Freaky Friday Files: Revisiting the Mandela Effect
- Ash
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Hi friends! I thought for this edition of Freaky Friday Files, we could revisit the Mandela Effect. I know it's not really a "Mandela Effect," but if you read my "February 2026 Life Updates" blog post I released yesterday, then you'll know I had a "Glitch in the Matrix" experience with some tea towels, and that has inspired me to take a look at some new Mandela Effects in 2026 and ask some questions about this internet mystery.
If you're unfamiliar with what a Mandala Effect is, Wikipedia describes it as a "false memory" - "Specific false memories can sometimes be shared by a large group of people. This phenomenon was dubbed the "Mandela effect" by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, who reported having vivid and detailed memories of news coverage of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s." In reality, Mandela passed away in 2013.
Some well-known examples of the Mandala Effect are the book Berenstain Bears being spelled "Berestein", Fruit of the Loom's logo having a cornucopia, and the Darth Vader misquote. People believe Darth Vader says, "Luke, I am your father," but he actually says, "No, I am your father".
For more of a sociological analysis of the Mandela Effect, I recommend checking out these articles:
The Mandela Effect Explained (12 min read + a YT video). I'm really proud of this article; it goes super in-depth and discusses why we might be susceptible to the Mandela Effect.
11 Contemporary Mandela Effect Examples (2 min read)
The Sociology of the "Glitch in the Matrix" (8 min read + YT video)
I thought for this blog, we could take a look at some Mandela Effects people have discovered so far in 2026. I found "this subreddit" to help us out.
PIN IT
Revisiting the Mandela Effect
What new Mandela Effects have been "noticed" so far in 2026?
Reddit user lifestar999 says that they remember there being a hot chocolate emoji.
Reddit user AskDocBurner believes that the Disney character Goofy is a cow and not a dog. Disney claims that Goofy has always been a dog.
Reddit user Different-Meet-9767 says, "I feel like I’m going crazy because I just saw a trailer for the movie You, Me & Tuscany but I swear I’ve seen this movie before on a streaming service. I see it doesn’t release in theaters until April 2026 but I KNOW I’ve seen this full movie before. Does anyone else feel the same way? I’ve also looked online at all the other “similar movies” but I know it’s not them. Help".
Maltesers is spelt Maltesers and not "Malteasers" - I don't know if I knew this one, but I just saw a mock-up of the second one and was like "that feels more right to me".
News AU (2026) says, "A favourite for the Matrix theorists. A vocal group of people claim that New Zealand used to be located North-East of Australia on old school maps. They are shocked to find it sitting firmly in the South-East. Unless the tectonic plates are moving at warp speed, this is likely just a case of geography class daydreaming". This one reminds me of the conspiracy theories that Australia isn't real or New Zealand isn't real, LOL.
Some Australians believe that the Bubble O Bill ice cream used to have a little brown bowtie on it.
Reddit user No_Rise_5985 says, "Didn’t Heath Ledger win the Oscar for Brokeback Mountain in 2006? The way I remember it is the academy was so against that movie until it came out and everyone loved it the academy knew it was a hit and he won best actor 20 years ago I’ll put money on it. I remember most everything including part of his speech he thanked his family his fans Michelle Williams Jake Gyllenhaal Ang Lee and ended his acceptance speech by saying “this is for Australia”. As of now he was nominated but never won until The Dark Knight in 2009 when he had already died and his family accepted it I know he won for TDK but I also know he won for Brokeback…"
Some people have claimed that they remember Prince Harry in an Epstein photo rather than "Prince" Andrew.
Many people believe that Tim Curry passed away, but in reality, he just retired from acting due to a stroke in 2012.
Some questions I have
Why are a lot of Mandela Effects just pop culture references?
Why aren't people satisfied with a "false memory" explanation? Occam's Razor, right?
Does the Mandela Effect tie into the theory of collective consciousness, especially with so many people sharing similar, intimate/detailed memories about things?
What is consciousness?
Are we living in a simulation?
Should I write about the Simulation Theory?
I just read a really interesting article that discussed the blue pill/red pill analogy from The Matrix movies, and the blue pill = "memory is flawed," so we should put our trust in the archives. Red pill = "Something changed — and people remember before it did." This article also reminded me of Nietzsche's view on reality that there are "no facts, only interpretations." One interpretation of Nietzsche's view is that, as humans, we are responsible for interpreting our own realities, and we have no way to confirm objective reality. This doesn't necessarily mean that nothing is real. But what is real? Are the Mandela Effects just part of social constructionism? Humans are the ones creating these "false memories," aren't we?
I'll leave it there.
Have you noticed any new Mandela Effects lately? If so, what were they? Let me know in the comments below.
Ash x
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