• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Mattel issues apology after Wicked doll boxes mistakenly link to porn website

Home> Film & TV> News

Updated 17:14 11 Nov 2024 GMTPublished 09:46 11 Nov 2024 GMT

Mattel issues apology after Wicked doll boxes mistakenly link to porn website

The URL was intended to link to the official website for the upcoming movie

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

Mattel, the company behind Barbie and Hot Wheels, has issued an apology after a website listed on its boxes for new Wicked dolls linked to a porn site.

Considering one of those is designed for kids, and the other definitely is not, it's safe to say this wasn't intentional.

The toys were released as part of the ongoing promotion for the upcoming musical movie Wicked, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and is set to be released on November 22.

Ads and posters have been popping up all over the globe to help raise hype for the movie, and as people continued to get excited Mattel launched a range of dolls inspired by the film's characters.

Fans could get their hands on doll versions of Glindas, Elphabas, Nessaroses, Madame Morribles, and Fiyeros, all of which were available in a range of stores including Target, Amazon and Walmart.

Advert

At a cost of up to $39.99, parents buying the dolls for their kids were no doubt hopeful the toys - and the boxes they came in - would bring their kids nothing but joy and age-appropriate fun, so it's no surprise that people were left shocked when someone spotted an issue with the website printed on the box.

In a now-viral post on Twitter, one shopper shared two pictures of the Glinda doll box, including one which showed the link for 'www.wicked.com'.

The post went viral after being shared on Twitter (Twitter)
The post went viral after being shared on Twitter (Twitter)

Alongside the photos, they wrote: "The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box."

Advert

Sure enough, the URL leads to a website which is restricted to over-18s only - far from the 'PG' rating Wicked the movie has been given.

Other boxes containing Wicked dolls were found to feature the same link, prompting the poster to speculate that Mattel actually meant to link to the movie's official website, www.wickedmovie.com.

The company has since addressed the issue and acknowledged that it was indeed just a big mistake, and that steps are being taken to make things right.

In a statement to UNILAD, the company 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."

Advert

The Mattel dolls have been inspired by Wicked's characters (Universal Pictures)
The Mattel dolls have been inspired by Wicked's characters (Universal Pictures)

“Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children," the statement continued.

"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.”

Twitter users were left both shocked and amused by the unfortunate typo, with one person commenting: "Having worked in advertising AND as a copywriter AND being terrible at proofreading and attention to detail..this is my worst nightmare. Wicked dot com is a porn site. http://Wikedmovie.com is not. Oh dear."

Advert

UNILAD has reached out to Mattel for additional comment.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@just2goodYT

Topics: Film and TV, Viral, Twitter

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Movie so controversial the government stopped production and ordered all materials to be destroyed still has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
  • Adult film director explains why unsimulated sex scenes in movies 'aren't porn'
  • Stomach-churning scene voted most shocking start to a horror movie in history
  • Man with 'world's biggest penis' shares the daily struggles he faces

Choose your content:

an hour ago
18 hours ago
20 hours ago
a day ago
  • an hour ago

    Netflix adds must see-movie that fans say was ‘years ahead of its time’

    Netflix has added a thriller mystery that fans can't help but urge everyone to watch

    Film & TV
  • 18 hours ago

    95% rated Netflix miniseries compared to The Office fans are watching ‘three times over’

    Fans say it's 'genius'

    Film & TV
  • 20 hours ago

    Squid Game Easter egg leaves Netflix viewers calling it the ‘coolest detail ever seen in a show'

    South Korea's Squid Game reached international fame in 2021, and Netflix viewers are still finding more hidden details

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    93% rated Netflix mini-series keeps fans hooked as they search for the next Squid Game

    'South Korea does it yet again'

    Film & TV