Warning! Mattel ‘Accidentally’ Lists Porn Site on Doll Packaging
Movieguide® Contributor
Yes, one of the world’s top toy companies “accidentally” listed a porn site instead of a movie webpage on its line of WICKED dolls packaging.
“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 company said in a statement Nov. 10. “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 correct website’s name is WickedMovie.com, but the misprint is missing the second word, which leads to a site requesting 18+ verification.
“That website links to the porn site of Wicked Pictures, an independent adult film company founded in 1993,” Deadline reported. “According to previous reporting, Wicked was where famed porn star Jenna Jameson got her start. Additionally, the company was somewhat a focal point in Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York, since it was at a company-sponsored celebrity golf tournament where the president-elect met Stormy Daniels, who was working at the event to promote the porn studio.”
“The error has since circulated across numerous Reddit pages and seems to be present on boxes containing characters like Elphaba (played by Erivo in the film) and Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero. A since-archived Mattel webpage featuring instructions for the dolls also contains the error,” Deadline said.
The WICKED movie has gained a lot of attention but not for shocking reasons like this until now. Whether the typo is an employee’s sick joke or a simple oversight is anyone’s guess. But one thing is for certain — this is the definition of a “PR nightmare.” Products with the typo have been found in major stores like Target, and eBay even has a warning out for the misprint. The company recalled the dolls as of Nov. 11.
“Reactions from people online ranged from admonishing the popular toy brand for the error, as it’s likely that children will mostly be purchasing the products, to poking fun at whoever at the company is likely to be thrown under the bus for the mistake,” Deadline said.
While the typo reflects poorly on Mattel, that’s no reflection on the movie’s stars. Movieguide® previously awarded one of the WICKED movie actors, Cynthia Erivo, with a Teddy Bear Award® for her praiseworthy performance in HARRIET.
Her co-star, Ariana Grande, recently spread advocacy for child actors:
Broadway star, TV actress and Grammy award-winning singer Ariana Grande is reflecting on the impropriety in the shows she performed in as a teenager…
READ MORE: ARIANA GRANDE SHARES SAFETY CONCERNS FOR CHILD ACTORS
