If You See Another Person That Looks Identical To You, Run Away and Hide

Submission 23,301

Part of a series on The Mandela Catalogue. [View Related Entries]

About

If You See Another Person That Looks Identical To You, Run Away and Hide refers to a TikTok trend set to dialogue from the analog horror video The Mandela Catalogue Vol. 1 in which a voice warns viewers to run and hide if they see someone identical to them. The trend involves TikTokers filming horror and comedy skits or posting animations in which they encounter an exact double. The series of TikToks became popularized around December 2021, going viral again in early 2023.

Origin

On August 9th, 2021, YouTuber^[1] Alex Kister posted The Mandela Catalogue Vol. 1, an analog horror video filmed in the style of an instructional video that warns the people of Mandela County about paranormal entities known as "alternates" that take the form of other people. Around 00:31 seconds, the narrator says, "If you see another person that looks identical to you, run away and hide" (shown below).

On October 19th, 2021, TikToker^[2] @daze_alirade posted an animatic set to the audio clip showing a person encountering someone who looks like them, who then turns into a monster, garnering over 2.9 million views in just over a year (shown below, left). It is unclear who first followed the trend. One of the earliest known videos using the audio was posted by TikToker^[3] @fr6tsi on November 25th, 2021, and shows a girl encountering an alternate, garnering over 1.3 million views in just over a year (shown below, right).

Spread

The trend spread over the following months as TikTokers posted both animations and skits about running into alternates, some of which are meant to be comedic. For example, on December 20th, 2021, TikToker^[4] @pizzafaytheyo posted a video following the trend, garnering over 6.7 million views in just over a year (shown below).

The trend saw a boost in popularity in late 2022 and early 2023. On December 10th, 2022, TikToker^[5] @chiconube_ posted a version of the trend, garnering over 12.9 million views in two months (shown below, left). On January 13th, 2023, TikToker^[6] @albatmovil posted a version of the trend that gained over 16.2 million views in a month (shown below, right).

On February 10th, TikToker^[7] @guacbowly posted a version of the trend that garnered over 28 million views in three days (shown below).