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Mattel has been hit with a class-action lawsuit after dolls created by the toy company in collaboration with Universal Pictures’ new movie “Baddies” were released on packaging that included the address of a pornographic website.
According to legal documents filed Tuesday, a South Carolina woman is suing Mattel after she bought an “Ugly” doll for her daughter.
The dolls, which are likenesses of movie stars, are special edition items released on Nov. 11 before the movie opens in theaters on Nov. 22.
‘BAD’ DIRECTOR SHARES FIRST CAST OF ARIANA GRANDE AND CYNTHIA ERIVO
Mattel is being sued after dolls created in collaboration with Universal Pictures’ new movie, “Wicked,” were released in packaging that included the address of a pornographic website. (Fox News Digital / Fox News)
The lawsuit alleges that the woman’s daughter visited a website written on the back of the toy’s packaging. The official website for the movie, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is “wickedmovie.com.”
Court documents say the woman’s daughter was “shocked” when she discovered the website included in the package had “nothing to do with Bad Doll” and instead watched “pornographic ad scenes on her phone screen.”
According to court documents, the scenes were “intense, full of nudity and depictions of actual sex.”
The lawsuit continued, “The plaintiff’s young daughter immediately showed her mother the pictures and they were both shocked by what they saw. If the plaintiff had known that there was a flaw in the product, she would not have purchased it.”
The Universal Pictures musical stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)
The documents allege that although Mattel issued a recall request on November 11, no refunds were given to customers who purchased the dolls.
The complainant said that she and her daughter were “emotionally distressed” because of the error in the doll’s packaging.
“Plaintiff seeks to recover damages because the Products are infringing, infringing, and inappropriate for their intended and advertised age-appropriate audiences,” the lawsuit states.
A representative for Mattel declined to comment on the lawsuit, but shared a statement that read, “The Wicked Dolls are back for sale with appropriate packaging at online retailers and stores to meet strong consumer demand for the products.”
The statement continued, “The pre-packaged misprint in no way affects the value or gaming experience provided by the product itself with a limited number of units sold prior to the correction. We express our gratitude to our buyers and sellers for their understanding and patience while we work to correct this issue.”
The lawsuit included photos of the packaging for the “Wicked” doll modeled after Grande’s character Glinda. (Marleen Moise/WireImage/Getty Images)
On November 10, Fox News Digital reported that the adult site’s URL was printed on the back of the packaging on more than one Mattel doll.
The link directs to a page that requires people 18 or older to enter. The dolls, sold at stores such as Target, Kohls and Amazon, advertise that the toy is safe for children over 4 years old, but poses a serious risk to those under 3 years old.
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In a statement provided to Fox News Digital at the time, Mattel expressed regret for what they called a “terrible mistake.”
“Mattel has been made aware of a typo in the listing of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, which are top sellers in the US, that were intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to correct this. Parents are advised that the website poorly printed, not suitable for children Customers who already own the product are advised to discard the product packaging or blur the link and you can contact the Service For Mattel customers for more information.”
Mattel later apologized for the packaging error and recalled the dolls. (Fox News Digital / Getty Images)
On Nov. 12, USA Today reported that the dolls had been pulled from store shelves and were no longer available for purchase online at major retailers.
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Some toys inspired by “Wrong”, produced by Lego and Funko, do not include a site address for adults.
The big screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name, “Wicked” has become a hit, grossing more than $359.3 million at the global box office since its release.
Caroline Thayer of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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