Someone is most definitely getting fired for this.
Wicked, one of the winter's most highly anticipated movies, has released a ton of merchandise and toys from companies like The Noble Collection, LEGO, and Mattel, but the latter has made a huge blunder on packaging for two dolls featuring the likenesses of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
On the back of boxes for Elphaba and Glinda dolls, there's a website URL for Wicked.com. The only problem is, the movie's actual website is WickedMovie.com...and Wicked.com just so happens to be a pornographic website.
"Established in Canoga Park, California on March 1st, 1993, Wicked Pictures was formed with a firm commitment to producing quality parody porn movies, a decision the company has stayed true [to] since its beginning," reads the description on the site.
For those of you wondering, their back catalogue includes the likes of Captain Marvel XXX: An Axel Braun Parody, and we'd imagine Wicked will be next for that treatment given the attention this news has generated for the adult entertainment company.
Mattel has since issued a statement on the mistake which reads, "Mattel 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."
"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's line of Wicked movie dolls are being sold at retailers like Target, Amazon and Kohl's, so pulling them from shelves will not be easy.
Perhaps coincidentally (or not), this blunder comes just months after Mattel announced plans to use generative AI to help the toy company's designers brainstorm and fine-tune packaging for a range of products.
Needless to say, we'd imagine there will be a lot of unhappy parents with this...
Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.
They're joined by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University's regal headmistress Madame Morrible; Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince; Tony nominee Ethan Slater as Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student; Marissa Bode in her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba's favoured sister; and pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration and arrives in theaters on November 22.