Mattel faces backlash over 'Wicked' dolls directing consumers to pornography website
The toy company Mattel is facing blowback after consumers noticed the packaging for dolls designed to look like characters from the movie "Wicked" directs people to an adult pornography website, which the corporation says is the result of a misprint.
Mattel, which owns various kid-friendly toy brands, including Barbie, Fisher-Price and American Girl, pulled its line of character dolls due to the mistake. The dolls, designed to look like Galinda, Elphaba and other characters, were supposed to help promote the Universal film "Wicked" before its Nov. 22 theatrical release.
As the popular X account Libs of TikTok pointed out this month, the boxes for the "Wicked" line of dolls directed consumers to a pornography website for a group called Wicked Pictures. The web address for the official site related to the film is Wickedmovie.com.
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On Sunday, Mattel issued an apology after an Instagram user commented on the company's social media page, asking if it was aware the doll's packaging linked to a porn site. The company posted a picture of the movie versions of Elphaba and Galinda.
"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," the company replied.
"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," Mattel added. "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."
Other Instagram users expressed frustration with Mattel over the incorrect website label on the box, noting that people who look it up thinking it's related to the movie will instead stumble across an "inappropriate website."
Mattel did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
NBC News reported Monday that the dolls are no longer available for sale online through Target, Walmart and Amazon. Other brands, including Best Buy, Barnes & Noble and Macy's, have also removed the "Wicked" toys from their online storefronts.
The dolls inside the misprinted packaging are for sale on websites like eBay, but the prices range between $40 and $2,100. According to CNBC, the dolls retailed between $20 and $40 depending on the character and outfit.
At the time of reporting, it is unclear if Mattel plans to rerelease the dolls after correcting the website domain name printed on the packaging.
"Like any business, mistakes can and do happen in the toy business," James Zahn, editor-in-chief of The Toy Book, said about the controversy.
"This was likely an innocent oversight that made it through the normal processes. Most consumers — kids and adults alike — will never read the fine print on a package, and at the end of the day, the packaging is designed to end up in the trash," Zahn said. "The odds of a kid reading the back of a doll box and being inclined to go online and visit the website are pretty slim."
The movie that the dolls were intended to promote, "Wicked," is an adaptation of the musical, which premiered on Broadway in New York City in October 2003. The story is loosely adapted from the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as the 1939 film adaptation of the classic book.
"Wicked" explores the friendship between Elphaba and Galinda before Dorothy's arrival in Oz and how the former became known as "The Wicked Witch of the West" while her friend went on to become "Glinda the Good." In the film, Ariana Grande plays Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
