The Case Of 'The Berenstein Bears' Will Literally Rock Your Whole World

Everyone can get a little nostalgic over "The Berenstein Bears" once in a while.

After all, so many of us spent childhood afternoons reading the books and watching the cartoon, except, wait, we actually did not -- even for one second.

The stories everyone loved growing up were, in reality, about a family called "The Berenstain Bears."

This "a-for-e" swap has been driving many fans, who are sure the name ended in "-stein" since its creation in 1962, over the damn edge.

Now, you're probably thinking, “Yeah, Taylor, that makes a lot of sense. After all, the authors of the series were Stan and Jan Berenstain -- with an 'a'.” And to that I say, you're right, good catch.

However, there are those who insist the mis-memory of the "e" spelling is, in fact, a real memory from a glimpse into a parallel world with an alternate timeline.

This theory is commonly referred to as The Mandela Effect.

I know, I know, you're thinking, “Taylor, that's insane. It makes much more sense to consider the fact that '-stein' is a suffix far more prevalent than '-stain', and people merely replaced the 'a' with an 'e' in their memories based on common name patterns.”

Yes, another great observation, but there is alleged photographic proof making rounds on the Internet.

A logo emblazoned with “The Berenstein Bears” and a photo of the famous bear family suggest there could be an alternate version of these stories after all.

Of course, you're thinking, “Come ON, Taylor, haven't you heard of Photoshop? Photo forensics must have exposed this logo as a phony. Do some research. You are really terrible at your job.”

Harsh, but fair. Whether quantum mechanics is the cause for this mixup, or it's merely a case of the fragile subjectivity of the human memory, for many these books will remain "The Berenstein Bears."

Citations: This Crazy Conspiracy Theory About "The Berenstein Bears" Will Make You Question Everything You Know (Seventeen)