Maurizio Distefano Licensing announces first Angry Birds licensees
Animation & Characters
Independent licensing group Maurizio Distefano Licensing, which has been appointed as licensing agent in Italy for Angry Birds, has announced the first licence agreements for the property in the Italian market.
The globally successful game and brand, created and owned by Finnish mobile game developer Rovio Entertainment, is set to reach screens worldwide as a major film in May, and numerous licensing categories have already been snapped up, including gifts, accessories, confectionery and kitchenware.
The line-up so far is a genuine who’s who of leaders in their field. It includes back-to-school items and giftware such as handbags, wallets, picture frames, greeting cards and secret diaries produced by stationery specialist Accademia; handkerchiefs, napkins and other paper goods from paper products company WorldCart; umbrellas, raincoats and boots from rainware legend Perletti; and wood and rubber toy stamps from stamp specialist Multiprint. Chocolate and sugar decorations, lollipops and soft drinks will come from cake decoration company Modecor, while snacks, chocolate eggs and Easter eggs will be supplied by Preziosi Food. Erasers, metal tags and cute keychains will be supplied by promotional products and novelty gifts company Grani & Partners, while ceramic and glass mugs, plates and cups will come from homeware and kitchenware specialist Pengo.
More announcements are expected soon across a wide range of categories, including toys, games, confectionery, apparel, plush, backpacks, dress-up and many others. With the film release date coming closer, interest from potential licensees in the Italian market is, not surprisingly, already high.
The core market for Angry Birds products, as for the game, is the whole family, including children, teens and tweens from age four up. However, a large secondary market of young adults and gift buyers is also expected to take a strong interest in product inspired by the brand.
The staggering success of Angry Birds — the number one downloaded app of all time — has turned the game, in which multi-coloured birds try to retrieve their eggs from a group of hungry pigs, into an international phenomenon, inspiring many new Angry Birds games, as well as toys, books, TV shows, food products and even theme parks. Now, with a major new animated film in production featuring the voices of Saturday Night Live’s Jason Sudeikis, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage and popular comedy writer and performer Bill Hader, a vastly expanded range of licensed partnerships is planned across a large number of categories.
Maurizio Distefano, Founder and Director of MD Licensing, adds: “Interest in the Angry Birds franchise has always been strong in Italy but with the announcement of the new film it has reached new heights. We are delighted to have signed so many best-in-class licensees already and are looking forward to announcing even more very soon.”
