Toy maker Mattel has apologised for an X-rated marketing blunder on merchandising for the upcoming Wicked movie.

The company blamed a “misprint” on packaging for dolls linked to the movie, after it was revealed a web address took consumers to a porn site rather than the movie’s official website.

“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,” it said in a statement at the weekend.

“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.”

By late Sunday, the entire Mattel collection – which includes fashion dolls, singing figurines and deluxe collectible models – had been stripped from the shelves at the US Target.

It was also being removed at other big US retailers, including Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, DSW and Amazon.

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

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

The Wicked stage musical, which tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, has been a hit for two decades.

The cinematic version, directed by Jon M Chu, features Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater.

Grande and Erivo were in Sydney for Wicked‘s premiere at the State Theatre on Sunday.

Grande’s Glinda and Erivo’s Elphaba are among the character dolls being sold with the erroneous web address – rather than the correct wickedmovie.com. 

Clicking on the first link brings up a page requiring users to be 18 and older. Those who continue land on a site promoting an upcoming porn movie called Kenzie Loves Girls 2.

Sunday’s Sydney premiere was the first stop in a five-city tour by the film’s stars and is designed as a tribute to one of the show’s best-known locations, Munchkinland.

In case that’s not enough Wicked, the film producers have conducted the magic trick of transforming the tale into two parts, with the second to arrive in theatres in November 2025.

Limited previews of Wicked begin in Australian cinemas on November 20.

-with AAP