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'Wicked' toy boxes: Mattel apologizes for porn website link

November 11, 2024

Toy manufacturer Mattel said it "deeply regrets" a misprint on the packaging of dolls tied to the movie 'Wicked,' which redirected people to a pornographic website of the same name.

https://p.dw.com/p/4mraP
A doll promoting the movie 'Wicked' made by Mattel still in its box. Undated image.
The two-part musical fantasy film 'Wicked,' based on a Broadway Show and a novel before that, hits movie theaters this monthImage: picture alliance/dpa

Toy manufacturing giant Mattel apologized over the weekend, after customers noticed a tiny inadvertent advert for a pornographic website printed on some packaging for dolls promoting the new movie "Wicked," which premiered on November 3 and is rolling out in movie theaters in much of the world later this month. 

"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," the company said in a statement. "We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this." 

Entering a URL that omits the word "movie" takes users to a rather different, age-restricted website. 

Photo of the back of a box for a Mattel "Wicked" doll, where the URL for a pornographic website is mistakenly printed where the company intended to redirect people to the movie website.
Only somebody paying conspicuously close attention to the reverse side of the packaging would have noticed the slip-up, which was not on prominent displayImage: Andrej Sokolow/dpa/picture alliance

'Discard the packaging or obscure the link'

"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," Mattel said. 

Eagle-eyed consumers had first spotted the misprint, in tiny font on the back of the box, and voiced a combination of amusement and, in some cases, alarm. 

One person called it an "insane oversight" in a post on social media.

Others even implied the mistake might have been intentional, without elaborating on why exactly they suspected that a toy manufacturer would want to anger parents and its customers.

Toy-free: From boredom to joy!

msh/wmr (dpa, open sources)