Stores like Target and Walmart have reportedly yanked Wicked dolls, featuring Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda, from their shelves following a controversy surrounding a misprint on the dolls’ packaging. However, a few have slipped through the cracks. Now, the dolls are a hot commodity and have only appreciated in value.
Wicked Dolls controversy, explained
On the dolls’ packaging, there should be a link to the film’s website. But instead of taking customers to “Wickedmovie.com,” the packaging took them to a website for adults only (if you catch our drift). As a result, the dolls’ manufacturing company, Mattel, issued an apology.
“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,” a spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter via email. “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.”
Some sites are reporting the dolls were recalled. Others say they were simply discontinued. Either way, the dolls with the incorrect link on the packaging are now highly sought-after. One shopper was excited to find the Glinda doll at her local Walmart. In a TikTok, she reveals whether or not she was able to buy it.
“It would be amazing if we can take it,” TikTok user Abby Plata (@abbyreads11) tells her sister, holding up the Glinda doll.
“Will they sell it, or not?” her sister asks.
The shoppers smartly make their way to self-checkout to secure the purchase.
At first, the doll doesn’t ring up, but then a Walmart employee steps in. The worker manually enters the doll into the system. “There it is,” the worker says.
Plata was then able to buy it for $27.47.
“When the Walmart employee lets you buy the Wicked doll that’s not supposed to be sold,” she writes in the text overlay.
She adds in the caption, “My favorite part was when my sister told the employee why the doll got flagged and the employee proceeded to manually enter the doll in so we could buy it.”
Plata told the Daily Dot she found the doll at a Walmart in Illinois. She was motivated to buy the doll after seeing the memes about it online.
“My sister and I purchased the doll for the memes. We thought it would be funny to see if we could find and purchase the doll after Mattel released their statement requiring all stores to take the dolls down,” she shared via Instagram direct message.
Although the employee never explained why she had to manually enter the doll, Plata has a theory.
“My sister and I assume it’s because the item was flagged so she just manually entered it in so we could purchase it,” Plata said.
Despite these dolls being in high demand, the content creator doesn’t have any intention to sell hers.
“I think it’s a cool collectible. As long time Ariana Grande fan I have a lot of stuff that is from her collections,” she said. “I don’t personally think it would be worth a lot of money because there are so many dolls like it. Mattel the company will be making more. They will only be changing the website on the back to go to the correct page.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Walmart via media contact form and Mattel via press email. Plata’s video now has over 93,000 views.
Viewers say they also found the dolls at their local Walmart
Viewers shared that they have seen “so many” of the Wicked dolls at Walmart.
“When I went on Monday, they weren’t on recall yet and the system. I asked the lady because I thought she was pulling them from the shelf and she’s like oh no I’m moving them somewhere else,” one viewer wrote.
“Wait I’m confused my Walmart has hella of these. What’s wrong w them,” another asked.
“My Walmart has so many for sale,” a third stated.
Are the dolls worth more after the recall?
“I bet that will be worth $ one day!!” another viewer guessed.
Indeed, the Wicked dolls are already becoming collectibles, with some sellers listing the Glinda doll for $149.99 on eBay.
@abbyreads11 My favorite part was when my sister told the employee why the doll got flagged and the employee proceeded to manually enter the doll in so we could buy it 🤣🤣. #wicked #wickeddoll #arianagrande ♬ original sound – 📚💫 Abby Plata 💫📚
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