Mattel is facing a lawsuit after mistakenly including the web address of an adult content site on the packaging of its special-edition "Wicked" dolls. The misprinted text showed a link that led to an adult site instead of wickedmovie.com.
A South Carolina woman named Holly Ricketson filed the class-action suit after buying the doll for her daughter, who ended up visiting the explicit website. Court documents reveal the misprint directed users to a site linked to an adult entertainment company instead of the intended promotional page for the movie Wicked, featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
The plaintiff claims Mattel failed to provide a refund and alleges emotional harm for both herself and her child due to the error. Mattel recalled the dolls on November 11 but failed to make any refunds despite admitting the errors.
How has Mattel responded to the lawsuit?
Mattel released a statement on November 10 acknowledging the error. They said:
“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,”
Mattel apologized for the mistake and urged parents to keep kids away from the incorrect website. They advised customers to either throw away or cover the packaging and to reach out to their customer service for help.
Mattel took swift action by removing the "Wicked" dolls from major retailers like Target, Amazon, and Kohl’s after discovering a misprint on the packaging.
In a follow-up statement, Mattel confirmed that the corrected dolls were back on shelves and available online to meet high demand. The company emphasized that the misprint did not affect the quality or play value of the product, though it declined to comment on the ongoing legal action.
Universal Pictures, associated with the Wicked film, did not comment on the incident. However, Universal’s marketing chief, Michael Moses, later noted that the packaging error had no negative impact on the movie's performance. The musical opened to an impressive $112 million at the box office, ultimately grossing $360 million globally.
Mattel was involved in another major lawsuit a month back
UCLA and its health system had filed a lawsuit against toy giant Mattel, accusing the company of failing to honor a $49 million donation commitment to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
According to the lawsuit, Mattel agreed in 2017 to provide the funds over a 12-year period to support the hospital’s operations and initiatives. The partnership between UCLA and Mattel dates back to 1998 when the company donated $25 million to help construct the hospital’s Westwood campus. In return, the hospital incorporated Mattel’s name.
Initially, the collaboration flourished, with Mattel delivering funds on schedule and even hosting annual fundraising events, such as a Santa Monica Pier party, to benefit the hospital.
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However, UCLA alleged that after the 2017 pledge, Mattel attempted to substitute the promised donation with a smaller cash amount and in-kind contributions, such as Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels toys. The university contended that this fell far short of the agreed amount, prompting legal action under California law. The lawsuit was settled in November.
The current lawsuit filed on December 3 demands over $5 million in compensation for U.S. consumers who purchased "Wicked" dolls. According to the Guardian, the complaint alleges that Mattel acted negligently, distributed products unsuitable for the market, and breached California's consumer protection laws.
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