Mattel left red-faced over explicit website blunder for new Wicked film
Credit: Universal Pictures. (L-R): Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda
Toy manufacturer turned film franchise master, Mattel, has scrambled to recall a number of dolls for the new Wicked film, after a major – and explicit – blunder.
Over the weekend, social media erupted with various reports of unhappy parents and amused Redditors who noticed the website printed on the back of packaging for the dolls, led to a pornographic website, rather than the official movie site.
The dolls were sold through the film’s official US retail partners, Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, DSW, and Amazon.com. Mattel quickly issued an apology by Sunday morning, and dolls were pulled from Target shelves by that afternoon and made unavailable through Amazon.
“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,” the company’s statement read.
“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.”
Wicked is set to hit cinemas in Australia and around the globe on 21 November.
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