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Mattel mislabels ‘bad’ doll packaging with adult movie site
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Mattel mislabels ‘bad’ doll packaging with adult movie site

Mattel is taking “immediate action” after social media users spotted a glaring error on the packaging of the company’s new line of ‘Wicked’ dolls.

The toy company is currently selling a line of “Wicked” dolls tied to the upcoming musical film starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey. The special dolls are based on beloved characters, such as Grande’s Glinda, and the back of the packaging encourages consumers to visit the film’s website for more information.

But a label error on the packaging directs fans to an adult film website instead of the official “Wicked” movie link, www.wickedmovie.com.

The error was spotted by several social media users. X user Sarah Genao tweeted a photo of the Glinda doll on November 9 and posted a photo of the incorrect link to the pornography site on the back of the box. The post went viral and was viewed more than 21 million times.

TODAY.com confirmed at a Target in Connecticut that the “Wicked” dolls sold there were mislabeled.

A printing error at Mattel "Bad" dolls wrongly sent consumers to an adult film site.
A misprint on Mattel’s “Wicked” dolls wrongly led consumers to an adult movie site.TODAY

TODAY.com reached out to Target for comment but had not heard back at time of publication.

In a statement to TODAY.com, Mattel confirmed the mislabeling. The toy company said it was “made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, sold primarily in the U.S., which was intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page.”

“We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to correct it,” Mattel said.

The company also added a message to parents who have already purchased the item.

“Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not suitable for children. Consumers who already own the product are advised to discard the product packaging or hide the link and should contact Mattel Customer Service for more information,” Mattel said in the statement.

In addition to Target, the dolls are also available at other major retailers, such as Amazon, Kohl’s and Walmart.

The packaging issue surfaced less than two weeks before the highly anticipated film hits theaters on November 22.

Grande, Erivo, Bailey and more stars from the film, including Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater and Jeff Goldblum, recently attended the premiere of “Wicked” on November 9 in Los Angeles. Director Jon M. Chu missed the premiere because he was at his wife’s side as they welcomed a daughter, their fifth child.

Universal Pictures is owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of TODAY.com.