LEGO and Rovio hope Angry Birds sets fly off shelves (original) (raw)

Finland's Rovio Entertainment has partnered with The LEGO Group to create a construction toy line that will launch next spring along with the global theatrical release of Sony's The Angry Birds Movie.

Finland’s Rovio Entertainment has partnered with The LEGO Group to create a construction toy line that will launch next spring along with the global theatrical release of Sony’s The Angry Birds Movie, reportedly budgeted at US$80-million.

Specific details about the toy line are yet to be announced, but the deal comes as Rovio works to rebound from an overall 9% revenue decline in 2014. Its consumer products business took the biggest hit, with revenues falling from US$78.9 million in 2013 to US$44.7 million last year.

LEGO Group VP of licensing and entertainment Jill Wilfert said in a statement: “Our designers are having fun developing building sets that leverage the engaging play and deconstruction found in the Angry Birds game.”

New Rovio CEO Pekka Rantala said in March that the upcoming movie is capturing the attention of major retail and licensing partners, and new consumer products deals are in the works.

Angry Birds now joins the likes of DC Comics, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Jurassic World and Back to the Future as top brands that have aligned with LEGO.

The deal also follows LEGO’s recently announced move into the physical-digital play space with LEGO Dimensions.

About The Author

Jeremy is the Features Editor of Kidscreen specializing in the content production, broadcasting and distribution aspects of the global children's entertainment industry. Contact Jeremy at jdickson@brunico.com.