Mattel Sued Over 'Wicked' Dolls That Included Link to Porn Website on Packaging

[ificandream]

Last edited Tue Dec 3, 2024, 03:05 PM - Edit history (5)

Source: Variety


Photo courtesy of Mattel

Mattel is being sued for mistakenly printing the URL for a pornographic site on the packaging for special-edition "Wicked" dolls.

According to court documents, a South Carolina resident is launching a class action lawsuit after purchasing the toy for her young daughter, who visited the X-rated website that had "nothing to do with the 'Wicked' doll." The toy company mistakenly listed a similarly-titled website for the adult-entertainment site Wicked Pictures, rather than the official page for the Universal Pictures film, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The plaintiff alleges that Mattel didn't offer a refund and believes she and her child suffered "emotional distress" from the misprint.

"These scenes were hardcore, full on nude pornographic images depicting actual intercourse," the lawsuit reads. "Plaintiff's minor daughter immediately showed her mother the photographs and both were horrified by what they saw. If plaintiff had been aware of such an inappropriate defect in the product, she would not have purchased it."

Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, pulled the toy from shelves at retailers including Target, Amazon and Kohl's. It also issued a statement that it was "aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel 'Wicked' collection dolls, primarily sold in the United States, which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page." The company advised consumers who already have the dolls to "discard the product packaging or obscure the link."

Read more: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/mattel-sued-wicked-dolls-porn-website-1236233693/

---

So wait ... you allowed your daughter to navigate the internet without your supervision and you're now suing Mattel saying it was their fault?

Some earlier stories:

1. 'Wicked' Doll Packaging Misprint Drives 12-Year Surge in Traffic to Porn Site] (Nov. 11): https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/wicked-porn-site-traffic-surge-doll-package-misprint-1236206484/
2. Mattel's 'Wicked' Movie Dolls Mistakenly List Porn Site on Packaging] (Nov. 10) https://variety.com/2024/film/news/mattel-wicked-dolls-porn-site-packaging-1236206056/

Note quote from the second story:

The film's official website is WickedMovie.com, but the address listed on the plastic packaging for the special edition dolls, created in partnership with Universal Pictures, is written as Wicked.com. The latter website directs to a page that requires users to be 18 years or older to enter.

In other words, the user had to be 18 years or older to enter when the Variety story was published on 11/10/24. A minor couldn't have seen any porn unless they lied about their age.

Something smells here. This is nothing more than a cash grab.

Court filing: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25430678/mattel-class-action.pdf

[Ray Bruns]

1. We now go to Mattel's new product division president for comment.

https://m.

[Pas-de-Calais]

2. Dammit Carl! You had ONE job.

[surrealAmerican]

3. ... because how could a child know how to use a doll ...

... without a website to explain it?

[forgotmylogin]

4. This was a DEFINITE gaffe by the promotion/copy writing department.

Likely Mattel not the movie. First rule of including a URL in ad copy: visit that URL and see what it leads to, especially if your IP is a common word.

"Wicked Pictures" has been an adult video/toy company long before this movie was ever green-lit (1993) and are a legit brand - they likely did not snap up this website name intentionally nor maliciously hoping to steal clicks from the movie property. They do have an age gate, and (yes, I did check) clicking through currently shows sexy but clothed models. Using Wayback shows back in January there was nudity on the front page of the site, but I'd bet they likely cleaned it up a bit once this started happening.

[ificandream]

5. Agreed that the copy editor on this project is likely looking for a job right now.

[hunter]

6. It would be amusing if the "copy editor" was AI.

My kid was recently laid off by a corporation that truly believes so-called AI, in combination with lower paid hourly employees, can replace full time experienced staff.

Their customers are headed for some truly bizarre and frustrating experiences.

[Wonder Why]

7. He made Gaetz the Director of the American Toy Association?