Mattel, the toy company famous for iconic products like Barbie and Hot Wheels, recently found itself in hot water over an unintended mishap with its new Wicked doll collection. The company released the dolls to promote the upcoming musical movie Wicked, which stars celebrities Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and is set to hit theaters on November 22. However, a critical error on the doll boxes has led to an unexpected twist.
Instead of linking to the official website, WickedMovie.com, the packaging on the dolls accidentally directed users to Wicked.com, an adult site with explicit content. Understandably, this caught parents off-guard, as the dolls are clearly aimed at children, while the website linked is restricted to audiences 18 and older.
The error was brought to public attention by a concerned shopper, who posted images of the Glinda doll packaging on social media. This post quickly went viral, sparking both outrage and confusion among parents and fans alike.
Mattel Issues Apology
In response to the backlash, Mattel issued a formal apology, expressing regret over the error and advising parents to discard the packaging or cover up the erroneous link. “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,” a spokesperson said. “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this.”
The company further clarified that customers can contact Mattel’s Customer Service for additional assistance if needed.
Retailers Pull the Dolls from Shelves
Due to the error, major retailers like Target, Amazon, Walmart, and others have pulled the dolls from shelves to prevent further issues. Though the original retail price ranged from $24.99 to $39.99, these misprinted dolls are now being resold online for prices as high as $800, likely due to the attention the mishap has received.
The incident has left Mattel scrambling to correct the mistake before Wicked’s highly anticipated release in November. Meanwhile, the misprinted dolls may turn into collector’s items, albeit with an unusual story attached.
