Mattel has had a PR nightmare this weekend, the company having to stop sales and recall some of its “Wicked” movie tie-in merchandise and issue a public apology. News broke earlier that the web address listed on the packaging for several character doll tie-ins wasn’t the official site (wickedmovie.com) for the film, but rather an adult website registered to its owner since 1994.
By Sunday afternoon, the entire Mattel-manufactured doll collection – ranging from fashion dolls, singing figurines to deluxe collectible models — were no longer available for sale at Target and was being pulled from shelves at Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Amazon.com and more. In a statement issued on Sunday, Mattel says they were made aware of the misprint and “deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this”.
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the popular Broadway musical boasts a high-profile cast is led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and has been celebrating in the success of a global promo tour this week. “Wicked” opens in theaters on November 22nd and is on track for a debut of over $100 million.
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