Mattel issues apology after NSFW website gets printed on new Wicked dolls

Mattel has been forced to issue an apology after an extremely NSFW website got printed on the box of the new Wicked dolls.

Children and adults alike have been buzzing to finally watch the movie, which is set to premiere later this month (22 November), with Mattel launching a line of limited-edition dolls inspired by the stars' renditions of the characters.

However, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice a major 'oversight' when it came to the packaging of the dolls.

One shopper noticed on the back of box containing a Glinda toy, the character of which is played by Ariana Grande, was a link for the website 'www.wicked.com'.

When copying that site into a search engine, the URL takes you to an age-restricted website that says you must be 18 or older to view the content uploaded.

After making the bombshell discovery, the X user penned: "The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box."

They later added that the link that was meant to be shared on the box was 'www.wickedmovie.com', which is the musical film's official website.

A second hit out: "Hey @Mattel whoever is responsible for your marketing/packaging for the new official Wicked dolls have made a HUGE mistake!

"The http://wicked.com on your packaging takes you to a porn site!"

"Omg no one caught that," slammed a third, while a fourth declared: "An error of this magnitude is unacceptable."

A fifth piped up: "Whoever did this needs to be fired immediately cuz why would they do that knowing that it’s mostly kids buying these dolls."

"That's an insane oversight, someone getting fired lol," echoed another, while someone else wrote: "That's a marketing nightmare."

And a final X user added: "This might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids!"

Mattel has since apologised for the 'error' writing in a statement to the Independent: "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."

Tyla has reached out to Mattel for comment.