Mattel Apologizes After ‘Wicked’ Dolls Accidentally List Porn Site
The collectible dolls for the upcoming film listed the wrong website on their packaging—directing consumers to an adult film site.
Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS
Mattel is advising parents to throw away packaging for their new dolls promoting the upcoming musical Wicked after a misprint directed consumers to a pornography site.
The toy company apologized after buyers noticed an unfortunate error on their “Singing Elphaba” dolls—collectibles released for the upcoming film adaptation of the beloved Broadway show starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Above the dolls’ barcode, the packaging lists the website “wicked.com”—the homepage for Wicked Pictures, a pornography studio based in California. The correct website for the upcoming film is “wickedmovie.com.”
The misprint was first noticed by Wicked fans on Reddit earlier this weekend. Other users on social media quickly noticed the misprints on their dolls and some still on the shelves in local stores.
In a statement sent to the Daily Beast, Mattel said they “deeply regret this unfortunate error.” It was not immediately clear how many Elphaba dolls shipped with the error, but the company said it was taking “immediate action” to fix the misprint. “Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children,” Mattel said. “Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.”
According to Mattel’s website, the dolls were being sold at Target stores—but the item was inaccessible from the big box retailer’s own online shop as of Sunday evening.
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Target did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast. A listing for the toy was still up at Walmart’s website, who also did not immediately respond to comment.
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