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Topics: TV And Film, US News, News, Wicked
Kya Buller
A shocked mum from South Carolina has launched a lawsuit against Mattel after they mistakenly linked to a pornographic website on the box of Wicked dolls.
In the lead up to the release of John M. Chu's cinematic adaptation of the famed musical, which chronicles the unlikely friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, as well as the events which led to the latter being known as 'The Wicked Witch of the West,' Mattel released dolls of both witches.
The limited edition dolls were inspired by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who played Glinda and Elphaba respectively.
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All was going swimmingly with regards to the coveted limited-edition Wicked dolls, until fans read the fine print.
Mattel had accidentally linked to a porn website similarly named to 'wickedmovie.com', which is what they should have printed.
The oversight went viral on social media, with many questioning how this could have happened. However, things have taken a more serious turn with one parent suing Mattel as a result.
As per Reuters, Holly Ricketson alleges that her daughter visited the website after receiving one of the dolls, and then showed her 'hardcore photographs', As a result, they were both 'horrified' by the experience and experienced 'emotional distress.'
Despite the dolls being recalled on 11 November, Ricketson maintains that she would never have bought one of the dolls, which are aimed at children aged four and above, had she been aware of the misprint, and that she hadn't been offered a refund.
The lawsuit, launched on 3 December, 'seeks at least $5 million of damages for anyone in the United States who bought Wicked dolls whose packaging included the errant link.'
Further, "it accuses Mattel of negligence, selling products unfit for sale, and violating California consumer protection laws."
Following the huge error, Mattel issued a statement to the Independent and expressed their regret.
They said: "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. 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."
After news of the misprint went viral, many social media users chimed in.
One wrote: "That's a marketing nightmare," while another added: "This might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids!"