Mother sues toy company Mattel over porn website printed on Wicked doll packaging
Toy giant Mattel is being sued by a mother who says her daughter accessed a porn website via a link on the packaging for a Wicked doll.
The company released dolls of characters played by British actress Cynthia Erivo and US singer Ariana Grande in the film version of the hit musical.
But instead of featuring an address to the movie’s website, a porn site sharing the name of the movie was mistakenly printed on the packaging.
The mistake was spotted last month and the dolls were recalled on 11 November.
A class action lawsuit has now been filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
Court documents state Holly Ricketson from South Carolina gave a doll to her daughter who then visited an adult entertainment website through the link.
She said her child showed her hardcore photographs and both were “horrified” by what they saw, suffering emotional distress.
Ms Ricketson said she would not have bought the doll had she known about the mistake and claimed Mattel had not offered a refund despite recalling the dolls.
The lawsuit said the dolls were packaged in boxes with an “inexcusable error”.
Mattel has declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in a statement that sales of Wicked dolls with correct packaging have resumed in stores and online.
When the mistake was initially identified, the California-based toymaker said it “deeply regrets” the misprint, which was “not appropriate for children”, saying it had intended to direct customers to the WickedMovie.com page.
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Mattel recommends the dolls for children aged four and up.
The lawsuit seeks at least $5m (£3.94m) in damages for anyone in the US who bought Wicked dolls with the error on their packaging.
It accuses Mattel of negligence, selling products unfit for sale, and violating California consumer protection laws.