Not due to market demand, thousands of fashion dolls with the Mattel “Wicked” trademark are flying off the shelves.
A box mistake has prompted the toy firm to discontinue its character doll line. Boxes included a link to a pornographic website for a company called Wicked Pictures in place of the webpage for Universal’s “Wicked” film.
“A misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, which are mainly sold in the United States, was discovered by Mattel.” The misprint was meant to send customers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page, the company stated in a statement. “We sincerely apologize for this regrettable mistake and are acting right now to correct it.
Parents are cautioned that youngsters should not use the incorrectly printed webpage. Customers who already own the product are encouraged to throw away the box or hide the link. If they would want further information, they may get in touch with Mattel Customer Service.
As of Monday at noon, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s have all taken the “Wicked” doll line from their online stores. Among other stores, Kohl’s and DSW were also selling the goods. Throughout Monday, several websites continued to take action on the listings.
It’s unclear if Mattel will provide shops stickers to conceal the wrong internet URL or replace the kits. After releasing its original response, Mattel did not respond to CNBC’s request for more information.
“Mistakes can and do happen in the toy business, just like in any other business,” stated James Zahn, chief editor of The Toy Book. Most likely, this was a harmless mistake that passed through the regular procedures. The majority of customers, including children and adults, will never read the tiny print on a product, and the packaging is ultimately made to be thrown away. It seems unlikely that a child who reads the back of a doll box will be motivated to visit the website.
The incident occurs when Universal stuffs store shelves with merchandise linked to “Wicked” in anticipation of the movie’s November 22 release. It is anticipated that the green-and-pink flurry would significantly strengthen the retail sector in the lead-up to the important holiday season.
However, the expense of removing the dolls can have an effect on Mattel’s earnings.
Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz stated, “I guess the impact depends on the resolution, which we don’t know yet.”
“Resellers are the big winners in the short term, because this snafu caused a flipper frenzy this weekend, as opportunists looking to make a quick buck by selling on eBay or Facebook Marketplace quickly emptied retail shelves,” Zahn said.
Numerous Mattel misprinted dolls are already for sale on eBay, with list prices ranging from $40 to $2,100. The dolls’ retail prices ranged from $20 to $40, depending on the dress and persona.
