Still from the movie “Wicked”
Source: Universal Studios
Thousands Mattels “Wicked” brand fashion dolls are flying off the shelves, but not because of consumer demand.
The toy company was forced to withdraw its range of character dolls due to a printing error on the packaging. Instead of listing the website for Universals In the packaging of the “Wicked” film was a link to a pornographic website run by a group called Wicked Pictures.
“Mattel has been made aware of a printing error on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked Collection dolls, sold primarily in the United States, that was intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page,” Mattel said in a statement. “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to correct it. Parents are advised that the misprinted and incorrect website is not suitable for children. Consumers who already own the product are advised to discard the product packaging or cover the link and possibly.” For further information, please contact Mattel customer service.
Goal, Walmart And Amazon had removed the series of “Wicked” dolls from its online shops as of Monday afternoon Best buyBarnes & Noble and Macy's. The products were also sold under Kohl's and DSW, among other retailers. Some sites continued to take action on the listings throughout Monday.
It's unclear whether Mattel will reprint the packages or provide retailers with stickers to cover the incorrect website domain. Mattel did not respond to CNBC's request for additional comment after issuing its initial statement.
“As with any business, mistakes can happen in the toy industry,” said James Zahn, editor-in-chief of The Toy Book. “This was likely an innocent oversight that made it through the normal processes. Most consumers – children and adults alike – will never read the fine print on a package, and at the end of the day, the packaging is designed to end up in the box.” The likelihood of a child reading the back of a doll box and to that propensity to go online and visit the website is quite low.
The mishap occurred as Universal flooded retail shelves with “Wicked”-related products ahead of the film's Nov. 22 release. Just in time for the crucial holiday season, the green and pink tidal wave is likely to give retail a strong boost.
However, the cost of removing the dolls could result in a hit to Mattel's sales.
“I suspect the impact depends on the solution, which we don’t know yet,” said Jaime Katz, an analyst at Morningstar.
“Resellers are the big winners in the short term, as this glitch sparked an uproar this weekend as retail shelves were quickly emptied by opportunists looking to make a quick buck by selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace,” Zahn noted .
Dozens of Mattel dolls in the misprinted packaging are already available on eBay with list prices ranging from $40 to $2,100. The dolls cost between $20 and $40 depending on the character and outfit.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is the distributor of “Wicked.”
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