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

Submission 22,232

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).

@daze_alirade The Mandela Catalogue creeps me out. #themandelacatalogue #themandelacataloguefanart #artistsoftiktok ♬ original sound – Daze

@fr6tsi casi no me gustó, en fin vean Mandela Catalogue 💪💪 #mandelacatalouge #analoghorror #fyp #dibujo #animatic #art #digitalart #digitalartist #draw #arte ♬ original sound – Daze

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).

@pizzafaytheyo Just some fun rules at the Dollar Tree. #retail #horror #haunted #dollartreehacks #funfact ♬ original sound – Daze

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).

@chiconube_ Hide! 💀 #fyp #suspense #horrorstory #doppelgänger #discomfort #drama #suspensevideo #doppleganger #mandelacatalouge #terror #miedo ♬ original sound – Daze