TOY manufacturer Mattel have removed thousands of its ‘Wicked’-branded dolls off the shelves after discovering a x-rated printing error on the packaging.

The dolls were made in collaboration with the movie adaptation of the award-winning musical ‘Wicked’, fashioned after the characters.

CNBC reported that the website link printed on the dolls’ packaging lead to a pornographic website instead of the ‘Wicked’ movie adaptation’s official website.

Quoting Mattel’s apology statement, the company stated it was “aware” of a misprint on the doll’s packaging, mainly sold in US, intended to direct consumers to the movie’s landing page.

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“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,” Mattel was quoted as saying.

The company also advised consumers who have already purchased the dolls with the misprint to throw away the packaging or “obsure”, as quoted, the website link.

Following the misprint revelation, several online retailers across the US have pulled the dolls off their shelves as of Monday (Nov 11).

However, it is unclear if the toy manufacturing company will release the dolls with the correct print details or provide stickers to cover the mistakenly printed link.

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Toy giant Mattel says it "deeply" regrets an error on the packaging of its "Wicked" movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.

The site has a similar address to one that promotes a film adaptation of the hit musical. The toymaker apologized for the “unfortunate error.”

The post Mattel mistakenly lists porn site on packaging for ‘Wicked’ dolls appeared first on Boston.com.

Mattel is pulling its Wicked dolls from some store shelves because of a misprint directing shoppers to a pornographic site. Meanwhile, resellers are listing the products on eBay for up to $500.

Something bad is happening in Oz.

Last week, fans of Wicked, the musical-soon-to-be-movie, headed to retailers including Target, Walmart, and Macy’s to pick up Mattel’s limited-edition Wicked Barbie dolls ahead of the film’s release on November 22. At first, it seemed like any other Mattel collaboration—until a few fans started searching the URL printed on the back of the box, which led not to the Wicked movie website, as intended, but to a parody porn site of the same name. 

Mattel has apologized for the mix-up and promised to “remedy” the error, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about how such an egregious typo could’ve made its way to the box in the first place. One popular theory, which has garnered more than 62,000 likes on X, is that the mistake had something to do with AI.

In an email to Fast Company, Mattel’s Barbie & Dolls director of global brand communications wrote, “I can confirm AI was not used on packaging for Mattel Wicked collection dolls.”

Though AI has been the culprit of plenty of misguided marketing snafus, the tweet demonstrates a misunderstanding of how Mattel is actually using AI tools in its packaging development process—and shows that, even as AI gains popularity with creative teams as a production tool, human error is alive and well.

The official Mattel Wicked dolls link to a porn site on the box ???????? pic.twitter.com/iW4mNVAlPE

— just2good (Sarah Genao) (@just2goodYT) November 9, 2024

Can we blame a chatbot for this?

In June, Fast Company covered Mattel’s announcement that it planned to use Adobe Firefly, a generative AI software, as part of its packaging development process. At the time, Mattel’s chief design officer Chris Down clarified that the tech would be used to help visualize fantastical new concepts and speed up time-consuming processes, like fine-tuning a background in Photoshop. The company’s guidelines around generative AI tools specified that Firefly could not be used to generate subject matter itself, like the actual doll (or, in this case, the accompanying text). 

Nevertheless, an X user shared Fast Company’s original headline alongside the news of the Wicked typo with the caption “Smash cut to four months later.” One commenter under the post wrote, “how did I know this mistake happened bc they’re using AI.” Another added, “The future is so, so dumb.”

Mattel has previously been open about how it’s used AI for doll packaging. In early October, the first Mattel packaging featuring input from Adobe Firefly hit shelves. The company explained to AdAge at the time that its new Holiday Barbie and Sue Bird Barbie packages incorporated backgrounds generated by Firefly, which had then been touched up by human designers. It’s important to note that, for a brand as wide-reaching as Mattel, AI is not being used in the design process without guardrails around both IP and image quality. Any visuals provided by Firefly are vetted and edited by multiple human designers before they ever reach the actual box.

At this stage, it’s highly unlikely that Mattel would trust an AI software to write the final copy for their packaging. It appears that the Wicked Barbie typo was a plain old instance of human error—if a somewhat inconceivable one. As of this writing, Mattel hasn’t responded to Fast Company‘s request for comment on how the mistake may have been made during the design process.

The fallout

In a statement on the Wicked packaging misprint, Mattel shared, “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 and may contact Mattel Customer Service for further information.” 

While it’s unclear exactly what steps Mattel plans to take to “remedy” the issue, retailers including Target, Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s had already pulled the dolls from shelves as of midday Monday. 

Meanwhile, there are a few parties benefitting from the unfortunate situation. Variety reports that the mistakenly shared porn site has seen a 12-year surge in traffic after the incident, and several eBay users have taken this opportunity to massively mark up their Wicked dolls in original packaging. One pack of seven different dolls, advertised as “IN MISPRINT ERROR BOX,” is currently going for $3,500. 

Mattel is sure to take a financial and reputational hit from this incident. Still, the news pick-up, social media speculation, and pricey eBay reselling demonstrate how a simple mistake can turn a run-of-the-mill product drop into something fans will remember—for better or worse.

Un error tipográfico en las cajas ha envuelto a la empresa de juguetes en una gran polémica que asegura que tomará "acciones inmediatas para remediarlo" Leer

The Stranger's only news round-up. by Nathalie Graham

International District stabbings: On Friday, someone stabbed five people in what appears to be a random, unprovoked attack in Seattle's Chinatown International District. The same person is believed to be responsible for other stabbings in the neighborhood that occurred between Thursday and Friday. In total, police believe the suspect stabbed nine victims in two days. Police arrested the suspect on Friday. His bail was set for $2 million.

Back at it: Around 300 people gathered over the weekend at the Space Needle for a rally against Donald Trump's re-election. It feels like we were protesting Donald Trump's presidency just yesterday. Time is a flat circle when your country keeps electing a fascist.  

Hundreds of immigrants, students, activists and union workers are protesting in Seattle against U.S. imperialism, violent policies against migrants, police violence and structural economic violence and exploitation by the capitalist class. pic.twitter.com/dZ9JFFPAii

— Guy Oron (@GuyOron) November 9, 2024

Wet, wet, wet: The rain is here. I hope you like it. 

????️ Showers are here to stay, with wet conditions on track through the week. #WAwx pic.twitter.com/0yM2lMdZH7

— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) November 11, 2024

Income tax when? According to 2023 census data, the median wages for tech workers in the Seattle area last year was about $157,200. That's a $14,000 increase from 2022's tech-worker wage estimate, according to the Seattle Times' FYI Guy. Meanwhile, the median income for non-tech workers in Seattle was about $81,100 and only bumped up a measly $2,800 since 2022. 

Vaccinate your kids: Stop being stupid and get your kids their shots. Whooping cough is on the rise with nearly 1,200 cases documented statewide. Of those cases, over 80% are in children. "This is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re starting to see the impact of waning immunization," Dr. James Lewis, a health officer with the Snohomish County Health Department, told KIRO7. 

Help SIFF staff out: Go see a secret staff pick on Wednesday and throw a few bucks in the kitty to help support SIFF workers who are out of a job now that the Egyptian Theater out of commission. 

A pipe burst at The Egyptian and SIFF staff need our community’s support!

Join us on November 13th at 7pm for a free screening of a VERY secret and VERY good movie. Tickets are free, but please donate to the fundraiser linked on our web page! https://t.co/AjQjZHaWJf pic.twitter.com/GLANjC3Hrs

— Northwest Film Forum (@nwfilmforum) November 9, 2024

Analysis suggests Gaza dead are mostly women and children: New analysis from the United Nations Human Rights Office found that 70% of those killed by Israel in Gaza were women and children. The UN verified the details of 8,119 people killed in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. Of them, 26 percent were women. Around 44 percent were children, most commonly between five and nine years old. The report said the data indicates "an apparent indifference to the death of civilians and the impact of the means and methods of warfare." 

Wildfire to the East: Dry, windy conditions are to blame for a brush fire in New Jersey that now covers 39 acres. The blaze is currently 30% contained. Meanwhile, at least six more fires are burning in the state. And at the same time, two acres burned in the middle of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, killing a teenage park ranger. Wildfires have increased in east coast states thanks to historic droughts. Boston to New York City and Philadelphia to Washington, D.C are under red flag warnings. The bad news is everything is going to get worse thanks to who we elected president. 

Meanwhile: A California blaze tearing through Ventura County is 31% contained and still covers 32 square miles.

Trump chooses UN ambassador: New York Rep. Elise Stefanik has been chosen to fill the role. Stefanik, who serves as House Republican Conference Chair, is a Trump loyalist with little foreign policy experience. Trump called her a “strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.” 

Bird flu in Canada: The first presumptive case of bird flu in a human has been identified in British Columbia. The infected person is a teenager who likely contracted the illness from contact with animals. So far, the virus hasn't spread from human to human. 

Another abortion horror story: A woman in Georgia was 18 weeks pregnant with her second child when she miscarried. Despite her bleeding and her risk of serious infection, doctors could not perform a routine dilation and curettage due to abortion laws. They had to wait 24 hours or until the woman seemed like she might die unless she received the surgery. Sure enough, they waited until her hemoglobin levels were perilously low and then operated. While she survived, the pain and fear she went through was not medically necessary. Her pain was legislated.

Wicked whoopsie: Mattel released special dolls for the new Wicked movie. On the bottom of the packaging, Mattel listed "Wicked.com" to drive people to the movie site. Only Wicked.com is a porn site that makes parody porn movies. Mattel said sorry. 

A song for your Monday: You like to groove, right?

Mattel has apologized after inadvertently directing customers of its new line of Wicked dolls to a pornographic website, stating it is taking action to remove the misprinted toys' packaging.

Mattel has apologized after inadvertently directing customers of its new line of Wicked dolls to a pornographic website, stating it is taking action to remove the misprinted toys' packaging.

Who says neuroscience can’t be fun? The toy giant Mattel makes Mindflex, a toy that lets players control a ping pong ball with their brain waves. I wrote about the toy way back in 2009, and was surprised to find it was still selling. It seemed like a gimmick when introduced, and I didn’t expect […]

The post Mattel Mindflex Game: Brain-controlled Neuro-Toy appeared first on Neuromarketing.

Toy giant Mattel says it "deeply" regrets an error on the packaging of its Wicked movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website.

Recently-released dolls tied to the new Wicked movie inadvertently carry the address of an adult website.

Toy giant freezes purchases from supplier accused of deforestation.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In an action for copyright infringement and breach of an employment agreement arising out of defendant's sale of a toy doll idea to a competitor of plaintiff instead of disclosing and assigning it to plaintiff as required by the agreement, an injunction in favor of plaintiff is vacated where: 1) the district court’s imposition of a constructive trust forcing defendant-corporation to hand over its sweat equity was an abuse of discretion and must be vacated; 2) because the agreement’s language was ambiguous and some extrinsic evidence supported each party’s reading, the district court erred by granting summary judgment to plaintiff on this issue and holding that the agreement clearly assigned works made outside the scope of defendant's employment; and 3) the district court’s error in construing the employment agreement was sufficient to vacate the copyright injunction.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In copyright infringement action brought by plaintiff, maker of Barbie dolls, against defendant, maker of Bratz dolls, judgment for defendant on counterclaim for trade secret misappropriation and awarding attorney fees for prevailing on copyright claim is: 1) reversed and remanded on defendant's counterclaim for trade secret misappropriation which did not rest on the same "aggregate core of facts" as plaintiff's claim, was thus, not compulsory; but 2) the district court did not abuse its discretion in awarding defendant fees and costs under the Copyright Act.

Company introduces realistic versions of the iconic dolls.

Toy industry expert Jim Silver, CEO of TTPM talks about Mattel's new Barbies which will come in petite, tall and curvy and how they will impact falling barbie sales. Bobbi Rebell reports.

The brand behind Barbie has released a new line of toys inspired by emergency care workers to honour those fighting coronavirus.

Consumers stocked up on board games, not Barbie dolls, amid the coronavirus pandemic, sending Mattel's sales in the first quarter tumbling.

Check out the companies making headlines after the bell.

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz told "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer he expects a "good holiday season" if the retail environement returns to normal.