Toy giant faces backlash for mistakingly printing this site in toy boxes: ‘Biggest fail’
- Replies 15
Grandparents are always in search of the perfect gift to light up their little ones' faces.
We trust well-known brands to provide us with safe, family-friendly products.
However, even the most reputable companies can make mistakes, and this time, toy manufacturing giant Mattel is in the hot seat.
In a blunder that has left consumers stunned and concerned, Mattel has mistakenly printed the URL of an adult entertainment website on the packaging of their new Wicked dolls.
These dolls were created to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as the iconic witches Glinda and Elphaba.
The error was first spotted by eagle-eyed social media users who quickly pointed out that, instead of directing fans to the film's official site, WickedMovie.com, the packaging mistakenly guides them to wicked.com—an adult entertainment site.
The oversight is particularly alarming given that the dolls are marketed towards children and families who are fans of the musical.
The discovery has sparked a wave of reactions online, with many expressing disbelief and concern over the potential consequences of such a mistake.
One user took to social media to alert Mattel, saying, 'Hey @Mattel, whoever is responsible for your marketing/packaging for the new official Wicked dolls has made a HUGE mistake!'
‘That's an insane oversight, someone's getting fired,’ another said.
‘This might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids,’ a third added.
‘Whoever did the Mattel Wicked Dolls packaging is COOKED,’ a fourth wrote.
The conversation has spread to other social media platforms, where users are sharing their own experiences and emphasising the gravity of the situation.
‘I work in manufacturing. This is on a LOT of people,’ one wrote.
‘There’s multiple steps that this has to go through before being printed and not a single person thought to visit the website. Mattel didn’t think to purchase the domain.’
‘Fun fact: in elementary school, I asked my parents for tickets to see Wicked [the musical],’ one user recalled.
‘My dad told me to find them online so he could look and order. Naturally and logically, I type in ‘www.wicked.com’ into good ole internet explorer. I’m still traumatised 15 years later.’
Mattel has apologised for the error, saying, ‘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.’
The Wicked movie, which is set to hit cinemas on 21 November, has already made a splash with its stars debuting the film in Sydney on 3 November.
The cast, including Grande and Erivo, has been touring the world, promoting the movie and sharing their excitement with fans.
Have you or someone you know been affected by this packaging error? Share your experiences in the comments below!
We trust well-known brands to provide us with safe, family-friendly products.
However, even the most reputable companies can make mistakes, and this time, toy manufacturing giant Mattel is in the hot seat.
In a blunder that has left consumers stunned and concerned, Mattel has mistakenly printed the URL of an adult entertainment website on the packaging of their new Wicked dolls.
These dolls were created to celebrate the release of the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as the iconic witches Glinda and Elphaba.
An adult site was printed on the back of Wicked dolls instead of the movie website. Credit: @K_Y_L_I_E__1 / Twitter
The error was first spotted by eagle-eyed social media users who quickly pointed out that, instead of directing fans to the film's official site, WickedMovie.com, the packaging mistakenly guides them to wicked.com—an adult entertainment site.
The oversight is particularly alarming given that the dolls are marketed towards children and families who are fans of the musical.
The discovery has sparked a wave of reactions online, with many expressing disbelief and concern over the potential consequences of such a mistake.
One user took to social media to alert Mattel, saying, 'Hey @Mattel, whoever is responsible for your marketing/packaging for the new official Wicked dolls has made a HUGE mistake!'
‘That's an insane oversight, someone's getting fired,’ another said.
‘This might be the biggest fail in official merch history, especially considering it’s meant for kids,’ a third added.
‘Whoever did the Mattel Wicked Dolls packaging is COOKED,’ a fourth wrote.
The conversation has spread to other social media platforms, where users are sharing their own experiences and emphasising the gravity of the situation.
‘I work in manufacturing. This is on a LOT of people,’ one wrote.
‘There’s multiple steps that this has to go through before being printed and not a single person thought to visit the website. Mattel didn’t think to purchase the domain.’
‘Fun fact: in elementary school, I asked my parents for tickets to see Wicked [the musical],’ one user recalled.
‘My dad told me to find them online so he could look and order. Naturally and logically, I type in ‘www.wicked.com’ into good ole internet explorer. I’m still traumatised 15 years later.’
Mattel has apologised for the error, saying, ‘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.’
The Wicked movie, which is set to hit cinemas on 21 November, has already made a splash with its stars debuting the film in Sydney on 3 November.
The cast, including Grande and Erivo, has been touring the world, promoting the movie and sharing their excitement with fans.
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