Toys from the new Wicked movie have the web address for a pornography website printed on the back of the packaging instead of the film’s official website, causing Australian retailers to start pulling them from shelves.
The promotional merchandise – dolls of the show’s central characters Elphaba and Glinda – is produced by Mattel and currently stocked at major Australian stores including Kmart, Myer and Big W.
In small lettering on the back of the product’s packaging there is a link to Wicked.com, a pornography site, mistakenly included instead of WickedMovie.com.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo attend the premiere of Wicked at State Theatre in Sydney earlier this month.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
In a statement, a spokesperson for Mattel said the company was remorseful about the misprint.
“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.”
The Wicked dolls play 15-second snippets of songs from the hit musical.Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui
The figurines remained for sale locally in stores and online as of Monday afternoon.
Kmart, Myer and Big W said they were removing the dolls from shelves.
“Myer has been made aware of this issue by Mattel and stock is being removed from stores and online,” a spokesperson said.
Wicked Pictures, which owns the URL printed in error, is an adult film company based in California. It has operated since 1993.
When directed to Wicked.com, a pop-up warns that the page is restricted to adults 18 plus only and displays content of a pornographic nature. Whereas on WickedMovie.com, fans of the movie musical can view booking times for the film.
The dolls, which include leading characters Elphaba and Glinda, and sing 15-second snippets of songs from the film, are listed with an RRP of $49.99 on Kmart’s website and $59.99 on Myer’s.
On eBay, some misprinted products are already being touted as collectables and are listed for sale at more than $100.
A note on Kmart’s website lists the figurines as “suitable for ages: 4+ years”.
The Wicked movie will begin showing in cinemas later this month and features Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jeff Goldblum in a big-screen adaptation of the beloved book-turned-musical.
It’s a revisionist take on The Wizard of Oz tale from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical has been an immense success globally.
Last year, it overtook Cats to become the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history, with more than 8100 performances. It premiered in Australia in 2008.
Earlier this month, the high-profile cast visited Sydney and walked a yellow-brick carpet to promote the film.
Mattel said consumers who already had the dolls were advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and could contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.
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