Toy manufacturer Mattel faces a class action lawsuit after mistakenly printing a link to a pornographic website on packaging for its special-edition "Wicked" dolls inspired by the movie musical.

A South Carolina resident has filed legal action after purchasing a doll for her young daughter, who subsequently accessed an adult entertainment website through the misprinted URL. The lawsuit alleges significant emotional distress caused by the packaging error.

According to court documents, the plaintiff described the website content as "hardcore, full on nude pornographic images depicting actual intercourse". She claims that had she been aware of the inappropriate link, she would not have purchased the product.

Mattel acknowledged the packaging mistake in a statement, saying they were "aware of a misprint on the packaging of the Mattel 'Wicked' collection dolls, primarily sold in the United States". The company advised consumers to "discard the product packaging or obscure the link".

The dolls, which were part of a collection tied to Universal Pictures' movie musical starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, were pulled from retailers including Target, Amazon, and Kohl's.

Michael Moses, chief marketing officer at Universal, suggested the incident would not significantly impact the film's success. "I don't think that all press is good press," he told Variety. "I always categorise incidents between what might actually damage the desire to see the movie and what might not. I think that was an example of one that's an anecdote more than a threat."

The movie has been remarkably successful, grossing $263 million domestically and $360 million globally. Mattel has since reissued the dolls with corrected packaging, stating that the previous misprint "in no way impacts the value or play experience provided by the product".

The lawsuit seeks at least $3.9 million in damages for consumers who purchased the dolls with the incorrect packaging, alleging negligence and violation of consumer protection laws.

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