For more than 20 years, Broadway enthusiasts have flocked to New York City to watch Elphaba “Defy Gravity” in Wicked. The smash hit has led to multiple touring shows and rumors of a feature film for years. The highly anticipated Wicked movie finally premiered in theaters on November 22, 2024. Thus far, it has raked in more than $350 million. It has been popular, to say the least.
In the months leading up to the film’s debut, stores filled with Wicked merchandise. That included a much-loved line of Mattel dolls. Unfortunately, a printing error on the box evidently directed consumers to an adults-only site instead of the official movie website. According to the Guardian, the site offended South Carolina mom Holly Ricketson so much that she filed a lawsuit against Mattel.
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The box had an unfortunate misprint.
Sarah Genao, who posts on X as @just2goodYT, pointed out the misprint on November 9. She posted a photo along with text, “The official Mattel ‘Wicked’ dolls link to a porn site on the box.”
Her post amassed 26.6 million views, prompting a frenzy. Collectors and resellers gobbled up the dolls before Mattel officially pulled them from shelves days later.
Mattel acknowledged the mistake.
According to a statement provided to Today, Mattel explained the company “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.”
Mattel apologized and urged parents to dispose of the package. “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 company then pulled dolls from shelves and online retailers.
Ricketson made emotional distress claims.
Per court documents obtained by Fox Business, Ricketson proposed a class-action suit in Los Angeles because of the aftereffects of visiting the adults-only website. She claims her daughter went to the website printed on the back of the box and saw pornographic material.
“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,” the lawsuit reads.
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The mother seeks unspecified damages.
Per the lawsuit, “Plaintiff seeks to recover damages because the Products are adulterated, worthless, and unfit for its intended and advertised age-appropriate audience.”
Mattel declined to comment on the lawsuit but shared a statement with Fox Business.
“The Wicked Dolls have returned for sale with correct packaging at retailers online and in stores to meet the strong consumer demand for the products,” the statement reads. “The previous misprint on the packaging in no way impacts the value or play experience provided by the product itself in the limited number of units sold before the correction. We express our gratitude to our consumers and retailers for their understanding and patience while we worked to remedy the issue.”
