In an alarming incident, a South Carolina mother has filed a lawsuit against toy giant Mattel, claiming that her daughter accessed a pornographic website due to a misprint on the packaging of a singing doll. The dolls, marketed in conjunction with the new film adaptation of Wicked, which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, were released last month.
According to Holly Ricketson, she purchased the doll for her daughter, only for the young girl to discover an adult website printed on the doll’s box. The lawsuit asserts that they were "horrified" upon viewing explicit content featuring "hardcore, full-on nude pornographic images." Ricketson's legal team states that the incident caused significant emotional distress for both mother and daughter.
The court documents characterize the printing error as "inexcusable," arguing that it rendered the dolls unfit for children. Ricketson claims she would not have purchased the doll had she been aware of this issue. Although Mattel has apologized for the "unfortunate error" and issued a recall of the affected dolls, Ricketson alleges that the company has failed to provide refunds to the consumers affected by this oversight.
The lawsuit additionally accuses Mattel of negligence and violating California consumer protection laws, as it seeks $5 million in damages not only for Ricketson but for all U.S. consumers who bought the misprinted dolls. As the legal battle unfolds, Mattel has yet to make an official statement regarding the lawsuit, although they have instructed customers to discard the flawed packaging.
The musical Wicked, which has captivated audiences since its Broadway debut in 2003, is now once again in the spotlight due to this troubling incident as the film version has grossed over $623 million worldwide since its recent release.
