Mattel made a major oopsie with their ‘Wicked’ dolls
We’re hoping kids don’t check the back of their Mattel x Wicked dolls.
Mattel is one of the largest toy makers in the world, putting out such as American Girl, Barbie, Monster High, and more. Through the years, Mattel has collaborated with different franchises to bring their characters to shelves, allowing children all over the world to play with their favorite characters at home.
Mattel’s most recent collaboration is for the movie Wicked, with dolls made of characters Glinda and Elphaba made in the likeness of their actresses, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, respectively. However, one oversight in the toys’ boxes has gone viral online, leading Mattel to issue an apology.
Mattel accidentally includes link to NSFW website on Wicked dolls’ packaging
On November 10, 2024, X (formerly Twitter) user @just2goodYT (Sarah Genao) shared photos of the Wicked dolls’ packaging to her account. To her surprise, she discovered that the boxes included a link to a porn site on the box.
The link they were likely supposed to put was WickedMovie.Com, the official website for the Wicked film. However, they placed an entirely different link that leads to some, er, NSFW content.
Genao noted that LEGO and Betty Crocker, who also released products in collaboration with Wicked, did not make this mistake.
Netizens found the incident hilarious. Many hoped children wouldn’t check the website on the back of the box and lamented that a poor Mattel employee might face some serious repercussions for the oversight. However, others thought the issue was more serious, as the target demographic of these dolls are minors.
As the incident took the internet by storm, Mattel issued an official statement.
Mattel apologizes for including NSFW site on Wicked dolls’ packaging
In their statement, Mattel acknowledged that they intended to direct buyers to the official Wicked movie website and expressed their regret for this error. They added that they will be taking action to remedy this, which likely means dolls that are still on the shelves will be recalled.
Mattel advised parents who bought those dolls that the misprinted and incorrect website is not appropriate for children.
In other news, the Wicked movie will premiere in theaters on November 22, 2024. The film is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name and is set in the Land of Oz before Dorothy Gale’s arrival from Kansas. The movie only covers the first act and focuses on green-skinned Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) as she enters Shiz University. As she begins her path to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, she strikes an unlikely friendship with Glinda the Good Witch of the North (Ariana Grande).
The second part of the film is scheduled to be released in November 2025.
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