(Updated with Mattel statement) “Something just takes over me and when it does, bad things happen,” says the Cynthia Erivo-portrayed Elphaba in Wicked, and certainly a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed today over a XXX connection could be a very bad thing for Mattel.
Wicked is killing it at the box office and the heavily promo partnered Universal film has snagged hefty critical acclaim too, but now the Erivo and Ariana Grande-starring blockbuster is caught up in a potential class action over a porn site link on tie-in merchandise.
More from Deadline
“On or about November 11, 2024, Plaintiff purchased a Wicked Doll for her minor daughter,” says the seven-claim complaint from Holly Ricketson filed today in federal court in California.
“After opening the box that contained the Wicked Doll, Plaintiff’s minor daughter used an iPhone to visit the website shown on Defendant’s packaging,” the photo-illustrated filing against the toy giant goes on to say. “To her absolute shock, the website, ‘Wicked.com’, had nothing to do with the Wicked Doll. Rather, Wicked.com pasted scenes of pornographic advertisements across her phone screen.”
“These scenes were hardcore, full on nude pornographic images depicting actual intercourse, and can be available for an in-camera review by the court as necessary,” the jury trial-seeking action spotlighting Mattel adds. “Plaintiff’s minor daughter immediately showed her mother the photographs and both were horrified by what they say. If Plaintiff had been aware of such an inappropriate defect in the Product, she would not have purchased it.”
Besides the obvious, what really seems to have gotten under Ricketson’s skin is that at no point did Mattel even offer “any refund for consumers who had already purchased the dolls.”
Read the potential class action lawsuit against Mattel over porn links on Wicked merchandise here
To that, proclaiming “the controversy exceeds $5,000,000.00,” the complaint from Charleston, NC firm Poulin Willey Anastopoulo wants class certification for what was a widely reported SNAFU, as well as a wide variety of unspecified damages against the home of Barbie and Hot Wheels. Universal is not named as a defendant and neither is anyone connected with the film.
Quickly pulling the typo riddled dolls from the shelves of Target and other stores in a flurry last month as word of the very ill-considered link became known, Mattel said at the time: “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already have the product are advised to discard the product packaging or obscure the link and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.”
Universal, who has been breaking records left, right and center with the Jon M. Chu-helmed adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical, did not respond to request for comment on today’s potential XXX class action. If they do get back to us later, this post will be updated.
Mattel, on the other hand, did have something new to say today, sorta.
The company declined to comment on the litigation. They did, however, give Deadline the following statement Monday: “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. 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.
“We express our gratitude to our consumers and retailers for their understanding and patience while we worked to remedy the issue.”
Independent adult film company Wicked Pictures was founded in 1993, and was where adult film superstar Jenna Jameson made her debut. The company was mentioned several times in Donald Trump’s criminal case in New York earlier this year as Wicked Pictures was one of the sponsors of the celebrity golf tournament where the former and future POTUS met Stormy Daniels, who was working at the event to promote the company — the rest of that hookup is literally history.
As they say, no rest for the wicked.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for Deadline’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
