‘Wicked’ and the Merchandising Juggernaut That Eclipses ‘Barbie’

It started with the dolls.

As a longtime fan of “Wicked” who grew up collecting Barbies, I was immediately intrigued by the Mattel creations resembling Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the movie version of the Broadway musical. They were perfectly rendered in likeness and even sang snippets of “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.” I’ll admit, I coveted them.

But that was just the beginning of the “Wicked” merchandise. Soon my Instagram and X feeds were inundated with pink and green collaborations. Some made sense in the context of both the movie and the stars. Why, of course Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty brand would feature a line of “Wicked”-inspired goods. She might as well promote both her performance and her entrepreneurial venture at the same time.

Other “Wicked” products ranged from the functional to the positively ridiculous, but they all contributed to the sense that “Wicked” was absolutely everywhere, making it perhaps one of the most marketed movies in recent memory, surpassing even the hot pink inundation of “Barbie” last year.

I discovered many of these via the X account Wicked News Hub, which posts every tiny update about the film and its promotional path. It is run by a lawyer in Manchester, England, who started it out of a love of all things Grande. (He asked to keep the identity behind the account private.) “Although I expected a lot of collaborations, from tracking ‘Wicked’ news over the years, even I was surprised by the incredible amount of collaborations and goodies,” he wrote in an email.

There are “Wicked” versions of the TikTok-popular Stanley Cups, which according to some reports caused pandemonium when they were released in Target. They seem like your standard drinking vessel, but the film promotion capitalized on the fervor. There are “Wicked”-themed Crocs. (The Glinda ones have heels.) There are “Wicked” clothing lines for the Gap, H&M, Bloomingdale’s and Forever 21. You can buy “Wicked” Legos and “Wicked” Monopoly. There are even “Wicked” hair dryers. (The Mattel dolls weathered a minor controversy when the packaging accidentally bore the URL for a porn site, not the movie.)

Starbucks has an enormous “Wicked” line that includes bedazzled tumblers and two themed drinks: Glinda’s Pink Potion and Elphaba’s Cold Brew. While getting a boring plain latte, I sampled the Elphaba, assuming the Glinda would hurt my teeth. It was minty.