Mattel, the global toy maker, has apologized as a misprint on the packaging of its upcoming movie merchandise “Wicked” led customers to an adult website. Wicked is a movie and the company had intended that the packaging direct consumers to its official website, wickedmovie.com. Instead, the link led to Wicked Pictures, a free adult film company, which caused a frenzy on social media.
Mattel has this to say, citing that they received notice of a printing defect on the packaging of Mattel Wicked collection dolls, which is sold mostly in the U.S., that contained a call to action whereby consumers were directed to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. Mattel regrets this unfortunate mistake and is taking swift action to correct this.
Tie it all in with the super-hyped movie Wicked, where Cynthia Erivo will be playing Elphaba and Ariana Grande will be playing Glinda. The movie is set to be directed by John M. Chu and is scheduled for release on November 22.
The controversy comes one day after stars, including Erivo, Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Idina Menzel, and Kristin Chenoweth, made an appearance at the premiere of the movie Wicked at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Following the discovery of the error, Mattel began pulling the dolls from major retailers like Target and Walmart. The company has also advised parents to discard or obscure the incorrect website link on the packaging. Additionally, Mattel encouraged customers who had already purchased the dolls to contact their customer service for further instructions.
“Parents are reminded the defective or wrong website is not suitable for children,” the company added.
The error has generated widespread publicity, and there are questions of quality control and the sort of fall-out from such a mix-up- particularly where a brand as strong as Mattel is in play.
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