A South Carolina mother has sued Mattel for putting mistakenly a link to a porn site on dolls associated with its blockbuster movie Wicked.
The proposed class action suit filed in a Los Angeles federal court alleged that Holly Ricketson bought a Wicked doll for her daughter, who then followed the link on the box to an adult entertainment website.
Ricketson and her daughter were both “horrified” when they saw graphic pornographic images on the site, claiming to have experienced emotional distress following the incident.
“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 filings stated.
Ricketson said she would never have bought the doll if she had known what the site would show her and claimed that Mattel has not offered refunds despite the dolls being recalled on November 11.
Mattel confirmed in a statement that sales of the Wicked dolls with the link removed from the packaging had resumed in stores and online.
“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,” Mattel said.
With the doll recommended for ages four and up, the suit is accusing Mattel of negligence, selling products unfit for sale and violating consumer-protection laws in California. The lawsuit is seeking a minimum of $5 million in damages for people in the United States who bought the doll prior to the packaging changes being implemented.
The California-based toymaker intended to link purchasers to the WickedMovie.com website. Last month, people began sharing photos of the dolls’ packaging on social media, which showed the incorrect link. The packaging mistake was found on dolls for the movie’s main two characters, Glinda and Elphaba, who are played by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, respectively.
“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,” a Mattel statement read at the time.
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.”
B&T understands the dolls were mostly being sold in American department stores Target, Kohls and Amazon.
