Mattel apologizes after Wicked doll boxes mistakenly link to porn website

Eagle-eyed fans have found a concerning link on the back of Mattel’s new line of Wicked doll boxes.

Ahead of the highly anticipated movie premiere on November 22, starring Ariana Grande as “Glinda” and Cynthia Erivo as “Elphaba,” Mattel launched a line of limited-edition dolls inspired by the stars’ renditions of the characters originally created by Gregory Maguire.

The famed toy conglomerate stocked Target, Amazon, and Walmart on September 26 with Glindas, Elphabas, Nessaroses, Madame Morribles, and Fiyeros dolls, encouraging story lovers to grab their favorite characters for no more than $39.99. Each doll matches the specific actor in the film, with some even having singing capabilities.

But, while the toy release was meant to generate buzz before the movie hits theaters everywhere, fans online pointed to an inappropriate issue with the packaging that some suggested could potentially lead to a massive recall.

On November 9, one shopper took to X to show an NSFW box error found on a Glinda toy displayed in-store. Sarah Genao posted side-by-side images of the Glinda toy package, front and back, with the caption: “The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box.”

A close-up of the back of the green box showed a link for “www.wicked.com” pasted next to the barcode. When typed into a search engine, the URL sends you to an age-restricted website that says you must be 18 or older to view the content uploaded.

Genao then posted a video of her flipping a Nessarose box around to show the same link also on the back of another box. She then wrote in the comments that she thought the URL they meant to share was “www.wickedmovie.com” – the film’s official website presented by Partners.

Upon discovery, Genao rushed to see if the movie’s other merchandise had the same NSFW link pasted on the packaging.

With pictures and videos, the worried fan confirmed the Wicked lego set and the Betty Crocker Wicked mix did not feature the same link as the alleged Mattel boxes.

Stunned viewers rushed to the comments of Genao’s post to convey their shock.

“Thats an insane oversight,” one person wrote on X, while another questioned: “Why would they do that knowing that it’s mostly kids buying these dolls?”

A third said: “I had to google this at a McDonald’s to see if it was true...it’s true.”

“Recall incoming? Stickers over the website? What are the odds these boxes end up being worth anything?” one curious individual asked.

Another claimed: “This might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids!”

In a statement sent to The Independent, a representative for Mattel explained the company was aware of the label 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. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” the statement read.

“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.”