Rovio Entertainment Announces New Licensing Partnerships with Toymakers Maisto and EDUKIE

New long-term deals with two of the world's top toy brands anchors Rovio's extensive multi-year licensing roadmap, leading up to 2019's launch of The Angry Birds Movie 2

For immediate release

ESPOO, Finland - Sept. 25th, 2018- Rovio Entertainment Corporation has revealed new brand licensing partnerships with two of the world's best toy creators: Maisto, a subsidiary of the May Cheong Group, and EDUKIE, previously known as BanBao. These strategic deals will lead to new product lines featuring the Angry Birds franchise for fans beginning next year, all building up to the much-anticipated release of The Angry Birds Movie 2 in September 2019.

Simo Hämäläinen, Senior Vice President, Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment, said, "We couldn't be luckier than to join forces with two of the world's greatest toymakers: Maisto and EDUKIE. Combined, their creativity, talent and reach ensure Angry Birds fans around the globe can count on some truly amazing, diverse and innovative toys and experiences in the future."

Maisto is set to develop a wide range of products, including pull backs, launcher sets, R/C vehicles and track sets, as Rovio's new toy partner in the vehicles category for Angry Birds. The May Cheong Group owns both Maisto, recognised across the globe as one of the leading vehicle partners with extensive distribution, as well as the BBurago toy brand.

Roger Ngan, CEO of the May Cheong Group, said, "We are ecstatic to be working with the great team at Rovio on the Angry Birds product line. The world of Angry Birds is definitely where we want to be, and we could not be more excited with the line-up we will be developing for fall 2019."

Rovio's long-term licensing deal with EDUKIE encompasses a new line of construction toys featuring the Angry Birds brand. The collection is scheduled to be distributed globally by EDUKIE at retailers around the world in 2019. A preview of this new toy line will be available to view in the future at major toy fairs in cities like Hong Kong, New York, and Nuremberg.

Steven van Bommel, CEO of EDUKIE, said, "This is a unique collaboration for EDUKIE. Our creative teams are thrilled to start working on building block toy sets featuring amazing fun and innovation with our favourite characters like Red, Bomb and the rest of the gang. This new Angry Birds block world will be a remarkable experience filled with many exciting, funny and laugh-out-loud moments for fans."

These new partnerships help anchor Rovio Entertainment's strongest licensing roadmap ever, spearheaded by Rovio's recent appointment of Jazwares as global master toy partner. Rovio's long-term development plans are focused around a diverse platform of content and experiences designed to engage its passionate audience around the world, leading with the tentpole launch of the The Angry Birds Movie 2 in 2019, followed by the landmark 10th anniversary of the original Angry Birds later that year. Other flagship projects include a new long-form animated TV show planned for release in 2020, live stage shows, location-based entertainment initiatives like the new Angry Birds World in Qatar, and animated and live-action productions for Rovio's Angry Birds YouTube channel, which currently has over 2.5 million subscribers averaging 200 million minutes of viewing per month.

Last updated: Jul 27, 2022 at 03:38 am CDT