Remember Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing? Was it Even Real?

Stouffer’s is a brand of frozen meals currently owned by the Swiss multinational food and beverage company Nestlé. People who grew up in the 1980s seem to have fond memories of Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing, a product that, apparently, didn’t exist. 

But if you ask anyone who grew up in the 80s, they’ll swear that a stove top stuffing made by Stouffers was a thing.

They’ll tell you they’d seen a million commercials about Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing when they were kids. So, what gives?

What’s Stouffer’s Stove Top Stuffing? 

Before we get into why many people seem to believe that a product that NEVER EXISTED was REAL, let us talk about what it was — or rather, what it was supposed to be.

Stouffer’s Stove Top Stuffing was a type of stuffing that was extremely easy to make. 

Unlike traditional stuffing, which takes a lot of time and effort, all you needed to make Stouffer’s Stove top Stuffing was a pan, water, and a stove. Apparently, that’s why this product was so popular back then. 

What Happened to Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing?

There was no such thing as Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing, so nothing happened to it. There’s never been such a product in the market, not in the 1980s or ever.

Stovetop stuffing was a thing, but Kraft, not Stouffer’s, always made it. 

So, are all those people that seem to remember this product wrong? Yes. No need to worry, though.

You — and the thousands of others who have memories of a product known as Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing — are not going crazy. 

There’s a perfectly good explanation for why a person or a group of people can have clear memories of something that happened or existed. 

The Mandela Effect And Stouffers Stove Top Stuffing

To understand this whole situation and how it came to be, you need to understand what’s known as the Mandela Effect. The Mandela effect is a phenomenon that happens when many different people have the same incorrect recollection of the same thing.

When it happens, thousands of people collectively misremember certain facts and events. And that’s exactly what’s happening with Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing, and it’s not the only one. There’s a long list of collective false memories of specific facts and events. 

This phenomenon was aptly named the Mandela Effect because thousands worldwide recall Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, which didn’t happen. Not only did he survive prison, but Nelson Mandela also went on to become the first black president of South Africa. 

If you remember Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing recipe, you are simply a victim of the Mandela Effect. If you’re hearing this for the first time, it probably feels like you’ve fallen into an alternate reality where this product never existed. Don’t worry; it’ll wear off. 

What Causes the Mandela Effect? 

So, why would this effect happen? What would cause so many people to remember something that never happened? Well, memory is fickle, influenced by all kinds of random experiences.

For instance, our brains can fill in gaps in our memories with something that makes more sense to them. This is known as confabulation, which can make you remember things that never happened. In other words, it’s the mind playing tricks on you. 

We also have the internet, which can exacerbate the Mandela Effect. For instance, a quick internet search of the phrase ‘Stouffer’s Stove top Stuffing’ will bring up even photoshopped product images. Misinformation can spread like wildfire on the world wide web. 

Remember that someone with false memories of something is not trying to be deceptive. Victims of the Mandela Effect believe that their distorted memories are, in fact, accurate recollections. So, there’s no need to make them feel bad about it. 

A Simpler Explanation

As mentioned earlier in the article, there was a product known as stovetop stuffing, but it was made by another company known as Kraft, not Stouffers. In a way, your mind is not entirely wrong here. It’s probably mixing up the two products. 

Stouffer made a name for itself for making frozen meals and other frozen products. Kraft’s was a similar product. If you grew up in the 80s seeing ads about Kraft’s Stovetop Stuffing, your mind could’ve easily assumed it was a Stouffer’s product because you’d come to associate frozen foods with the company.

This explanation is still related to the Mandela Effect. Still, it makes more sense than other possible reasons why people seem to have this inaccurate memory, such as parallel universes and what have you. 

Conclusion 

Memory is not infallible. The Mandela Effect is a strange phenomenon that occurs when a group of unrelated people share similar distorted or inaccurate memories. It can cause people to remember entire events/things that did not happen/exist. 

There was no such thing as Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing in the 1980s, 1990s or ever in history. If you clearly remember this product, you are experiencing the Mandela Effect. Stouffer’s Stovetop Stuffing certainly DID NOT EXIST.