Mattel sued by mom over ‘Wicked’ merchandise with link to porn site

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As a mother who has always strived to protect my children from the harsh realities of the world, I find it utterly appalling that a reputable company like Mattel would allow such a blatant oversight to occur. My daughter, an innocent child, was exposed to explicit content due to a misprinted link on a doll’s packaging meant for her age group. This is not just a simple mistake; it’s a violation of trust and a breach of safety measures that should have been in place.

A South Carolina mom is suing Mattel after links to an adult website appeared on the packaging of its line of “Wicked” dolls.

Holly Ricketson, initially referred to as the plaintiff, recently initiated a class-action lawsuit. She declared that her underage daughter accessed an adult content website through her iPhone, after coming across it on the packaging of the “Wicked” doll she had purchased for her just last month. The filing of this lawsuit took place on Tuesday at the federal court located in California’s Central District.

According to the lawsuit, the website had no connection to the Wicked Doll. Instead, explicit pornographic ads were inappropriately displayed on the victim’s phone screen by Wicked.com.

Hollywood Inc.

Mattel expresses regret and withdraws the ‘Wicked’-themed doll collection from retailers following an error in their website link that redirected customers to an adult content platform instead.

The depicted scenes were explicit, full-blown nude pornography showing actual sexual acts. Upon seeing these images, the plaintiff’s daughter quickly showed them to her mother, and both were shocked and distressed by their content. Had the plaintiff known about this inappropriate flaw in the product before purchasing it, she would not have made the purchase.

After it was found out that there was a mistake in labeling the toy’s link, the manufacturer expressed their regret. It turned out that instead of directing customers to the correct website for the movie (wickedmovie.com), the error sent them to Wicked Pictures, an adult film company specializing in independent productions.

To tie in with Universal’s blockbuster movie release, we introduced our new products, showcasing Elphaba and Glinda dolls in their packaging. Notably, Cynthia Erivo portrays Elphaba in the film, while Ariana Grande plays the role of Glinda.

As a passionate advocate, I can confidently say that the highly acclaimed movie, rated PG, has already earned over $275 million in box office sales within the United States and Canada.

The toy manufacturer Mattel discovered an error on the packaging of their Mattel Wicked collection dolls, mainly sold in the U.S., which was meant to guide consumers to the official WickedMovie.com website. In a statement, they expressed regret for this unintended mistake and are swiftly taking steps to correct it.

The toy maker advised parents that the label was incorrect and directed consumers who had already purchased the product to discard its packaging and contact Mattel Customer Service.

Mattel decided to withdraw the dolls from online marketplaces and brick-and-mortar stores like Target, a partner of Universal in the film. (Or) Mattel chose to remove the dolls from e-commerce platforms and stores such as Target, one of Universal’s retail partners for the movie.

Instead, Ricketson argues that the company didn’t provide refunds to customers who had previously bought the dolls. Additionally, she states her child suffered emotional distress due to incorrect labeling on the product packaging.

Mattel chose not to offer comments regarding the ongoing lawsuit. Earlier this week, though, they released a statement to Deadline and several other media platforms.

Mattel announced that the popular Wicked Dolls are back on shelves, both online and in physical stores, with correctly packaged versions. This is to cater to the high consumer interest in these products. Mattel also reassured customers that any packaging errors from earlier sales do not affect the value or play experience of the dolls themselves.

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2024-12-06 02:56