Mattel has been forced to apologise over an x-rated gaff on new Wicked dolls.
The iconic toymaker has released a series of dolls to tie into the beloved musical’s upcoming blockbuster film adaptation, but eagle eyed customers noticed a rather unfortunate mistake on the packaging.
Instead of directing people to the official Wicked movie website, there was actually a link to Wicked.com, which is actually a site for a porn studio’s new offering.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Mattel said: ‘Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page.
‘We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children.
‘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.’
The correct link is wickedmovie.com, but the wicked.com URL on the box took unsuspecting customers to a page asking users to confirm they are aged 18 and over.
If they clicked ‘enter’, they were taken to a porn site promoted a new film Kenzie Loves Girls 2 from Wicked Pictures – we’re not in Kansas anymore!
The adult film studio has been using the registered wicked.com domain name since 1994.
Over the weekend, the doll collection – including singing figures, deluxe collectibles and fashion dolls – are no longer available at Target in the US, which is one of the film’s leading retail partners.
The Hollywood Reporter adds that the line featuring the adult website address is also being pulled from the likes of Walmart, Amazon and more.
The dolls which had the misprint included Ariana Grande’s character Glinda and Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, and the products are already available on eBay for between $100 and $800, having originally sold for $24.99 to $39.99.
‘The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box 😭😭,’ wrote @just2goodYT on X as fans flooded social media with posts about the error.
‘Hey @Mattel whoever is responsible for your marketing/packaging for the new official Wicked dolls have made a HUGE mistake! The http://wicked.com on your packaging takes you to a porn site,’ added @K_Y_L_I_E__1.
While @Kneon said: ‘Oh damn, Mattel. This isn’t gonna end well. The Wicked dolls have the URL of a PORN SITE on the back of the box.’
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