Some new birds may be making their way into a lot of homes soon in the form of new plush toys coming from Rovio. In a new co-branded line of plush toys, Angry Birds Rio will now have their own set of plush toys for everyone to go insane over.
This is all part of Rovio’s plan to take over the world in various ways from a TV series and movie to flip flops and plush toys, the Angry Birds merchandising campaign is still going strong it seems. Unfortunately there are no preview pictures yet of what the new line of plush toys look like but we do know which birds are going to be in the series: Blu, Jewel, Nigel, Pedro and Nico. All birds will be designed in the same fashion as the original Angry Birds toys as well.
Also to help push the Angry Birds invasion into your home a little more, Rio comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today and included with the DVD/Blu-ray of Rio are 15 exclusive levels that you can access once you buy one of them. We managed to get a preview of two of the exclusive levels a couple of weeks back should you be interested in taking a look at them. Full details in the massive press release below. Enjoy. You will be able to pick up the new line of plush toys through this Fall exclusively from Toys’R’Us and toysrus.com.
Update 9:15am Aug. 2, 2011: Added a picture that Rovio released showing the new toys.
Developer Website: Rovio
Exclusive Co-Branded Toy Line Takes the Best-Selling App and Fox’s Blockbuster Film to Toys“R”Us® Stores Nationwide and Toysrus.com
Century City, Calif. (Aug. 1, 2011) – Birds of a feather will once again flock together as the blockbuster 3-D animated comedy adventure RIO and the phenomenon that is Angry Birds match up for a line of co-branded plush. The plush will add to an exclusive toy line for RIO already in place at Toys“R”Us ® stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com, featuring the film’s most beloved characters –Blu, Jewel, Nigel, Pedro and Nico – designed in the unmistakable fashion of Angry Birds Rio. The plush, developed in partnership with Rovio’s primary toy partner Commonwealth Toys, will be available exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores beginning in mid-August.
Additionally, on August 2, Fox Home Entertainment will release RIO on Blu-Ray and DVD. Included in the Blu-Ray and DVD release, Fox Digital and Rovio will offer a clue granting fans access to 15 new and long-awaited levels of Angry Birds Rio, the record-breaking app from which fans downloaded ten million games in ten days. The app has now been downloaded over 60 million times.
Toys“R”Us stores nationwide and Toysrus.com will offer fans an exclusive opportunity to purchase Angry Birds Rio plush through Fall 2011. The line features both 5” and 8” plush with sounds derived from the characters in the Angry Birds Rio app.
“It’s a partnership that just makes sense,” said Robert Marick, Executive Vice President of Fox Consumer Products. “The consumer market has already gone crazy over the Angry Birds app, and now fans who have also enjoyed the hit sensation RIO can have the best of both worlds.”
Capitalizing on the considerable success of RIO, which grossed $473 million worldwide at the box office this year, Fox Consumer Products has seen an enormous consumer response to its RIO merchandise line, which launched in April and features video games, toys, books and more.
Angry Birds has quickly evolved from an addictive mobile application to a merchandising phenomenon. Since its release in 2009, the game has been downloaded more than 300 million times, becoming the most successful app of all time. Its worldwide popularity is now being catapulted by Rovio into various areas of consumer products, including plush, figurines and apparel.
Fox and Rovio partnered to create Angry Birds Rio, the next game and chapter in the Angry Birds franchise, which launched in March 2011. Angry Birds Rio is now available on app stores worldwide.
“Angry Birds Rio has really been a special partnership for us, and the response from Angry Birds fans has been incredible,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. “We are proud and excited to continue our collaboration with Fox, and plan to create more delightful experiences and products in the future.”
The introduction of the Angry Birds Rio plush line from Commonwealth Toy is only the beginning. There are plans to introduce additional RIO characters to the line and expand the co-branded line to vinyl figures and other product forms.
“This is far from the last product being released by these two brands,” Marick said. “We intend to continue what we believe is a very productive and mutually beneficial partnership.”
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third-party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
