addition to the misremembered Star Wars quote, discrepancies like the spelling of the Berenstain Bears to the existence of a '90s movie called Shazaam have also made their rounds on social media. Keep reading for more commonly misremembered Mandela effect examples.Why is it called the Mandela effect?This phenomenon was named by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome. She wrongly recalled Nelson Mandela dying in the 1980s. She could remember news coverage of his funeral—even though he later became the president of South Africa, and passed away in 2013. After she found others who misremembered the same thing, she began studying the phenomena of collective false memory. Thus the Mandela effect was born!Why does the Mandela effect interest so many people?Wilma Bainbridge, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago, is a leading expert on the Mandela effect. She explains its popularity by noting, “We like to think we understand our minds well and have good control over our memories. The Mandela effect is one of those cases where our memory betrays us, creating a creepy, eerie feeling.” What causes the Mandela effect? According to Bainbridge, one possible reason for the shared false memories is that people may recall what they expected to see, rather than what they actually saw.For example, many people remember the Monopoly Man having a monocle — even though he doesn’t wear one. This is because, Bainbridge says, many people have a preconceived idea “of what rich older men should look like” — like having a cane, a top hat and a monocle. When people misremember a monocle, it’s likely because they are falling back on those preconceived expectations. Another possibility is that “the power of suggestion could cause people to have these false memories,” Bainbridge says. When people discuss Mandela effect examples on social media, for example, it can create new false memories in people.A last theory is that some images are less memorable than others. In Bainbridge’s research, participants were shown an image, then drew it from memory. Many of the drawings included similar Mandela effect errors. Regardless of who looked at them, some images were more likely to be remembered correctly, while others were more forgettable and more likely to be misremembered. Nelson Mandela's DeathMedia24/Gallo Images//Getty ImagesLet's start with the origin of the Mandela effect. Nelson Mandela, who this theory is named after, died in 2013. However, many people remember him dying in prison in the 1980s.Hass AvocadosNurPhoto//Getty ImagesWhen you're strolling the aisles of your local supermarket, you may recall reaching for a Haas avocado —except that's not the actual spelling. The avocados are named after Rudolph Hass, making Hass the correct spelling.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowLincoln's closed fistBettmann//Getty ImagesFor many people the first thought that comes to mind when you mention the Lincoln memorial statute is the 16th president of the United States sitting down with both palms resting open on the sides of his chair. But that would be incorrect. He actually has one hand closed into a fist. Shaggy’s Adam’s AppleEverettDo you remember Shaggy from Scooby Doo with a big Adam’s apple—maybe as he inhales a giant sandwich? So do tons of others, but in reality, it’s nowhere to be seen.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMickey Mouse’s SuspendersMario Tama//Getty ImagesQuick! How does Mickey Mouse hold up his pants? Answer: Not with suspenders, even if you could swear you remember him wearing them.Fly, My Pretties, Fly!Silver Screen Collection//Getty ImagesWhen the Wicked Witch sends her flying monkeys after Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, many remember her shouting, “Fly, my pretties, fly!” and cackling. But in the movie, she actually shouts, “fly, fly, fly.”Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowCaptain vs Cap’n CrunchGetty ImagesHow do you spell the peanut butter-flavored cereal with a pirate on front? That’s right, it’s Cap’n—not Captain!—Crunch. However you s...

57 Mandela Effect Examples That Feel Like a Glitch in Reality