(Not a) Barbie world: QR codes on dolls to promote 'Wicked' movie lead to porn site

A recent batch of Barbie dolls released by Mattel to promote the upcoming film 'Wicked' had the usual QR codes printed on the boxes, but they all led to a porn site. Mattel has apologised and a recall is under way.

QR codes have become ubiquitous these days, and accompany many purchases, including toys.

However, while QR codes usually redirect users to manufacturer websites and/or other useful information, they can be prone to exploitation, as evidenced by iconic toymaker Mattel recently.

A recent batch of Barbie dolls—for children aged four and above—released by Mattel to promote the upcoming film Wicked had the usual QR codes printed on the boxes.

But, instead of redirecting users to the movie's landing page as intended, the QR codes all led to a pornographic website, as per a report by The Hollywood Reporter.

In particular, the misprinted QR codes affected the boxes of Glinda and Elphaba dolls sold mostly in the US. The dolls are modelled afer the central characters from Wicked, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

The issue came to light after people started posting about the misleading QR codes on social media, and Mattel took swift cognizance of the matter and issued an apology.

Issuing a statement, the iconic toymaker expressed "deep regret" for the "unfortunate error", and acknowledged that the content being promoted by the QR codes was "not appropriate for children".

Mattel went on to advise customers to discard the misprinted QR code, and further urged affected people to contact customer care for further assistance.

"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 toymaker said.

The line of dolls which went with the wrong QR code is in the process of being withdrawn from major retailers such as Walmart, Macy's Kohl's, Best Buy, among others, reported The Hollywood Reporter. The dolls have already been removed from the stores of retailer Target, one of the leading partners of the Universal-produced movie.