Mattel Rushes to Yank ‘Wicked’ Dolls Off Shelves After Printing Link to Porn Site

Screenshot via Universal Pictures on YouTube

Toy manufacturer Mattel issued an apology to anyone who bought one of the new dolls tied to Universal Pictures Wicked.

The boxes containing the dolls — which feature the likeness of the movie’s stars including Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — intended to direct consumers to the movie’s site. But apparently, whoever was copyediting didn’t bother to check the link, wasn’t given guidance on the link… either way, a glaring copyediting error made its way to the printer because the site provided on the boxes directed everyone to a porn site.

Mattel issued an apology on Sunday and said they were rushing to get the boxes with the x-rated error off the shelves. In a statement, Mattel said:

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. 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.

The dolls were swiftly removed from shelves at stores including Target, Walmart, and Kohl’s and were no longer available online at Amazon on Sunday. Social media users posted photos of other Wicked merchandising that did not have the same error, including a Betty Crocker recipe and a LEGO set.