Wicked movie fans were in for a rude awakening when they followed the link on the back of Mattel’s newly released dolls for the upcoming film.
So, the Barbie maker has been promoting dolls of Elphaba and Glinda, characters from the 2024 film based on the Broadway musical of the same name.
On the back of the action figures, Mattel put a URL to the website www.wicked.com to allow fans to make purchases more seamlessly.
But instead of linking to the film’s promotional site, Mattel mistakenly directed customers to an actual porn site!
Of course, social media had a field day with the mix-up with many joking about feeling the need to buy the dolls and others speculating on what would happen to the individual responsible for the flub.
???? I have to go buy one now
— ???????????????????????????????????? ???? (@HIVECOVEN) November 10, 2024
and
That one Mattel employee who designed the box: pic.twitter.com/V5lgjAtaxR
— AHurdOfBronies????❤️????Elf VTuber (@AHurdOfBronies) November 10, 2024
and
video proof pic.twitter.com/6wntuTBoXw
— just2good (Sarah Genao) (@just2goodYT) November 10, 2024
and
I had to google this at a McDonald’s to see if it was true…it’s true. It was the greatest blunder of all time (both for me and Matel).
— Vincent (@TapiaWant) November 9, 2024
and
whoever did this needs to be fired immediately cuz why would they do that knowing that it’s mostly kids buying these dolls
— mel (@fallinformel) November 10, 2024
and
this might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids!
— Azn Hyunnie (@hyunnie_hunny) November 10, 2024
Mattel caught wind of the error and issued a statement apologizing for the mishap.
“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 company representative said in a statement.
“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,” they continued.
Consumers who have already purchased the dolls are advised to discard the packaging or obscure the link. They may also contact Mattel customer service for further information, the toy company added.
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The highly anticipated two-part “Wicked” film starring award-winning singer Ariana Grande and Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo hits theaters on November 22.
Just last month, Erivo, who plays Elphaba, went viral after slamming a fan-edited poster of the movie by adding shadows over the 37-year-old’s eyes.
“The original poster is an illustration. I am a real-life human being who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer … because without words, we communicate with our eyes,” Erivo stated.
“To edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me. And that is just deeply hurtful.”
She continued: “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equality to that awful AI of us fighting, equal to people post the question ‘is your ***** green’ None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
