Mislabeled ‘Wicked’ doll packages with link to adult film site pulled by stores

Mattel has pulled dolls from the upcoming movie “Wicked” from shelves after social media users noticed a glaring mistake on the packaging.

The toy company was selling a range of “Wicked” dolls tied to the musical film starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey. The special dolls were based on beloved characters, like Grande’s Glinda, and the back of the packaging encouraged consumers to visit the film’s website to learn more. 

But, a labeling error on the packaging directed fans to an adult film website instead of the official “Wicked” movie link, www.wickedmovie.com. 

The dolls in the incorrect packaging have been pulled from Target’s and Walmart’s online storefronts and taken down from Amazon’s site as of Nov. 11, according to CNBC.

The mistake was pointed out by multiple social media users. X user Sarah Genao tweeted a picture of the Glinda doll Nov. 9 and included a photo of the incorrect link to the pornography site on the back of the box. The post went viral, receiving over 21 million views. 

TODAY.com confirmed at a Target in Connecticut that the “Wicked” dolls sold there were mislabeled.

TODAY.com reached out to Target for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Dolls in the mislabeled packaging have flooded eBay, with sellers seeking hundreds of dollars for the items. The dolls normally sell for between $20 and $40 depending on the accessories.

In a statement to TODAY.com on Nov. 10, Mattel confirmed the mislabeling. The toy company said it “was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., 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,” Mattel said.

The company also included a message to parents who have already purchased the item. 

“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,” Mattel said in the statement. 

The packaging issue surfaced less than two weeks before the highly anticipated film hits theaters on Nov. 22. 

Grande, Erivo, Bailey and more stars from the Universal Pictures movie, including Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater and Jeff Goldblum, recently attended the Nov. 9 “Wicked” premiere in Los Angeles. Director Jon M. Chu missed the premiere to be by his wife’s side as they welcomed a baby girl, their fifth child. 

Universal Pictures is owned by NBCUniversal, TODAY.com’s parent company.