💬 QUOTED: "Like any business, mistakes can and do happen in the toy business.”

A recent snafu by Mattel is putting double meaning into the phrase: “something Wicked this way comes.”

The toy company’s new line of Wicked dolls – made in collaboration with Universal Pictures to promote the upcoming film’s release – are being pulled from retailer’s shelves by the thousands, after a mistake was discovered on the packaging that directs consumers to a porn site instead of the movie’s official website.

• The film’s website is wickedmovie.com. The URL on the box omits the word “movie.”
• Mattel apologized over the weekend for the error.

Clean up in aisle Wicked: Target, Walmart, and Amazon have already removed the line of Wicked dolls from their online storefronts, as have Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s.

However… Should you be so inclined, dozens of Mattel dolls in the misprinted packages are available for purchase on eBay, with list prices ranging between $40–$2,100. The dolls retailed for between $20–$40, depending on the character and outfit.

🙏 STAT OF THE DAY: Simon & Garfunkel haven’t been on tour in over a decade – but millions of people across Europe experienced the sound of silence for two minutes yesterday. The collective hush was to commemorate Armistice Day, or the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, with political leaders including UK King Charles, PM Keir Starmer, and French President Emmanuel Macron attending ceremonies to honor the fallen from WWI.

🤔 DID YOU KNOW? The famed Doomsday Clock, maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since its creation in 1947, was initially set at seven minutes to midnight for purely aesthetic purposes. All movements after that have been determined by Bulletin scientists.

📰 WORTH A READ: Let the Games Begin: How gladiators in ancient Anatolia lived to entertain the masses → (Archaeology Magazine)