A snafu by Mattel — which accidentally printed the URL for a porn site on packaging for dolls based on Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” movie — has yielded a bonanza of traffic for Wicked Pictures, the adult-entertainment company that actually owns the web address.
In the last two days, searches for “wicked.com” (the URL misprinted by Mattel on the toy packages) have surged to their highest levels since mid-2012, according to the Google Trends analytics tool. That has been driven by media coverage of Mattel’s mistake in listing that URL on the packaging for the special-edition “Wicked” dolls, which are being sold at retailers including Target, Amazon and Kohl’s.
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The official website for the Universal Pictures film, which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the adaptation of the Tony-winning musical, is wickedmovie.com, which has seen a similar spike in search activity over the past two days, according to Google Trends.
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Wicked Pictures “was formed with a firm commitment to producing quality parody porn movies,” including X-rated titles riffing on Marvel’s “Black Widow” and “Captain Marvel,” according to its website. The company says it was founded in Canoga Park, Calif., on March 1, 1993. Wicked Pictures “showcases some of the top-rated female porn stars” such as Stormy Daniels — who is famous for her legal entanglement with now president-elect Donald Trump — Jessica Drake, Julia Ann, Asa Akira and Blake Blossom.
In a statement to Variety, Wicked Pictures said: “We are aware of the situation involving Mattel and the use of the Wicked.com website URL on certain consumer goods packaging. We have no involvement in this matter and encourage you to contact Mattel directly for any further information.” According to the privacy policy listed on wicked.com, the site is “owned and operated by Gamma Entertainment Inc., Gamma Billing Inc., and Digigamma B.V.”; Gamma Entertainment referred inquiries to Wicked Pictures.
In a statement provided to Variety on Sunday regarding the erroneous web address, Mattel said: “Mattel was made aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel ‘Wicked’ collection dolls, primarily sold in the U.S., 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.”
The toy manufacturer also said, “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.”
(Pictured above: Models of Mattel’s Glinda and Elphaba fashion dolls based on Universal’s “Wicked”)
