A South Carolina mother is suing toy company Mattel after purchasing a Wicked-themed doll that unintentionally directed users to a pornographic website. The lawsuit, filed on December 3 in a Los Angeles federal court, claims emotional distress after her daughter discovered the graphic content using a web address printed on the doll’s packaging.
The dolls, inspired by Universal Pictures’ Wicked movie, were supposed to celebrate the characters Glinda and Elphaba, played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Instead, the listed URL mistakenly redirected users to an adult site instead of the intended WickedMovie.com.
Court documents allege the mother’s daughter followed the link and showed her the inappropriate site, leaving them both “horrified.” The lawsuit accuses Mattel of negligence, claiming the mistake made the product “adulterated, worthless, and unfit for its advertised age-appropriate audience.” It also states that had the mother known about the defect, she would not have purchased the doll.
Mattel has not commented on the legal action but issued a statement acknowledging the misprint. The company noted that updated dolls with corrected packaging are now available for purchase, stating the error “in no way impacts the value or play experience provided by the product itself.”
The incident comes as the Wicked movie, released on November 22, continues to dominate the box office, earning $114 million in its first weekend and an additional $80 million the following week. Inspired by the hit Broadway musical, the movie and merchandise have been highly anticipated by fans.
