Historical Events  Brands
The Monopoly Mans Monocle

Alternate:
The Monopoly man had a monocle

Current:
The Monopoly man did not have a monocle

Did the Monopoly Man really never wear a monocle?

Is there a Mass Memory Discrepancy Effect at work on the most famous board game in the world?

When most people picture the man in the logo, they often recall him wearing a monocle, and claim it's always been that way since his introduction in 1935.

Several references to him wearing one exist - see the video for some newspaper articles regarding this.

Some people are claiming he was wearing one only on some of the cards he appeared on, and not on the box or in any of the ads. 

Next time you meet someone unaware of the effect, ask them to describe him - you may well be very suprised to see how widespread this one is!

Early references

Here's a photo of the board cover from 1954 - notice no monocle

Monopoly board from 1954

"Classic" Mandela Effect

Since this Mandela Effect first came up in 2016 it's become one of the better known ones. Allegedly, the character was based on a real person - JP Morgan, and he did wear a monocle. The character is affectionately known as "Rich Uncle Pennybags". There's speculation that he's been confused with Mr Peanut, the Planters penut mascot, but that falls apart when it's clear many people in countries outside the US, where the Planters brands isn't anything like as awell-known, haven't heard of him. For example, Planter were only introduced in the UK in 2016.

People are reporting the game itself featured him actually doing something with the monocle. For example, with the Chance card for "bank error in your favor", he was holding his monocle with his eyes bulging out in comic surprise. Usually, these details are the kind which convince people whoever remembers it this way really isn't faking it.