The Wicked movie has grown just as famous for its poster design controversies as it has for the film itself—and now, with only a few weeks left until its theatrical release, it’s making headlines for another unexpected design mess: accidentally promoting a porn site on the packaging of its children’s dolls.
Yep, you read that correctly. In a major oversight, Mattel’s Glinda and Elphaba dolls—modeled after the characters played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the upcoming film—hit U.S. store shelves with a critical mistake: the packaging listed the web address www.wicked.com instead of the intended official site, www.wickedmovie.com. Talk about an awkward mix-up!
Mattel has since apologized for the blunder, releasing a statement to CNN that clarified the error. “Mattel was recently made aware of a misprint on the packaging for our Wicked collection dolls—products primarily sold in the U.S.—which was supposed to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page,” the company said.
“We deeply regret this unfortunate mistake and are taking immediate steps to fix it,” the statement continued. “We want to advise parents that the misprinted website is not appropriate for children. For those who have already purchased the dolls, we recommend discarding the packaging entirely or covering up the incorrect link.”
This slip-up is a stark reminder of just how crucial it is to thoroughly proofread designs—down to every last detail of the text. Even a tiny typo or wrong URL can lead to major (and embarrassing) consequences, especially when the product is meant for kids.
For context: The Wicked in question here is the Universal Pictures film (not the adult site), an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. It tells an alternate take on the classic story, with Part 1 set to hit theaters on November 22 and Part 2 following in November 2025.
Meanwhile, Mattel shows no signs of slowing down its own movie ambitions: the toy giant continues to develop films based on nearly every product in its lineup—even the classic View-Master.
