While it is one of the most anticipated films of the Christmas period, “Wicked”, the adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz”, is already controversial. Indeed, the packaging of the dolls bearing the likeness of the characters included a link to a pornographic site.
The Wizard of Oops. While the release of the film “Wicked” is announced for December 4, the adaptation of the musical comedy from the world of Oz is already making a lot of noise. And not necessarily for the right reasons… The famous toy manufacturer Mattel mistakenly printed the address of a pornographic site on the packaging of its dolls inspired by the feature film.
Somewhat…surprised customers
Instead of the film's official address, “WickedMovie.com,” the link “Wicked.com” was printed on the back of boxes containing toys from the “Barbie” maker, directing buyers to an adult site reserved for over 18s. And it was customers, somewhat surprised to see a pornographic platform displayed on their browser, who reported the error, particularly on X.A “regrettable mistake”
The Mattel company quickly recognized its clumsiness and apologized. “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate steps to remedy it. Parents are advised that the website address printed in error is not suitable for children,” the manufacturer said in a statement, calling on shoppers to “discard the packaging or hide the problematic link” to prevent children from inadvertently accessing it.If in France, the anecdote rather made people laugh, Mattel's blunder is a real thorn in the side from a marketing point of view in the United States, a relatively modest country. Because if the dolls were immediately withdrawn from online sales, those displayed in toy stores will take longer to disappear from the shelves. And with Christmas approaching, the maker behind “Barbie” is hoping its dolls won't end up under many Christmas trees.
Toys representing the characters of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The two actresses of the film “Wicked”, an adaptation of the Broadway musical inspired by “The Wizard of Oz”, did not react to the controversy.
