menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Why ’90s Kids Remember a Sinbad Genie Movie That Never Happened

13 0
29.04.2026

Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Why ’90s Kids Remember a Sinbad Genie Movie That Never Happened

The fake movie Shazaam is one of the internet’s favorite Mandela Effect mysteries, even though Sinbad has repeatedly said it never existed.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

In 2009, an anonymous user posted a curious question on the now-defunct Yahoo! Answers website: “Does anyone remember a movie from the ‘90s in which Sinbad, the comedian, played a genie?”

No one did, and that likely had something to do with the fact that no such film exists. However, within a few years, other people started popping up with stories about seeing the movie, sharing plot details, and claiming that it was called Shazaam.

The stories got so much attention that Sinbad himself felt the need to address them:

Have you noticed no one my age has seen this so called Sinbad Genie movie, only you people who were kids in the 90's. The young mind !— Sinbad (@sinbadbad) September 7, 2016

Have you noticed........

© Vice