Mattel hit with lawsuit over Wicked movie dolls with link to porn site on box
Los Angeles, California - The special-edition Wicked movie dolls with packaging that accidentally printed a web link to a porn site have spawned a lawsuit against toy giant Mattel.
Per court documents filed in federal court in Los Angeles, South Carolina, resident Holly Ricketson is proposing a class action lawsuit against the Barbie manufacturer after her young daughter reportedly suffered "emotional distress" upon visiting an X-rated site mistakenly printed on the back of the packaging for her Wicked movie doll.
The packaging featured a web address to a porn site – www.wicked.com – that shares its name with the much-anticipated movie, whose official website link is actually www.WickedMovie.com
"These scenes were hardcore, full-on nude pornographic images depicting actual intercourse," the lawsuit reads.
"Plaintiff's minor daughter immediately showed her mother the photographs, and both were horrified by what they saw," it continued.
"If plaintiff had been aware of such an inappropriate defect in the product, she would not have purchased it."
Wicked dolls return to shelves after viral website mistake
When the misprint was first discovered in mid-November, Mattel pulled the affected toys from shelves at retailers and issued a statement warning consumers of the situation, advising those who had already bought the dolls to "discard the product packaging or obscure the link."
Mattel declined to comment on the case but has said, "The Wicked Dolls have returned for sale with correct packaging at retailers online and in stores to meet the strong consumer demand for the products."
They continued, "The previous misprint on the packaging in no way impacts the value or play experience provided by the product itself in the limited number of units sold before the correction."
Cover photo: Mattel