8 hours ago
No, You Never Saw Colin Firth's Darcy Leave The Pond – And 7 Other Mandela Effect Misremembrances
I like to consider myself a pretty enthusiastic Pride and Prejudice fan (I'm re-re-re-reading my Austen collection at the moment to celebrate 250 years since her birth).
And among fans of the book, it is a truth (almost) universally acknowledged that the 1995 BBC adaptation is the best. Sorry, Kiera Knightley.
But a recent YouGov poll has shaken me to my core. Researching common Mandela effects – a name given to what seem to be collective memories or inaccurate happenings, like a common misconception that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the '80s – I found Colin Firth's Darcy implicated.
His character, famous for THAT pond scene, never actually emerges, sodden-shirted, from the pool on-screen, the researchers wrote. This is despite almost half of us (49%) vividly remembering the moment.
'Mr Darcy is seen walking on his estate, having swum in his lake, but you never see him emerging,' they shared (a peek at the clip confirms the sad fact).
Here are some of the other mind-melting false memories common among Brits:
Though 59% of people polled said they were sure Mr Monopoly wore the accessory, he does not.
I am among the 52% who could have sworn the cartoon character's throat boasted a prominent Adam's apple. In reality, it's straight up and down.
Instead, the iconic Star Wars line goes: 'No, I am your father.' 48% of us got it wrong.
38% of people asked were convinced that the crisp packet used to be blue, but then changed to green. Still, more of us (39%) had the right answer: it was always green, though Lays salt and vinegar (the American branch) is blue.
16% of us thought the brand name once had a hyphen, which is untrue.
29% of Brits polled were sure they remembered rude names for the cartoon character's animated buddies; names like Seaman Staines or Roger the Cabin Boy.
No such names existed in the Pugaverse; the show's director has even successfully sued over the claims.
Only 3% fell for the original Mandela effect story, with 76% correctly remembering that he died in 2013 after serving as President of South Africa (21% were unsure).
That's compared to 13% of Americans who believed the '80s death myth.
Sure, that might make you feel smug for a second – but remembering the stark reality of Colin Firth's Pride And Prejudice scene (for which, by the way, the actor used a body double) wiped the smile off my face, at least.
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