Mattel, the giant US toy company has said it deeply regrets a "misprint” on the packaging of Wicked dolls which led buyers to a pornography site instead of the web page for the upcoming movie.
British actress Cynthia Erivo and US pop singer Ariana Grande star as witches Elphaba and Glinda in the film version of the hit Broadway and West End musical.
The packaging for dolls of the characters, released by Mattel, featured a web address to a porn site which shares its name with the much-anticipated movie, according to images on social media.
The URL leads to a landing page displaying a warning that further access is restricted to adults over the age of 18, with the message: "The following website, including all webpages, links, images and videos, displays sexually oriented, including explicit, material of a pornographic nature.”
In a statement, the toy company said: "Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the United States, which was 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.”
The film is coming to cinemas on Nov 22 with part two scheduled for November 2025. – dpa
