Mattel issues statement regarding Wicked Collection Dolls incorrect link

Wicked will be this holiday season's biggest box office draw, expecting to fly in millions in its opening weekend. Mattel and other companies dropped merchandise to honor its release, and celebrities like Kim Kardashian hosted early viewing parties with their families. Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo portray Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. In the film, set to be released on November 22nd, the characters have a radiating chemistry that illuminates the magic. Offscreen, the actresses are deeply rooted in their friendship to the point where they got matching tattoos to celebrate their Wicked collaboration.

Mattel launched a series of dolls replicating the Wicked characters, which have been sold in retailers and online. While many have already been sold to fans, Mattel has quickly halted any new sales and pulled the dolls off the shelves due to a packaging misprint, and it isn't kid-friendly.

Why Mattel pulled their Wicked dolls off the shelves

Misprints are fairly common, and are quickly updated with new information and a public announcement with the corrections. In the Wicked dolls' case, the misprint is a little more problematic and disturbing to children.

As it turns out, the misprint was in the URL and was spotted by a Twitter user (now X). She immediately informed Mattel about the error. The URL on the dolls' box was linked to an adult entertainment website instead of the movie's URL at wickedmovie.com. As of this writing, no other product has been affected by the mistake. As a result, both websites experienced an uptick in online traffic.

Mattel was quick to remove the affected dolls and issued a statement regarding their next steps. You can read the company's official press statement, which FanSided attained.

"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. 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."

It's unclear whether the newly packaged dolls will be available in time for Christmas and Hanukkah, as they're one of this year's hottest holiday toys. However, the misprinted versions are a gold mine for collectors, as they're being sold on eBay, with a pair priced at $4500.

Mistakes happen and Mattel took full responsibility for theirs, even if it reflects that the merchandise revenue will be impacted.

Wicked will premiere on November 22nd.