Universal Studios Orlando has opened a merchandise location dedicated to the movie adaptation of the Broadway show Wicked. The new pop up shop is inside the Universal Studios theme park and takes the place of the former Hello Kitty store.
The new store opened just a week after a misprint on official packaging for Wicked dolls directed children to a graphic adult website. This begs the question, is the Wicked merchandise sold at Universal Studios safe for kids?
Glinda’s dorm room from the movie Wicked on display at Universal Studios Orlando – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
READ: ‘Wicked’ Merchandise Mistake Sends Children to Graphic, Unintended Website
What’s included in the Universal Studios Wicked Store?
The new location features sets and costume from the original movie and comprises three different rooms.
The first resembles Shiz University, the college that both Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) attend. Another is the Emerald City, a location made famous in the original 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Finally, there’s a room of merchandise at the end.
Is the Wicked Merchandise at Universal Studios Safe for Kids?
This Universal Wicked merchandise store opens just a week after dolls modeled after the film’s two lead actresses released in stores with a misprinted website URL printed on the packaging. The URL directed children toward a graphic adult website also named “Wicked.”
Wicked Merchandise at Universal Studios Orlando – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
READ: Mattel Apologizes For ‘Wicked’ Movie Doll ‘Misprint’ That Directed Children To Graphic Website
Mattel removed these dolls, with the toy company issuing an apology soon after.
“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.”
The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/iW4mNVAlPE
— just2good (Sarah Genao) (@just2goodYT) November 9, 2024
None of the merchandise in the store appeared to have the misprinted site or even the film’s actual URL on the packaging.
A food kiosk in Universal Studios Orlando themed to Wicked – Photo Credit: M. Montanaro
What Does the Wicked Merch Store Say About How Universal Views This Movie?
Universal even re-themed a food kiosk just outside the store to bring it in line with the Wicked IP.
This shows a lot of confidence by Universal in the upcoming film and the strong marketing push the movie is making toward it. Re-theming an entire merch location in such a way goes above and beyond how Universal typically promotes upcoming films. The company usually releases advertising signage or inflatables in the park that it can easily break down after a theatrical run.
However, Universal clearly sees Wicked as a multi-year investment, since the studio broke the original script into two separate films (a fact Universal conveniently hid from all advertising ahead of the November 22 release).
Wicked Part Two releases November 2025.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the trailer for the Wicked movie, YouTube – Universal Pictures
So it’s entirely possible that the company will keep this location open for the next year before theming the shop to something else after Part 2 has its run.
Wicked is expected to draw a large amount at the box office despite the antics of its main star, Cynthia Erivo.
‘WICKED’ actress Cynthia Erivo slams fan made poster edit on Instagram, and calls it offensive-
“None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.” pic.twitter.com/gr9uCaCOgS
— Geeks + Gamers (@GeeksGamersCom) October 17, 2024
READ: Rachel Zegler Snow White Reboot Snubbed & IGNORED by Bob Iger During Disney Q4 Earnings Call
The longtime Broadway star and Academy Award nominee made waves recently when she flew off the handle on social media after a fan made subtle edits to the Wicked movie poster to bring it more in line with the classic Broadway artwork.
A Screenshot of Ariana Grande From the Wicked Movie Trailer, YouTube – Universal Pictures
Erivo called it the “Wildest, most offensive” thing she’d ever seen, despite the fact that the only major edits were casting her eyes in shadow and changing the color of her lipstick. Still, the actress accused the fan of trying to erase and demean her through the edit.
Will you be seeing the Wicked movie? Will you buy any Universal Wicked merchandise for the anticipated release? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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