2024-11-11 11:24:55 :
Mattel, the maker of Barbie, has issued an apology after customers complained that the toy company’s “evil” version of the doll’s packaging directed people to pornographic websites, The Guardian reported.
Mattel said it was taking “immediate action” after panicked customers shared images on social media of boxes of dolls whose packaging mistakenly had a link to the pornographic website wicked.com instead of wicked.com Official wickedmovie.com.
The dolls are a collaboration between Mattel and Universal Pictures for the film production company’s Ariana Grande-starring “Wicked,” based on the Tony Award-winning musical. The product contained an incorrect link on the packaging for the Glinda and Elphaba dolls – played by Grande and Cynthia Erivo respectively.
Mattel official statement
In a statement on November 10, the toy maker apologized for the error and advised customers with children to discard the packaging or hide the link.
“Mattel discovered a typographical error on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked line of dolls sold primarily in the United States, which was designed 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 rectify the issue. Parents are reminded that typographical errors and incorrect websites are not suitable for children. Consumers who already own the product are advised to discard the product packaging or hide it link and can contact Mattel customer service for more information.”
Official U.S. retail partners affected
The misprinted doll bags were spotted at major US retailers, including Amazon, Kohls and Target – all of which are official retail partners of Universal Studios. No other stores are affected by the bug.
Amazon is reportedly currently showing the item as “out of stock” in the United States. The packages have also been removed from Target stores, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Netizens called the police one after another
Social media users pointed out errors in posts and images by tagging Mattel.
One user wrote: “Mattel Wicked doll official link to porn site on box”
Others were extremely concerned about the mistake, with one saying: “Whoever did this needs to be fired immediately because why would they do it because they know it’s mostly kids who buy these dolls.”
Another added, “Hey @Mattel, whoever is responsible for the marketing/packaging of the new official Wicked dolls made a huge mistake!”
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