The Mandela Effect is a social phenomenon in which a collective of people misremember a part of history. We’ve all done it before when we are certain that we remember something correct historically only for present evidence tells us otherwise.
Whether it’s fruit of the loom having a cornucopia in the logo, or the Barenstain bears being called the Barenstein bears; there’s many instances in which we are 100% sure that somewhere down the line the name or design changed.
Willy Wonka.. or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory’ premiered in 1971 sporting a renewed title from the novel ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’. There are various sources out there explaining the reasoning behind this.
Believe it or not the original film was titled ‘Willy Wonka’ over ‘Charlie’ to try to sell more Wonka bars, per CBC. Quaker Oats purchased the rights to the Wonka Bar and largely funded film adaptation ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ as a marketing stunt to get them off the shelves. To get maximum exposure it was stipulated by the confectionary maker that the film be called “Willy Wonka” to further build the association between the film and the chocolate bar.
The involvement from Quaker Oats was so critical that the film wouldn’t have been produced without their initiative. Quaker’s entry into the confectionary market didn’t begin until the movie adaptation was shored up, per Chicago Tribune, investing $3 million dollars to ensure that the public see their product on the big screen.
One of the greatest classics of the 20th century was in effect an advertisement first before entertainment. Surely it was effective; All this talk of Wonka bars is making me want to buy one! It’s surprising to find out, however, that Quaker Oats ultimately suffered through the partnership. Their recipe floundered with the bars often melting at room temperature causing logistical issues before being pulled. Yikes.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mandela Effect
Many people on the internet are certain that the original titular film is called ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ as opposed to ‘Willy Wonka‘. Let’s take a look at why this may be.
The aforementioned title switch to increase the effectiveness of product placement is sure to cause a little confusion. This is especially so since the 2004 remake adaptation ‘Charlie and the Chocolate factory’ reverts back to the original novel title. Having a book and 2 films using interchangeable names can easily get jumbled up in long-term memory. Had the real life Wonka Bar remained fiction it is likely that the original film would have retained the original novel title of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
So there you have it. Willy Wonka got the privilege of his name in the original title for one reason and one reason only: To sell real life Wonka bars.