Toy company Mattel apologizes after Wicked toy boxes link to porn website

11 November 2024, 08:21

The makers of Barbie have apologised after it mistakenly printed the address for a porn website on the packaging for toys of the upcoming Wicked film.

Mattel released toys of stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande ahead of the Wizard of Oz spin-off’s release.

But, rather than printing a link to the film's website, Mattel accidentally published the name of an adult film site sharing Wicked’s name.

Mattel quickly apologised following the gaffe, telling fans it “deeply regrets” sending the film’s young fanbase to a porn site.

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The company promised it would take “immediate action” to rectify this error.

"We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this," a statement added.

"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 gaffe was first discovered by X user Sarah Genao, who took to the social media site to share confirmation that the toy box was leading buyers to an adult site.

Sharing a side-by-side image, she said: “The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box.”

Fans flooded social media with reactions after the error became clear.

“Thats an insane oversight,” one person wrote on X.

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?” another asked.