Due to an unfortunate typo, Mattel’s line of ‘Wicked‘ themed dolls, modeled after stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Instead of listing the innocent movie link, the boxes feature a link to a porn website.
The movie has a lot of buzz surrounding it and fans can’t wait to see it on the big screen. However, the bizarre link error has caused parents to worry about their children. Moreover, Mattel also issued an apology for the situation.
The Original Link Was Supposed To Be ‘Wickedmovie.com’
The packaging of the Mattel dolls includes a printed web address meant to guide consumers to the movie’s promotional website, ‘WickedMovie.com‘. However, a significant oversight has left out part of the domain — the “movie” part. This resulted in the link directing unsuspecting users to a platform requiring 18+ age verification.
That site, ‘Wicked.com‘, is an independent adult film company that has been producing adult entertainment since 1993. It also found its way into the limelight due to the whole Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels controversy. The packaging error quickly spread across various social media platforms.
Reddit users shared images and videos showing the problematic link on store shelves at major retailers such as Target. Some even noticed the error on eBay listings and archived versions of Mattel’s own web pages detailing the dolls. Fans were left in disbelief at the whole situation.
Mattel Apologizes For The Bizarre Error
Toy giant Mattel moved swiftly to address the situation and issued a public apology for the unintended slip-up. “Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the US, which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page,” read the statement the company shared with CNN.
In case you missed it: Dove Cameron Talks About Losing ‘Wicked’ Role To Ariana Grande
The apology reflected the seriousness of the situation. It emphasized that Mattel was actively working to correct the mistake. “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,” the company said.
Additionally, the company advised anyone who had already bought the dolls to either discard the packaging or remove the problematic link.
While Mattel’s response was quick, reactions online continued to be a mix of outrage, humor, and sympathy. Moreover, parents and toy enthusiasts were understandably worried. They pointed out that children could easily be exposed to inappropriate content through this mishap.
