How the Monopoly Man explains the Mandela effect
When you close your eyes and think of the Monopoly Man, what do you see? Is he a portly man in a suit and bowtie? Is he wearing a monocle? If you answered yes to the second question, you might be surprised to find out you’re mistaken. The Monopoly Man does not, and never has, worn a monocle. Wait; what? If you’re like me, you’ve rushed to your cupboard to pull out that old board game to prove me wrong. Surely he has a monocle, right? Wrong. So why do you think he does? It’s because of the Mandela effect.
What exactly is the Mandela effect
Simply put, the Mandela effect is a false memory believed to be authentic by a large group of people. It was first coined in 2010 by paranormal consultant Fiona Broome to describe collective mistaken memory phenomena. She discovered that numerous people on the internet falsely remembered Nelson Mandela had died in the 1980s, even able to recount memories of his funeral on TV, when in fact at the time, the former president of South Africa was very much alive.
Psychologists say these experiences can mostly be attributed to “the misinformation effect.” This is where the information you learn after an event can interfere with the way you recall it. So in the case of Mandela’s death, the passing of Steve Biko — another prominent South African anti-apartheid activist who died around this time — possibly caused this misperception.
One major characteristic of the Mandela effect is that it does not attempt to make or find any answers; it is merely a collective false memory. Other factors of the Mandela effect include:
· false contextualization of an event that occurred
· remembering words spelled incorrectly
· distortion of existing memories
Most of the time, memories of events or objects subjected to the Mandela Effect are not significant. The internet and social media can influence the spread of the Mandela effect by sharing information and creating social groups and communities that reinforce misconceptions and allow false memories to gain traction.
What does this have to do with The Monopoly Man?
So, why do you and everyone you know think that The Monopoly Man has a monocle? Many experts suggest that people get the Monopoly Man confused with the Planters Peanut Man (who wears a top hat and monocle). However, I am from Australia and had never heard of the Peanut Man until I started researching this effect. I think it is more likely that the link is made because period books, television shows, and movies often show 19th-century rich mean wearing a suit, top hat, and monocle.
It’s also true that the typical cartoon trope of a very rich person includes a monocle. Is it now wonder that people around the world think that Rich Uncle Pennybags is monocled too?
Other examples of the Mandela Effect
Mandela and the Monopoly Man are not isolated instances. There are many more cases of the Mandela effect in action, with many of these relating to how people recall movie scenes.
1. ‘Hello, Clarice’. Unfortunately, Hannibal Lector never said these words in the movie. When he meets Clarice, he doesn’t know her name. So, his first words are ‘Good morning’ — not as chilling as we all like to remember!
2. ‘Luke, I am your father’. Another furphy. In fact, the lines in the movie are ‘No, I am your father.’ Closer, but no cigar.
3. Berenstein Bears. This beloved children’s book series is actually spelled Berenstain Bears.
A final thought
So, have we all entered a time shift, remembering something from a parallel universe? Fiona Bloom may have wanted us to think that, but the real reason is a lot more mundane. Memories aren’t perfect, so we fill in the blanks and frequently reported errors can become part of collective reality. With the advent of the internet and social media, this has become more prevalent. People will engage with material because of interest and intrigue rather than concerns about accuracy and authenticity. So, next time you recall a line from a movie, it might be a good idea to check it’s what was said.
