Ariana Grande doll box makes porn blunder

Ariana Grande in the upcoming Wicked movie with Cynthia Erivo
Ariana Grande stars in the upcoming Wicked movie with Cynthia Erivo - Universal Pictures

Mattel has apologised after it mistakenly printed an address for a porn website on boxes of Ariana Grande dolls.

The “Singing Glinda” toys, which share the actress’s likeness, are intended to mark the movie release of the musical “Wicked”, a Wizard of Oz prequel starring Grande as Glinda, but the packaging has accidentally been printed with the name of a porn website.

Hundreds of boxes had been affected, in an embarrassing development for the toy manufacturer, best known as the company behind Barbie.

According to the packaging, the dolls are recommended for children aged four and above.

They are being sold by major retailers including Walmart, although it is unclear whether the issue has since been fixed and how many products are affected.

The dolls appear to have been removed from the Target website since the news broke on Sunday.

The doll
The doll depicts the singer in her role as Glinda

A Mattel spokesman advised that the website on the box was not appropriate for children and those who had purchased the misprinted boxes should discard them.

The link to the porn website is located on the back of the box underneath the Universal Logo – the film studio behind the production.

A Mattel spokesman said: “Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel Wicked collection dolls, primarily sold in the US, which intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com landing page.

“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.”

The adaptation of the Broadway play follows the unlikely friendship between Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, and Elphaba, who is played by Cynthia Erivo and goes on to become the Wicked Witch of the West.

“Singing Elphaba” dolls released to tie in with the film are also reported to have been stamped with the porn website address.