Toy company accidentally prints link to porn website on doll boxes, calls it ‘unfortunate error’

Toy maker Mattel has apologised for printing the address to a pornographic website on the packaging for dolls released to promote the upcoming film Wicked.

Updated on: Nov 11, 2024, 09:44:10 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Toy maker Mattel has apologised for printing the address to a pornographic website on the packaging for dolls released to promote the upcoming film Wicked. The misprint came to light over the weekend when social media users realised that the web address provided on doll boxes was leading to an adult website.

Mattel accidentally linked to a porn website on its Wicked dolls (X/@just2goodYT)

The Wicked dolls were launched ahead of the release of the highly-anticipated musical fantasy film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The misprint appeared on the boxes of Glinda and Elphaba dolls, the two main characters in Wicked.

Over the weekend, social media users began to realise that the web address on the dolls’ packaging was leading to a pornographic website. Instead of linking to wickedmovie.com, the toy company had mistakenly provided the link to wicked.com in what was called a massive oversight.

Mattel’s apology

Mattel is known for creating iconic brands and products, including Barbie and Hot Wheels. With its products sold in more than 150 countries and targeted mainly at children, the misprint on the Wicked dolls raised quite a few questions.

The American toy company apologised for the “unfortunate error” in a statement released Sunday.

“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 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.”

Wicked is set to release in the US and UK on November 22.

(Also read: Mattel launches Barbie for visually impaired people. It comes with cane, braille packaging)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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