'Wicked' Movie Dolls for Children Accidentally Include Link to Porn Site
Toy company Mattel has issued an apology after dolls themed around the upcoming movie Wicked featured an address for a porn site on the packaging.
The film , which is due to be released around the Thanksgiving holiday, is based on the popular Broadway musical of the same name and is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The story details how the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and Glinda the Good Witch met and became friends.
Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba alongside Ariana Grande as Glinda. Also among those starring are Ethan Slater as munchkin Boq , Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as headmistress Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard.
As anticipation builds for the big-screen unveiling, Mattel released dolls of the movie's main characters. However, instead of featuring the address of the movie's website—wickedmovie.com—the packaging only includes the word "wicked," which leads consumers to a decidedly different theme of internet property.
Visitors to the listed website are taken to a landing page warning the content "displays sexually oriented, including explicit, material of a pornographic nature," and that access is "restricted to adults (18+) only."
After social media users shared photos and video footage of the erroneous website listing, a spokesperson for Mattel has stated that they "deeply regret" the misprint.
"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," the statement read.
"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."
The dolls in question, with a price point of $39.99 apiece, have been stocked at major retailers. In a nod to the film's musical theme, some of the dolls also have the ability to sing.
The stage musical Wicked movie is based opened in 2003 and celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. It is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway, with nearly 8,000 performances to date. The original cast featured award-winning actresses Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth in the lead roles.
Back in June, chart-topping singer Grande broke down in tears while speaking about what it was like working on Wicked .
Appearing on actor Penn Badgley's podcast Podcrushed alongside co-hosts Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari, Grande spoke about the magic she experienced bringing Glinda to life and working with her co-star Erivo.
"God, I'm not getting emotional again today; no, we're not doing it," Grande said as tears began to form. "But, no, it really was, because I think, um, there's something baked into these roles where you're so different from one another that you never know how it can go. When you, you know like, you're sharing this experience in a big way, in a very big way."
"People have needs and people have their own creative process and you never know, like, are we... are we going to be healthy?" Grande added. "It was the most symbiotic, beautiful... I feel very grateful to have done this with her."
In the U.S., the theatrical release of Wicked is scheduled for November 27. The adaptation will be released in two parts, with Wicked Part Two set for late 2025.
