Opportunists are looking to cash in on an unfortunate error befalling the Wicked toy line.
Ebay has been flooded with offerings of Elphaba and Glinda character dolls from Universal‘s movie adaptation of the blockbuster musical after news broke that the packaging contained a link to an adult entertainment site — wicked.com — and not the film’s official website, wickedmovie.com
Listings touting the Mattel dolls’ “Porn MISPRINT!” and “RARE URL PORN ERROR” have been seeking $140 to $200 for the items, which retail for $25 to $40.
And collectors are paying those prices in the hopes that the dolls — which Mattel and Universal have scrambled to pull from retailer shelves — will only increase in value with the passage of time.
There have already been dozens of sales of the toys on eBay, with one going for as high as $250.
Mattel issued a statement of apology over the gaffe, saying the company “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.”
This would not be the first time an unfortunate misprint on a children’s product resulted in controversy.
Earlier this year, Target — the main retail partner for the Wicked toy line — had to recall a Black History Month educational kit after a TikTok user pointed out its magnetic figures misidentified key historical figures Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.
And a 1998 issue of Wolverine comics accidentally published an antisemitic slur in place of the word “killer.” Despite an attempt to recall and destroy all copies, many survived and are still available for sale online.
