Mattel has issued an apology after misprinting a link to an explicit content website on Wicked toy dolls.
Ariana Grande’s film Wicked, whose toy dolls were recently launched by Mattel, an American multinational toy company, has sparked a wave of outrage among public after the company mistakenly printed the web address of a pornographic site on the packaging of the newly launched dolls.
The toy boxes came with a website link mentioned, however, instead of linking to the movie that stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in lead roles, the URL directed to a porn website.
Mattel’s latest Wicked collection comes as a result of partnership with Universal Pictures, and was supposed to add link to the movie website, WickedMovie.com.
However, the company mistakenly mentioned Wicked.com, which is a URL of an 18+ website.
Apologizing for the “unfortunate error,” Mattel issued a statement in which parents were advised that the misprinted website is inappropriate for children.
“Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the US, which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page,” stated the company in its statement to CNN on Sunday, November 10, 2024.
It further noted, “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.”
The company also asked that those who have purchase the dolls to discard the packaging or obscure the link and is also recalling the unsold boxes.
Meanwhile, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starrer Wicked is slated to release on November 22, 2024.
