Ever since Universal Pictures announced its plans to produce a film version of the Broadway musical 'Wicked,' the buzz has been so massive it's been impossible to avoid.
Even the company's marketing team has been working overtime, closing deals with multiple companies to develop 'Wicked'-themed products ranging from beauty to apparel to toys. The merchandise is invading stores all over the U.S. and filling nearly every retail space.
🚨Don’t miss this amazing Cyber Week Move! Get 60% off TheStreet Pro. Act now before it’s gone. 😲
From its debut on Nov. 22, 'Wicked' was a total success. It's currently in the sixth spot for highest box office ticket sales this year, grossing over $275 million domestically and more than $97 million internationally.
Mattel is one of the most popular toy and entertainment companies, owning renowned brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and Fisher-Price, which can be found at almost every retail store worldwide.
Related: Mattel makes 'Wicked' mistake and parents are angry
With such a successful toy company and a highly awaited movie, it was a no-brainer for the two to join forces and develop a line of joint products.
However, a small misprint became Mattel's biggest nightmare, unleashing backlash that could permanently damage its kid-friendly image.
Mattel's small misprint turns into a huge nightmare
Small mistakes can become huge problems, and this toy maker is suffering the consequences of its actions.
Mattel accidentally printed the wrong web address on its 'Wicked' dolls' packaging. This web address mistakenly led to a pornographic site with a similar name instead of directing people to the movie's official website.
On Nov. 10, the toy maker publicly apologized for the misprint on its packaging, intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. Mattel deemed the issue a manufacturing error, as the word "movie" was mistakenly removed.
Related: Disney settles controversial lawsuit by female employees
Although Mattel said it would take immediate action, it failed to state what steps it would take to fix the error.
“We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this. Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is inappropriate 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.”
After this terrible mishap, the doll collection was supposedly being removed from the shelves at Walmart (WMT), Macy's (M), Kohl's (KSS), Amazon (AMZN), and other stores. However, the selling of 'Wicked' dolls in new packaging containing the correct website has resumed.
An angry mother files a lawsuit against Mattel after purchasing a 'Wicked' doll
On Tuesday, Holly Ricketson, a South Carolina mother, filed a class-action lawsuit against the toy company Mattel (MAT) in a Los Angeles federal court for unjust enrichment, negligence, breach of express warranty, and breach of implied warranty of merchantability, which violates California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law, and Unfair Competition Law.
More Media & Entertainment News:
- Disney's college sports deal gives it a money-printing monopoly
- Disney's "Moana 2" just did something pretty incredible
- Netflix makes a major NFL announcement
The mother alleges that she bought a doll from Mattel's 'Wicked' collection for her underage daughter, who subsequently visited the adult entertainment website by using the link provided on the packaging.
Ricketson claims her daughter showed her the graphic content on the website, which led both to suffer emotional distress.
The mother also claimed that Mattel had not provided any refunds after the recall was made last month and added that if she had known about the misprint, she would've never purchased the doll.
The plaintiff seeks a minimum of $5 million in damages for anyone in the U.S. who purchased the 'Wicked' doll collection with the misprinted packaging.
Related: Veteran fund manager sees world of pain coming for stocks
