It turns out that Sinbad never played a genie in a 90s movie called Shazaam, despite many having vivid memories of it... and it's all down to the Mandela Effect.
Firstly, let's address the thing that has ignited so many arguments recently - Sinbad did not play a genie in Shazaam, because the movie simply doesn't exist.
Even if you're screaming at your phone while reading this because you're convinced that you own the VHS, I can promise you that it absolutely didn't happen.
If you don't believe me, go and look it up and then come back ready to find out why you have such vivid memories of it.
Also, before anybody starts sharing IMDb links of the movie, that is a CollegeHumor sketch where Sinbad himself pokes fun at the fact that he never starred in any movie named Shazaam.
Right, now that we're all on the same page about Sinbad, let's take a look at the Mandela Effect and what it means.
According to Psychology Today, the Mandela Effect is when a large number of people remember the same thing that never actually existed.
It's named after Nelson Mandela, as many people believe that he died while he was in prison in the 1980, which didn't happen because he went on to become a world leader after being released. He died in 2013.
According to Medical News Today, there are many causes as to why this takes place, one of which is false memories.
As the site states: "Memory is very suggestible. This means that information from another person, a person’s desire to believe something different, or false information online can influence memory."
Another cause is confabulation, which is when somebody doesn't have all the information about something and the brain seeks to fill in the gaps with "facts", that are actually untrue.
Of course, the internet has played a big part in furthering the Mandela Effect, as misinformation is rampant online. Some people actively go out to mislead others to further their conspiracies and ideologies.
If you have succumbed to the Mandela Effect, that doesn't mean you are lying about something, but it does mean that you may have been misled or your brain has filled in gaps in your memory with things that aren't real.
Let's take a look at some famous examples.
You know that major scene in Star Wars where Darth Vader turns to Luke and says: "Luke, I am your father."
Well, that didn't happen. Despite most of us quoting it that way for many years, the actual quote is: "No, I am your father."
The aforementioned Sinbad in Shazaam is another, and also did you know the the Monopoly man doesn't wear a monocle?
Also, Curious George doesn't have a tail. Don't believe me? Go and look it up.
The list goes on and on and includes logos, popular characters, and historical figures and events.
So there we have it, the reason why many think that Sinbad starred in Shazaam is pretty interesting... But let's all just agree that no such movie exists, right?
