Sinbad Mandela Effect Has Fans Questioning Their Memories As They Discover He Never Played A Genie In A Movie

Many people online are absolutely convinced that Sinbad starred as a genie in a 90s movie called Shazaam. However, they've been left scratching their heads after someone claimed to have 'solved' the mystery once and for all.

Some have joked that perhaps Sinbad himself wished the movie out of existence with a magical snap of his fingers. But instead of being forgotten, the 'film' has sparked one of the most widespread examples of the 'Mandela effect' to date.

Countless people have vivid memories of watching this non-existent movie, leaving them baffled and determined to understand why they remember it so clearly.

For those unfamiliar, the 'Mandela effect' refers to shared false memories. The term was coined after many people incorrectly remembered Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, dying in prison during the 1980s, even though he lived until 2013.

Since then, the Mandela effect has been used to describe other collective misrememberings. Examples include the belief that Tinkerbell appears in the Disney logo intro or that Forrest Gump's famous line was exactly, "Life is like a box of chocolates," rather than the actual quote.

These shared false memories have fascinated people, leading many to take to social media to compare their experiences and prove they're not alone in their recollections.

Determined to uncover the truth, some individuals dive deep into these mysteries, often sharing their findings online—like one Redditor who took it upon themselves to investigate the "Sinbad genie movie."

Many claim that Sinbad starred as a genie in the movie Shaazam that came out back in the 90s Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

"For those who may be unfamiliar one of the most iconic mandela effects are people 'misremembering' a film where sinbad played a genie called shazzam," they shared in the r/MandelaEffect subreddit.

They elaborated: "Later people say that no such movie exists and attribute it to false memories combing [combining] shaq's kazzam and sinbad genie movie, but I'm not sold because not only do I remember sinbad as a genie, but I remember plot details that have nothing In common with shaq's kazzam."

Adding to their point, they explained: "The movies arent even remotely similar and I've never watched kazzam as a kid."

"The movie that people are actually remembering is a film from 2002 called hansel and gretel. The reason I say it's this film is because I distinctly remember a magical like character that I kid me thought was sinbad, but was actually Howie Mandel."

They speculated that Sinbad might have played a role in the 2002 film Hansel & Gretel, which could have caused the confusion. They described the magical character in the movie as someone they believed to be Sinbad, but later realized was actually played by Howie Mandel.

According to this theory, the movie Hansel & Gretel "tracked much closer to the "shazam" that was already in my head," compared to the widely accepted idea that the film in question was Kazaam, which featured Shaquille O'Neal as a genie.

However, not everyone was convinced. Some people remained adamant that they had seen a movie with Sinbad as a genie and dismissed the Hansel & Gretel explanation as unsatisfactory.

Sinbad has insisted he was never a genie back in the 90s Nykieria Chaney/Getty Images

One individual stated: "This does not solve it for me because I have the memory like many others do of Kazaam coming shortly after Shazaam. 2002 is way too late. It had to be 1996 or earlier, but not earlier than say 1994."

Another user chimed in: "I have non-believers in mandela effect remember the movie. So it's difficult to just call it a day on this one for that fact. It's one of the bigger ones, so can't be ignored."

A third person insisted they had seen Shazam in theaters, claiming: "It is not being conflated with any other memory."

In response to the growing theory, Sinbad himself addressed the controversy in a tweet back in 2016, saying: "Have you noticed no one my age has seen this so called Sinbad Genie movie, only you people who were kids in the 90's. The young mind!"

He added humorously: "Okay for all you people who think I did a genie movie.. well haven't done one YET, but I am going to do one so we can close this chapter."

While Sinbad has never starred in a genie movie, he later leaned into the joke by playing a genie in a parody video for College Humor, poking fun at the enduring Shazaam mystery.