QuoteThis is a fascinating case involving a filmmaker named Chris Grieder (who goes by Aspiring Alchemist online). He recently went viral on TikTok and Instagram after reposting a spec commercial he filmed 12 years ago for the 2014 Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" contest.
Here is the breakdown of what happened and why it's being called a "Mandela Effect" or a "glitch in the matrix":
The Backstory
In 2013, Grieder created a commercial featuring pigs shooting lasers out of their eyes (or "butt-lasers," depending on who you ask) to get Doritos. He submitted it to the contest, but it didn't win, didn't place as a finalist, and was never officially aired. For over a decade, the video sat on his YouTube channel with only a few thousand views.
The "Glitch"
When Grieder reposted the ad recently, it exploded to over 10 million views. The strange part isn't the views—it's the comments. Thousands of people from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia claim they vividly remember seeing the ad on TV years ago:
Some recall seeing it during the Super Bowl.
Others swear it aired frequently on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon between 2012 and 2014.
People have even described specific details—like the "laser-shooting pigs"—before even re-watching the clip.
Possible Explanations
While some believe this is proof of a parallel timeline where the ad actually won, there are a few "grounded" theories as to why so many people have this false memory:
The 2015 "When Pigs Fly" Winner: The very next year (2015), the contest winner was a different commercial called "When Pigs Fly," which featured a pig with a rocket pack. People may be "source blending" the two different pig-themed Doritos ads in their heads.
The "Generic" Era Vibe: During the early 2010s, Doritos, Skittles, and Starburst all used a very specific "random/surreal" humor style. Grieder's ad fits that aesthetic so perfectly that people's brains may be "filling in the blanks" and insisting they've seen it before because it feels so familiar.
Algorithmic Reinforcement: Some users noted that when they searched for "Old Doritos commercials," AI and search algorithms sometimes mislabeled Grieder's video as a "classic," which helps cement the false memory as fact.
Grieder himself has leaned into the mystery, noting that even if he didn't win in this reality, the sheer number of people who remember it suggests it was a "success" in some other version of the world.
