During a recent trip to Universal Orlando Resort’s new Wicked merchandise store, That Park Place discovered that the theme park is still selling misprinted merchandise that originally directed children to a graphic website.
Someone altered the merchandise to cover the misprinted URL, but determined shoppers can still uncover it.
A doll of Elphaba from Wicked that features a censored website on the back of the box – Photo Credit, M. Montanaro
READ: Mattel Sued Over ‘Wicked’ Merchandise Misprint That Sent Kids to Obscene Website
The doll in question resembles a Barbie-type Mattel doll depicting characters from the smash hit Universal film, including Elphaba, Glinda, and Nessarose. The original packaging featured a misprinted website that directed buyers to an obscene website, prompting a mother to file a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Mattel for “emotional distress.”
Shortly after retailers discovered the misprint, stores everywhere pulled the merchandise from shelves. This included Target, Walmart, and Universal Studios Orlando. Many assumed the dolls would be recalled and shipped again with new packaging.
However, someone simply altered the misprinted dolls’ packaging at Universal to cover the website and returned them to store shelves.
The toy line for the new Wicked movie directs to p*rn… 😮‼️ pic.twitter.com/6Hm2KQpARf
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) November 10, 2024
In the post above, you can see the original placement of the website printed on the package. In the image below, you’ll see a price sticker and a thin piece of black tape covering the website listing.
Alterations to packaging for Wicked dolls covering a graphic website – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
READ: Wicked Wins the Domestic Box Office but Loses to Gladiator 2 Internationally, Has Glicked Begun?
When you peel the tape back, you see that Universal also crossed out the website URL with a black marker. However, it remains visible when you look closely, as shown in the image below.
The revealed inappropriate website printed on Wicked Merchandise boxes, now back on shelves – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
Wicked continues to perform well at the box office, earning over $460 million worldwide in the last few weeks. Merchandise for the film appears in nearly every major U.S. retail store. Simply put, Wicked is one of the biggest movies of the year.
This leads to the question: Why didn’t Mattel have to absorb the cost of the misprinted packaging and take responsibility for its mistake? The Barbie and Hot Wheels toy company issued a quick apology after the misprint’s discovery.
The exterior of the Wicked Merchandise store at Universal Studios Orlando – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
“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,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
A Screenshot of Ariana Grande From the Wicked Movie Trailer, YouTube – Universal Pictures
Mattel apparently responded to its mistake by obscuring the packaging rather than recalling and re-releasing the products.
Do you think Mattel should have recalled and re-issued these Wicked dolls? Are you satisfied with Mattel’s attempt at obscuring the offensive link? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know!
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Why would this be a big deal? Most people would simply discard the packaging after opening. It would be a collector’s item otherwise if unopened and unaltered.
Because its porn with a click of a Mobile phone that is available for children, and they are selling the link as “toy/merchandise shop” which makes children want to look, i dont now if its a mistake or in purpouse, Disney is a massive grooming corpo right now, either way i think under US law thats an actual crime? Probably. I Hope they get sued
Nah, that website is protected with a paywall. If you’re persistent and lucky then maybe you’ll find some tits, that’s all. And let’s not forget that it was printed behind the box alongside with a microscopic text that no kid would bother to read.
What really worries Mattel are the illitigations from these gold hunters.
The package has the website blacked out. No one will see it. That’s what the article said.
This is a Universal property the article literally says in the title. Not everything is Disney’s doing (yet)