Mattel Sued After Egregious ‘Wicked’ Toy Packaging Misprint

Mattel is dealing with a class action lawsuit after dolls from a new partnership with the new Universal Pictures film Wicked were released in packaging that included the address for a pornographic website, FOX reports.

A mother in South Carolina is suing the toy company after she purchased a “Wicked” doll for her minor daughter. The dolls are replicas of the movie musical’s stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who star as Glenda and Elphaba respectively, and were released on Nov. 11 ahead of the movie’s debut in theaters on Nov. 22.

In the lawsuit, the mother says her daughter visited the website printed on the back of the toy’s packaging. The official website for the film is “wickedmovie.com.” But the woman says her daughter was “shocked” to discover that the website she visited “had nothing to do with the Wicked Doll” and instead she watched “scenes of pornographic advertisements across her phone screen,” which scenes included “hardcore, full on nude pornographic images depicting actual intercourse.” 

“Plaintiff’s minor daughter immediately showed her mother the photographs and both were horrified by what they saw. If plaintiff had been aware of such an inappropriate defect in the product, she would not have purchased it,” the lawsuit reads. The woman says she and her daughter both “experienced emotional distress” over the incident. 

“Plaintiff seeks to recover damages because the Products are adulterated, worthless, and unfit for its intended and advertised age-appropriate audience,” the lawsuit states.

Mattel issued a recall for the products on Nov. 11. But no refunds have been issued. 

A representative for Mattel declined to comment on the suit but released statement. “The Wicked Dolls have returned for sale with correct packaging at retailers online and in stores to meet the strong consumer demand for the products,” it reads. “The previous misprint on the packaging in no way impacts the value or play experience provided by the product itself in the limited number of units sold before the correction. We express our gratitude to our consumers and retailers for their understanding and patience while we worked to remedy the issue.”

FOX confirms that the adult site URL was printed on the back of the packaging for more than one Mattel doll. In a statement given to Fox upon realizing the error, Mattel issued an apology. “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.”