Top 10 Mandela Effects (Movie and TV Edition!)

The “Mandela effect” is one of the most mind-boggling things we can find on the Internet today. Named after the famous Nelson Mandela, the first president of South Africa to be elected under the new constitution, the term describes the phenomenon in which a group of people collectively remember facts or events one way and then find out later that their memories are wrong.

As to why this happens, the two most famous theories are time travel and parallel universes. According to the first idea, time travelers go into the past and change minor details. This creates ripples that affect our lives today. An odd title change or lines being added or removed from movies would be examples of this.

The parallel universe theory states that our “original world” was sucked into a black hole when the world was supposed to end in 2000 or 2012. Now we live in an alternate universe.

However, most people believe that the Mandela effect is just one of those weird coincidences in life that most people can’t explain. Here are the top 10 Mandela effects relating to television and movies. Prepare to have your mind blown.

10 The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars is easily one of the most-watched movie series of all time. On May 25, 1977, the world was captivated when Star Wars came out (the film was later renamed Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope). The journey of young Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader enthralled audiences everywhere.

Then they did it again on May 21, 1980, when The Empire Strikes Back (later known as Star Wars: Episode V–The Empire Strikes Back) came out and delivered one of the most iconic movie lines of all time: “Luke, I am your father.” It is quoted on a regular basis.

However, here is the shocking thing. The line is not “Luke, I am your father.” Nope! The actual line is: “No, I am your father.”^[1] This was a total surprise. Although the wording is similar, it is still somewhat different from how the entire world remembers it. So, when you next attend a Comic-Con festival, or a group of friends has a movie night, you can tell everyone they are wrong.

9 Sex and The City

Another oddly remembered classic is Sex in the City. Carrie Bradshaw, Charlotte York Goldenblatt, Samantha Jones, and Miranda Hobbes stole our hearts in this addictive series. Hearing a group of girls talk about their relationships, struggles, and sex became a relatable and entertaining escape for women. Most moms are obsessed with this show, and almost everyone has a friend who still watches the reruns regularly.

Fans went into shock when they found out that the actual name of the show is Sex and the City. People have even checked their memorabilia to make sure this was right. But it is. Some people have even speculated that they secretly changed the name of the show because it is so widely known as Sex in the City. But if you look back at each season, it has always been called Sex and the City.^[2]

8 “We Are the Champions”

“We Are the Champions” by Queen is one of the great songs of all time. When people think karaoke or sing-alongs, few songs come to mind faster than “We Are the Champions.” The ending—“’cause we are the champions … of the world!”—makes listeners want to throw their hands in the air while belting out the lyrics.

But hear this. At the end of the song, there is no “of the world.” It simply ends on “we are the champions.”^[3] Isn’t that crazy? We could have sworn that there is a version that says “of the world,” right? This one is unbelievable!

7 Curious George

Curious George is a classic children’s cartoon based on the popular books with the same name. Most young adults remember watching this show as kids. Curious George went on his adventures, eating a banana with his tail hanging between his legs. He had “the man in the yellow hat” looking after him at all times.

The show demonstrated the lessons of forgiveness, learning, and playful curiosity. You can almost see a picture of Curious George in your head. Now here is the crazy thing. Curious George never had a tail.^[4] The picture most people have of him in their heads is wrong. He’s a tailless monkey.

6 Forrest Gump

Another classic movie is Forrest Gump. Jenny and Forrest stole our hearts. It taught us lessons of love, perseverance, and not judging a book by its cover. Forrest started out in life with overwhelming difficulties but eventually accomplished all sorts of things. He ran, became a Ping-Pong champion, joined the military, became a shrimp fisherman, and most importantly, truly loved.

Not only did we get a totally lovable character in Forrest, but we also got classic lines like “run, Forrest, run” and “life is like a box of chocolates.” Everyone has quoted these lines on a regular basis—especially “life is like a box of chocolates.”

However, that’s not really the line! It’s actually “life was like a box of chocolates.”^[5] This definitely makes us want to rewatch the movie to figure out how we all got this so wrong.

5 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The next Mandela effect is a line from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that has been misquoted. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” This has been ingrained in our heads since we were kids.

But again, “mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all” is not really the line! The actual line is: “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”^[6] This is another example that viewers may have to see and hear to believe. Let’s go dig up our old Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs DVDs and listen closely to see how we all got this wrong.

4 Shazaam

Comic Sinbad was in several movies during the ‘80s and ‘90s, including Necessary Roughness and Jingle All the Way. However, he was never in a film titled Shazaam, although many people recall Sinbad dressed as a genie in the movie. Not only was Sinbad not in the movie, but no one was in it—the movie does not exist!

How could that be? A film titled Kazaam does exist, though, with Shaquille O’Neal as a genie. So, do you remember Shazaam where Sinbad plays a bumbling genie who grants wishes to two children and takes them on a journey? According to some people, the two children accidentally summon Shazaam and wish their dad to fall in love again. Others even remember scene-by-scene details such as a broken doll and the finale scene, which apparently occurred at a pool party.

If you swear that you saw the movie, check out Sinbad’s movie roles here and see for yourself! Oh, BTW, the video above was created by as an April Fool’s Day prank!^[7]

3 Star Wars I–VII

So, here is another weird Star Wars fact. C-3PO is an all-time favorite character, right? He is smart, sort of a coward, but loyal to his friend R2-D2.

C-3PO’s look is unique too. He is remembered as an all-gold robot with intense circular eyes. He appears in all the Star Wars movies from Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace to Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens.

Here is the shock. C-3PO is not all gold.^[8] Until Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens, he always had a silver leg that has been seemingly overlooked by everyone! One of our most beloved characters looked nothing like the image in our minds. A Google search is definitely in order!

2 The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs is one of the creepiest movies ever made. It is referenced all the time in scary environments.

In the movie, Jodie Foster played Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford, played by Scott Glenn, wants her to interview a psychiatrist who also happens to be a violent psychopath.

Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, is in prison for murder and cannibalism. Crawford wants to use Starling’s youth and good looks to get the psychiatrist to share insights on the case. There is a terrifying moment when Lecter says, “Hello, Clarice.” It sends chills down our spines and is referenced on the Internet a lot.

However, that moment didn’t happen. In reality, all he says is “morning.”^[9] This blew our minds. How did a whole line get unanimously put in a movie and not actually exist? This one is especially hard to believe because the line is not scary in real life. We all added a bone-chilling line to the movie at a point where nothing that frightening was actually said.

1 Sally Field’s Oscar Acceptance Speech

Sally Field is a famous actress. She has even won two Academy Awards. In and of itself, her name is a Mandela effect because so many people think she is Sally Fields (with an “s”). Her acceptance speech when she won the Oscar for Places in the Heart is one of the most famous of all time: “You like me, you really like me.”

This line has been quoted and mocked for years. But that’s not what she said! The actual line is: “You like me. Right now, you like me.”^[10] Doesn’t have the same effect, does it? Reading this makes us wonder how the whole world heard the same thing. It is truly incredible and slightly eerie.

My name is Bry Ann. I am a student at Arizona State University and currently work at the YMCA in a small town up in the mountains. My passion is writing about flawed characters who work on overcoming their personal demons. I am a psychology major! Usually, love works its way in there, too, because what is the world without a little love? You will be able to find my book, Axel, on Amazon soon. Stay tuned!