"This is like something out of Veep"— Memes erupt as internet reacts to major gaffe involving Mattel's Wicked dolls
Mattel has released an official apology after mistakenly featuring the URL of an adult entertainment website on the packaging of their new Wicked dolls. The toy brand came under fire over the weekend as individuals began sharing photos of the gaffe, which included a link to wicked.com instead of wickedmovie.com. Netizens have since taken to social media to react to the scandal.
Mattel produced special edition dolls in partnership with Universal Pictures. They produced their own rendition of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda, among other characters. The film’s official website, WickedMovie.com, was supposed to be printed on the packaging of the dolls. However, the URL that appeared on multiple packages directed consumers to a different website that requires users to be over the age of 18 to enter.
Mattel's Wicked dolls are currently being sold at multiple retailers, including Target, Amazon, and Kohl’s.
Several netizens took to the internet to react to the scandal, with one saying:
"This is like something out of veep"
Internet users found the scandal hilarious and flooded social media with reactions, some of which read:
“Someone’s a*s is about to be kicked into the sun,” a Reddit user said.
“I’m f**king dead. I can’t. That’s a hell of a f**k up,” another internet user said.
“Someone is definitely getting fired,” a platform user commented.
Erivo and Grande took to Instagram back in July to respond to the Mattel dolls. The former wrote online, “What a dream come true to be realized as Elphaba and Glinda in the form of Sweet Little dolls. Little Cynthia and little Ari are pleased.” Meanwhile, other reactions read:
“This movie must be cursed lol,” a Reddit user said.
“This movie marketing is such a disaster lmaooo,” an internet user said.
“How in the Hell did it make it to the shelves with the wrong website,” a platform user said.
The actors had not responded to the controversy at the time of writing this article. Meanwhile, other reactions read:
“This is so f**king funny to me,” a netizen stated.
“I feel like everything about this movie seems to be a clusterf**k,” a Reddit user said.
“Oof that is one big oopsie daisy,” a platform user said.
“We deeply regret this unfortunate error”—Mattel responds to their Wicked dolls controversy
The toy makers released an official statement to address the gaffe. They acknowledged the printing mistakes on the packages that were specially being sold in the U.S. They stated:
“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 to may contact Mattel customer service for further information.”
Apart from selling Mattel dolls, Wicked has collaborated with Lego. Their lineup includes Elphaba and Glinda figurines, the Shiz University, the Emerald City Collectable Toy and Tower Model, and Gilnda and Elphaba’s Dormitory.
The Wicked movie is set to release on November 22.