The Viral Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia Theory and the Mandela Effect

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Was there ever really a cornucopia in the Fruit of the Loom logo?

Co-authored by Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP and Dev Murphy, MA

Last Updated: July 31, 2025 Fact Checked

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• What is the Fruit of the Loom cornucopia theory?
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• Mandela Effect Defined
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• Was there ever a cornucopia?
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• Other Mandela Effect Examples

|Show more |Show less

Fruit of the Loom is a household brand, but can you picture its logo in your head? Is there a cornucopia? For many people on the internet, there is—but the company claims they never used a cornucopia in their logo design! What’s the truth? In this article, we unpack the mystery of the Fruit of the Loom cornucopia conspiracy theory and of the Mandela Effect itself. We also spoke to communication therapist Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP, for more insight into what causes the Mandela effect. Keep reading for the full scoop—then go check your underwear to see what’s on the logo.

Fruit of the Loom Cornucopia Mandela Effect

Did the Fruit of the Loom brand ever use a cornucopia of fruit in its logo? Some people remember it this way, but the brand states they never have. People have cited this as an example of the Mandela Effect, or a phenomenon in which a large number of people believe something to be true that never was.

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Section 1 of 4:

What is the Fruit of the Loom cornucopia theory?

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1. 
   Many people mistakenly remember the Fruit of the Loom logo having a cornucopia. The company claims its logo has always only featured a bunch of fruit against a white background. Yet still, many online claim this is wrong, and the logo did, at some point, feature a cornucopia of fruit. The conspiracy is a classic example of the Mandela Effect, in which many people experience the same false memory.

   • According to Tenzer, “The Mandela effect occurs when groups of people confidently remember something that either never happened or they’re remembering it incorrectly. These false memories happen because memory is not a recording; it’s a reconstruction. We remember things based on what we think we saw, what we expect to see, and what society tells us we saw. The amount of time that has passed since the memory took place can also impact what we remember and how accurately.”
   • The recollection of a cornucopia in the logo has circulated the internet in recent years as the phenomenon of the Mandela Effect grew in popularity.
   • However, the trend of misremembering the FOTL logo goes as far back as 1973, when Frank Wess’ jazz funk album Fruit of the Loom was released with cover art featuring a cornucopia full of fruit.
   • Again in 1994, a Florida newspaper article mistakenly mentioned the logo having a cornucopia.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Rebecca Tenzer, MAT, MA, LCSW, CCTP, CGCS, CCATP, CCFP is a Communication Therapist with over 18 years of clinical and educational experience in the field of mental health.
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Section 2 of 4:

What is the Mandela Effect, anyway?

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1. 
   The Mandela Effect is a collective false memory. More specifically, it’s a social phenomenon in which a group of people misremember the same detail about an event, thing, or person. The term was coined by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome in 2009, when she realized she and a number of other people mistakenly remembered former South African president Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s.

   • Mandela actually served a 27-year prison sentence and was released in 1990, after which he served as president from 1994-1999 and died in 2013.
   • Some people believe the Mandela Effect is evidence of alternate universes or of glitches in the matrix, but neuropsychologist Aaron Bonner-Jackson, PhD, posits that the Mandela Effect may happen because of our brains’ ability to create and store false memories. The interesting thing, though, is that so many people can create and retain the same false memories.
   • According to Tenzer, “The brain doesn’t always prioritize accuracy, especially under stress or in confusing situations.” It’s possible that the stressfulness and confusion surrounding Mandela’s imprisonment somehow affected the public’s memory.

Section 3 of 4:

So…was there ever a cornucopia in the Fruit of the Loom logo?

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1. 
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   Fruit of the Loom says no, there was never a cornucopia. You may remember the Fruit of the Loom logo featuring a cornucopia overflowing with fruit, but you’d be mistaken! The logo is just a bunch of fruit on a plain white background. In response to the hubbub about the cornucopia, FOTL tweeted on their official account in January 2022, “Did it hurt? When you realized our logo never had a cornucopia.”
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   Some people still insist there was a cornucopia. Even though Fruit of the Loom claims they’ve never used a cornucopia in their logo design, believers on the internet insist that there was a cornucopia in a past iteration of the logo. Some have even found apparent evidence—like this T-shirt with a logo featuring a cornucopia—that seem to dispute what the company says. However, Snopes took a deep dive into the issue and asserts such images of the logo featuring a cornucopia are fakes.

   • Wouldn’t Fruit of the Loom know their own logo history? Some say apparently not—but to others, FOTL’s insistence that there was never a cornucopia is an intentional lie for attention (which may translate to a boost in sales).
   • Tenzer continues, “Over time, repeated exposure to incorrect information through media, conversations, or cultural references can cement that false memory until it feels absolutely real.”
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Section 4 of 4:

Other Popular Mandela Effect Examples

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1. 
   The cornucopia conspiracy isn’t the only example of mistaken group memory. There are lots of examples of the Mandela Effect out there—and most of them relate to pop culture or historically significant events. See if you’ve misremembered any of the following:

   • It’s Looney Tunes, not Looney Toons.
   • In Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, after Darth Vader cuts off Luke’s hand, he doesn’t say, “Luke, I am your father.” (He says, “No. I am your father.”)
   • It’s The Berenstain Bears, with an A, not The Berenstein Bears with an E.
   • The Monopoly man never wore a monocle (but Mr. Peanut does).
   • It’s Jif Peanut Butter, not Jiffy.
   • It’s The Flintstones (with a T, as in the stone, flint), not Flinstones.
   • Mickey Mouse never wore suspenders—not in his first appearance as Steamboat Willie in 1928, and not now.

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