Fruit Loops or Froot Loops? The Mandela Effect Explained

The Fruit Loops Mandela Effect is a psychological phenomenon where a large group of people remember the cereal “Froot Loops” being spelled as “Fruit Loops.” However, “Froot Loops” has always been the name on the box. In this article, we dive into the potential causes of the Fruit Loops Mandela effect, explain what the Mandela Effect is, and dive into other Mandela Effect examples, too. We also spoke to communication therapist Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP for more insight into this phenomenon. Read on to learn more!

Explaining the Fruit Loops Mandela Effect

The Froot Loops Mandela Effect refers to a psychological phenomenon where a large group of people incorrectly remember the cereal “Froot Loops” being spelled “Fruit Loops.” However, there’s no shortage of evidence that proves “Froot Loops” has always been the spelling on the box.

Section 1 of 7:

What is the Fruit Loops Mandela Effect?

Download Article

The Fruit Loops Mandela Effect refers to people misremembering “Froot Loops” as “Fruit Loops.” With this Mandela Effect , people claim that they remember the popular fruity cereal being spelled “Fruit Loops” rather than “Froot Loops.” Although it’s always been spelled “Froot Loops,” some believe that we’ve entered a new timeline or that a secret conspiracy instigated the name switch. The more likely cause is the Mandela Effect, which is a psychological phenomenon where multiple people misremember the same thing. ^{[1]
X
Research source}
- There has been nothing to confirm that we’ve entered a new timeline or that there’s a secret Froot Loops conspiracy happening beneath your nose. Branding and packaging have always referred to the cereal as “Froot Loops.”
Meet the wikiHow Expert

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP is a Communication Therapist with over 18 years of clinical and educational experience in the field of mental health.

Section 2 of 7:

Potential Reasons for People Misremembering

Download Article

1

The rumor has spread so much that people just misremember the name. The Fruit Loops Mandela Effect is a popular topic of discussion, and that popularity may be causing people to misremember the cereal’s name. This is due to something called the illusory truth effect, which is the tendency for a statement that’s regularly repeated to acquire a ring of truth, no matter how true or untrue it actually is. ^{[2]
X
Research source}
2

The generic versions of the cereal use the word “fruit” on the box. While the original Froot Loops cereal has always used the “froot” spelling, all of the generic versions of the cereal use the word “fruit,” from Fruit Spins and Fruit Swirls to Kroger Frosted Fruity Os and Trader Joe’s Fruity O’s. Other fruit-based snacks and foods also use the “fruit” spelling, which could be the cause of the Fruit Loops Mandela Effect.
3

No other fruit product uses the “froot” spelling, so "froot" seems wrong. There are plenty of “fruit” products on the market that aren’t actually fruit, like Fruit by the Foot and Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews. The difference between these products and Froot Loops (besides the texture) is that Froot Loops is the only one that uses “froot” instead of “fruit,” which could cause people to conflate the two and misremember the cereal’s name.
4

The two words look similar, which could cause some confusion. While they’re technically two different words, “froot” and “fruit” only have two letters of difference. For those who haven’t had Froot Loops since they were children, the similarity between the words and passage of time could be the cause for misremembering, as the brain could be trying to fill in the gaps and miss the mark.

Section 3 of 7:

What is the Mandela Effect?

Download Article

The Mandela Effect is a phenomenon where a large group of people incorrectly remember the same detail. These specific details are often thought about a person, place, situation, or event that was once thought to have been reality but was unexpectedly switched. The misremembering tends to be genuine and on a wide scale, making groups of people confuse facts and fiction. One of the most popular examples of the Mandela Effect is Darth Vader’s reveal to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode V . ^{[3]
X
Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- In the film, Darth Vader said, “No, I am your father,” but many people believe he said, “Luke, I am your father.”
- According to Tenzer, “The Mandela Effect occurs when groups of people confidently remember something that either never happened or they’re remembering it incorrectly. These false memories happen because memory is not a recording; it’s a reconstruction. We remember things based on what we think we saw, what we expect to see, and what society tells us we saw. The amount of time that has passed since the memory took place can also impact what we remember and how accurately.” ^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
  Communication Therapist
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 4 of 7:

Where does the Mandela Effect come from?

Download Article

The Mandela Effect was coined by Fiona Broome in 2009. Broome, a paranormal consultant, came up with the term after she misremembered the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela in the 1980s, despite his actual death in 2013. He was in prison at the time, but Broome and others believed that he had passed, inspiring the first Mandela Effect. ^{[5]
X
Research source}
- According to Tenzer, “The brain doesn’t always prioritize accuracy, especially under stress or in confusing situations.” ^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
  Communication Therapist
  
  Expert Interview} It’s possible that the stressfulness and confusion surrounding Mandela’s imprisonment somehow affected the public’s memory.
- Tenzer continues, “Over time, repeated exposure to incorrect information through media, conversations, or cultural references can cement that false memory until it feels absolutely real.” ^{[7]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
  Communication Therapist
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 5 of 7:

Why does the Mandela Effect happen?

Download Article

The Mandela Effect occurs because of the brain’s ability to form false memories. According to Tenzer, “People fall for the Mandela Effect because human memory is far less reliable than we like to believe.” ^{[8]
X
Expert Source

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
Communication Therapist

Expert Interview} Human brains tend to fill in gaps, reshape memories, and adjust facts to help make sense of reality, resulting in the Mandela Effect.
- Tenzer says, “A powerful way to understand this is by imagining five people witnessing the same crime. Even though they all experienced the same event, at roughly the same time and place, each of them is likely to recall it differently. None of them are lying, their brains are simply doing what human brains do: filling in gaps, reshaping memories, and adjusting facts.” ^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
  Communication Therapist
  
  Expert Interview}
- Tenzer continues, “We’re all exposed to some sort of collective influences, and our minds are constantly trying to create coherent stories out of fragmented experiences. The Mandela Effect is a fascinating reminder that even the most confident memories can be distorted, shaped not just by what happened, but by what we believe, think or feel should have happened.” ^{[10]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
  Communication Therapist
  
  Expert Interview}
- Some people believe the Mandela effect occurs because we’ve unknowingly jumped timelines. As fun as that idea sounds, there’s no evidence that we can or have jumped timelines.

Section 6 of 7:

Other Mandela Effect Examples

Download Article

1

Chic-fil-A vs. Chick-fil-A The Chick-fil-A Mandela Effect claims that the popular chicken-based fast food chain was spelled “Chic-fil-A” or “Chik-fil-A” rather than “Chick-fil-A.” Despite the number of people who claim to have remembered the previous name, there is no evidence that the fast-food chain was named anything besides “Chick-fil-A.” ^{[11]
X
Research source}
2

Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia The Fruit of the Loom Mandela Effect claims that the Fruit of the Loom logo used to feature a cornucopia, but the brand says they never have. This is one of the older Mandela Effects, going all the way back to 1973, when Frank Wess released a jazz album titled Fruit of the Loom with a fruit cornucopia on the cover. ^{[12]
X
Research source}
3

Monopoly Man’s Monocle The Monopoly Man’s Monocle Mandela Effect claims that the Monopoly Man from the popular board game, Monopoly , wore a Monocle in the Monopoly branding and merchandising. Although he never wore a monocle in the original game, Mr. Monopoly did wear one on the notes in a European version of Monopoly Jr . and a Monopoly Facebook post.
4

Robber Emoji The Robber Emoji Mandela Effect is an effect where people believe that there was once an emoji of a robber who wore a black mask and striped shirt with a beanie and a bag of money. Although some people believe that it came from the Bitlife video game or The Emoji Movie , the robber emoji has never existed. ^{[13]
X
Research source}

Section 7 of 7:

Mandela Effect Quiz

Download Article

Test your Mandela Effect knowledge with the wikiHow quiz. If you’re an expert on different Mandela Effects or you’re interested in learning more about them, take our Mandela Effect Quiz. The 16-question quiz challenges you on different Mandela Effects to see how well you remember them. Do you think your memory will prevail?
- Take the Mandela Effect Quiz here .

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

[1]

[2]

[3]

Trustworthy Source

Go to source

[4]

Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP
Communication Therapist

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

Log in

Fruit Loops or Froot Loops? The Mandela Effect Explained

Explaining the Fruit Loops Mandela Effect

Steps

What is the Fruit Loops Mandela Effect?

Potential Reasons for People Misremembering

What is the Mandela Effect?

Where does the Mandela Effect come from?

Why does the Mandela Effect happen?

Other Mandela Effect Examples

Mandela Effect Quiz

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

You Might Also Like

References

About This Article

Did this article help you?

Quizzes

You Might Also Like

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Featured Articles

Featured Articles

Watch Articles

Trending Articles

Quizzes

Explore Categories