Spotting out fake Angry Birds merchandise

Spotting out fake Angry Birds merchandise

As well loved and as popular as Angry Birds by Rovio Entertainment is, retail markets have become swamped with counterfeit Angry Birds merchandise, items which bear the iconic characters and design directives of the world’s well loved mobile game title, but none of the quality qualifiers that are found in genuine, quality products.

Last June 2012, a fake Angry Birds merchandise distribution operation had been cracked down in New York City, with investigators confiscating a merchandise pool valued to be at half a million dollars at retail pricing standards.

The news speaks volumes about how prominent fake Angry Birds shirts and toys are, and is something which ever consumer should be wary of when talking about the purchase of Angry Birds merchandise.

As such, the value in not encouraging the proliferation of such counterfeit products falls as a responsibility for smart consumers, just as Rovio Entertainment is seriously implementing its own programs and initiatives geared in curbing the prominence of fake Angry Birds goods.

Below are some points which would help consumers spot out a counterfeit item from genuine, Rovio Entertainment-sanctioned products.

The markers of fake Angry Birds products

Price – one of the more appealing come-ons of counterfeit products, regardless if they are Angry Birds merchandise or not, can be found in their often-encountered price, which is lesser than their official counterparts.

Though priced cheaper, these products are known to not last long, contrary to the quality boasted by original, genuine products.

Shoddy construction – there’s a reason why counterfeit items are cheap. Typically, the absence of quality control benchmarks makes them so, with different fake Angry Birds toys known to be made with toxic paints and unsafe plastic components which boast potential risks to children.

Apart from the fact that fakes tend to wear and tear easily, the added risks in fake Angry Birds toys, shirts and other apparel goods can be defined in poor flame-retardant fabrics, as well as fabrics which had been made with chemically-heavy dyes, which can cause skin irritations and/or allergic reactions.

Bottom line, counterfeit Angry Birds merchandise may be cheap, but as cheap as they are, the risks the come with aren’t justifiable enough to make them smart options when talking about Angry Birds clothes and goods.

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The Angry Birds Wopad Tablet

Angry Birds Wopad Tablet

Though not exactly a tablet produced by Rovio Entertainment, makers of the internationally loved Angry Birds, a line of Wopad Tablets with Angry Birds undertones had been revealed last month, making it one of the more unique Angry Brids-themed products out in the market today.

Developed by the China-based Tanbo Shenzhen, the brand’s like of Wopad Tablets comes with an Angry Birds’ design and overall feel ethos, taking shape in the tablet’s overall form and in its sported Angry Birds Themes.

Dubbed the Wopad V7, V8 and the V10, the tablets are built with corresponding screen-size options at 7 inches, 8 inches and 10 inches, each built with a capacitive touchscreen display. Featuring a RAM rating at 512MB, the tablets come with internal storage values set at 4 gigs, powered by ARM Cortex A8 processors.

Apart from its featured Angry Birds theme and wallpaper sets, the Angry Birds-specific tablets are gilded with Angry Birds designs in parts of its body, negating the necessity for third party Angry Birds cases.

Evidently designed for Angry Birds fans, the Angry Birds themed Wopads also comes pre loaded with a number of Angry Birds games, including Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons.

As a game title, Angry Birds is famed for its simplistic gameplay approach, but it is known to be picky when it comes to the devices they run on, described to be a resource-intensive title that requires more powerful hardware specs for full entertainment experiences to be.

As Angry Brids-themed tablets, the Wopads are built to readily pave the way for maximum Angry Birds gameplay experiences, with its hardware specs more than capable of letting is users play the game with ease.

With its featured form designs and software themes steeped from that of Angry Birds, Angry Birds fans will surely find a lot to love about the Angry Birds-themed Wopad tablet.

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Rovio’s Stance on Counterfeit Angry Birds Merchandise

Though Rovio Entertainment, makers of the internationally acclaimed Angry Birds series, has embraced the challenges of piracy, its views towards the act is limited to its digital game titles and products, not so with its popular line of Angry Birds merchandise and other products.

As it turns out, the Finland-based giant had recently enlisted for the help of the IP Crime Unit of Manchester in the United Kingdom, as a means of cracking down on the production of counterfeit Angry Birds merchandise, including fake clothes, toys and other items.

The move is similar with what Hasbro, a leader in the global toy manufacturing industry, had done, in its own efforts in controlling the proliferation of counterfeit products, which are based on popular characters and design conventions which have intellectual property rights.

As an operations unit, the IP Crime Unit has a history in working with customs surveillance programs and initiatives, spearheading investigations, processing litigation support, and other known services inclined to protect the interests of brand names and firms.

It has worked with and for the interests of different brands, including cosmetics giant L’Oreal, branded clothing names like Fred Perry, as well as with gaming and recording industry player Canada Goose.

As it is no secret that a huge bulk of counterfeit Angry Birds merchandise hails from China, Rovio Entertainment has actually initiated moves geared on spotting out manufacturers who can, instead of pirating, collaborate with Rovio in the creation of products, thereby veering way from the headaches of legal disputes and cases.

With Angry Birds’ success as a mobile game title, its international rise to fame has been defined by how it has dominated the retail industry with Angry Birds shirts for children and adults, Angry Birds toys and a wide range of Angry Birds items such as keychains, flashlights, desk lamps and more.

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Angry Birds Star Wars, at a glance

Angry Birds Star Wars

Released on November 8, Angry Birds Star Wars stands to be the latest – and the biggest – Angry Birds game variant to date, featuring the combined universe of Angry Birds and that of the Star Wars mythos.

Far from being designed to support one franchise over the other, Angry Birds Star Wars is essentially a “Best Of” compilation of the top Angry Brids game and gameplay scenarios presented under the backdrop of the Star Wars universe, making it a unique game title on its own.

Featuring laser-firing birds and Storm Trooper-costumed pigs, the gameplay dynamic of Angry Birds Star Wars is essentially as exciting and engaging when compared against all other known Angry Birds game title releases.

But what is new in the tile is the infusion of popular Star Wars characters and attributes, such as a Chewbacca-based bird whose “bit” is to barrel through different obstacles and hurdles.

Available for different mobile platforms and computer system versions, the game is certainly one that is worthy of anyone’s attention, Angry Birds/Star Wars fans or otherwise.

When the Angry Birds and Star Wars amalgam was still at its “rumors phase”, the notion of two mainstream entertainment giants merging together sounded far fetched, even questionable. But when its official existence had finally come out, both Angry Birds fans and Star Wars followers were excited at the prospect, welcoming the amalgam as a new entry into the global standards of new media entertainment.

Followed by Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilms, the partnership between Rovio Entertainment and Lucasfilms had even broadened the possibilities waiting for Angry Birds, effectively broadening future possibilities for the title.

With talk of an Angry Birds-specific carton on the works, as well as the creation of Angry Birds comics, the evident popularity of Angry Birds toys, including Angry Birds Star Wars toys, says a lot about Angry Birds growth and potential in being a leader in the games and merchandising realms of today’s highly digitally-driven signs of the times.

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Angry Birds Costumes

Angry Birds Costumes

Though Halloween is far from over, the international sensation collectively dubbed as the “Cosplay Phenomenon” has redefined costumes and costuming in more ways than one, making the act of donning costumes a regular mainstay for different events and occasions, from corporate gatherings to office Christmas parties.

With more and more individuals donning the garb of their favorite characters from mainstream-entertainment titles to traditional personas, the Angry Birds franchise hasn’t been without its line of costume options and costume wearers, a status that doesn’t come as a big surprise given Angry Birds international popularity.

From Angry Birds masks, to full Angry Birds suits, below two of the more popular Angry Birds costume sets which have dominated a number of Cosplay events and costume-themed parties and occasions.

Angry Birds Masks – from full face masks, to half wearable masks for children and adults, Angry Birds masks are among the most popular Angry Birds costume options, given their easy-to-wear and easy-to-take-off features.

Simple in their overall premise as costumes, Angry Birds masks are best complemented by wearing an Angry Birds character’s base color scheme, like red for the basic Angry Bird character or green if one decides to go to an occasion as one of the Pigs.

Angry Birds Star Wars Costumes – with Star Wars’ huge following, Star Wars costumes are noted to be in abundance, with different incarnations of Darth Vader, the scantily clad Princess Leia, Storm Troopers and more being among the more notable choice costumes of the “genre”.

With the successful release of Angry Birds Star Wars, Star Wars and Angry Birds fans have a unique costume-base combination at their fingertips, giving them the edge of being one of their favored Angry Birds AND Star Wars characters all in one costume set.

As it is no secret that the fun in wearing costumes takes place in having everyone figure out who it is one is masquerading as, donning Angry Birds costumes proves to be something which fills in the qualifying markers that make good costumes.

With Angry Birds costumes available in simple to complex conventions, parties and events are certainly made more fun with one or more Angry Birds joining in the festivities.

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New levels for Bad Pigges

As Bad Piggies by Rovio Entertainment has done well in strengthening the game developer’s position as a maker of quality game titles, the Finnish developer recently announced 15 new levels for Bad Piggies for the iOS, touching up on a continued storyline that takes after the game’s in-game story where the pigs finally got the birds’ eggs.

Released last September, Bad Piggies gained traction as a game title, positioned as a spin off prequel to the Angry Birds games, telling the story of how the pigs had managed to steal the birds’ eggs in the first place.

Focusing on the original antagonists of Angry Birds – the pigs – Bad Piggies requires players to help the pigs gain pieces of a map that would lead to the birds’ eggs, utilizing contraptions that could either fly or roll on land, without a single slingshot in sight.

As Angry Birds is more focused on the birds and on destruction, Bad Piggies takes on opposite stance to the game, focusing on the pigs and more inclined to let its players create than destroy, requiring players to think up of creative and innovative ways of completing each of Bad Piggies’ game levels.

In the new update, an in-between storyline taking place after Bad Piggies and before Angry Birds is set, telling the story of how the birds, after the pigs had taken their eggs, were in pursuit of the pigs. Still working on Bad Piggies’ construction themed inclinations, the new levels require users to make use of the best devices in keeping the birds’ wraths away.

Set in Piggy Island, Bad Piggies has been closely watched and followed as a title, considering its ties with Angry Birds. Though far from being an actual “Angry Birds killer”, the game has been quite a success, one which Rovio Entertainment is soon to second with the release of a new Angry Birds title in Angry Birds Star Wars.

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Bad Piggies – Before Angry Birds

As a game title, Bad Piggies remains to be the third game in Rovio Entertainment’s post J2ME developed game titles portfolio, with Amazing Alex and the internationally loved Angry Birds being its second and first, respectively.

Released in late September, Bad Piggies is essentially a spin-off of the sensational Angry Birds game franchise, bringing loyal Angry Birds followers to the time before the birds and pigs war took place – with the pigs being the title’s central characters this time around.

Without the use of slingshots, Bad Piggies players are tasked to help the pigs recover pieces of a map, building different contraptions and devices that can cross over obstacles that stand before them. Maintaining the real time physics aspects involved in the original Angry Birds games, Bad Piggies’ overall them fits well with the themes of Rovio Entertainment’s releases, as it delves into the start of the bird and pig wars-world of Angry Birds.

Bad Piggies, as a game, has been described as a combination of Angry Birds and Amazing Alex, with Amazing Alex’s overall feel and gameplay features heavily noticeable in Bad Piggies.

Though far from being positioned as an “Anrgy Birds killer”, Bad Piggies has managed to rake in significant attention, a status which can be linked to it being produced by Rovio Entertainment, but one that can’t be said as equal to the popularity of Angry Birds.

As a spin-off, the Angry Birds prequel has been described by different players in conflicting review tones, with some noting it to be too complicated in contrast to the original Angry Birds game premise, as others have fully embraced Bag Piggies for everything that it is.

Still, Bad Piggies has become a phenomenon it itself, one which remains to be a credit to Rovio Entertainment, who, through Bad Piggies, has proven that it is more than a one hit wonder as a game title developer.

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Yoga and Angry Birds

Angry Birds is quite well loved as a game title, with its elementally simple gameplay and attractive graphics encouraging more players to take on the game’s featured challenges.

Released in 2009, the game by Rovio Entertainment has spawned different spin-offs and variants of the game, with the upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars scheduled for release this November being the most highly anticipated variant.

But a different kind of Angry Birds “variant” took off on May last year, delving into the arenas of calm resolves and peace of mind. Far from being a unique game title release, this spin off is one for the books, given how it brought the yoga concepts and the message of Krishna consciousness to higher ideals.

Angry Birds Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life

Authored by Giridhari Dasa, president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), “Angry Birds Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life” is a five-part essay which aimed to explore the analogy between Angry Birds and spreading the message of Krishna consciousness.

Published online (via a WordPress blog), the essay had raked in a lot of attention, given how well it had “ported” the Angry Birds world with the philosophical views often searched for by yoga enthusiasts.

The essay, delved into the “characterization” of Angry Birds characters, utilizing them as metaphors in explaining certain concepts and principles. Basing positive attributes and characteristics on the Angry Birds, the Pigs were branded to be the challenges and obstacles everyone is faced to deal with on a day to day basis.

Those on the path towards self realization realized how effective the essay was in explaining Krishna-consciousness concepts, with Rovio’s CEO, Peter Vesterbacka quoted to say “Very cool! I can see Angry Birds Yoga becoming a worldwide craze,” in relation to the pre-release version of the article Dasa had sent to Rovio.

Bottom line, Angry Birds is not only a success as a game, but has also been successful in spreading a positive philosophical message to one and all.

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Angry Birds Seasons

Featuring a total of 13 “Level Packs”, Angry Birds Seasons remains true to the core gameplay dynamic of Angry Birds, Rovio Entertainment’s highly acclaimed mobile game title.

With the first Angry Birds game version released for the iOS in 2009, Angry Birds Seasons came out in 2010, rolled out as an “expansion pack” of sorts, featuring new levels based on different annually celebrated occasions and events.

Made available as separate apps, Angry Birds Seasons essentially works on the premise of regular level update releases, one which Angry Birds players from different parts of the world have gladly accepted and embraced.

Far from being a marketing ploy riddled with all the crass of a typical marketing campaign, Rovio Entertainment has been consistent with the release of new “Level Packs” for Angry Birds Seasons, as well as consistent in coming up with new levels which are truly challenging and engaging for Angy Birds players.

“Trick or Treat”, released on October of 2010, remains to be one of the most popular “Level Pack” of Angry Birds Seasons, followed by the release of the Christmas-themed “Season’s Greetings” on December 2010.

“Hogs and Kisses” which came out in February of 2012 came after “Season’s Gretings”, followed by “Go Green, Get Lucky” which rolled out by March of 2011. “Easter Eggs” came out in April of 2011 as “Summer Pignic” was released by June of the same year.

“Moon Festival” was released on September 2011, as “Ham’o’ween” reprised the Halloween-feel of “Trick or Treat” on October. “Wreck the Halls” also revisited the Christmas inclinations of “Season’s Greetings” by December.

This year, “Year of the Dragon” released on January, “Cherry Blossom” released by March, and “Piglantis” released by June have been huge successes, just as the most recent “Level Pack” had been, “Back to School” released on August 2012.

By coming up with Angry Birds Seasons, Rovio Entertainment has certainly proven that there’s really no limit to how far the Angry Birds title can be propelled to higher highs.

Backed with the upcoming release of Angry Birds Star Wars, it appears that Rovio Entertainment and Angry Birds are certainly bound for bigger things to come.

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Angry Birds and what it had inspired

In 2009, Angry Birds for the iOS came out as a huge phenomenon, leading its developers into developing Angry Birds versions for other game and operating system platforms.

Working on the simple concept of slinging projectiles to geometric targets, the game proved to be quite addictive and fun, making it a game which almost every smartphone in the world has had the chance of running at one point in time.

To say that the Angry Birds franchise remains to be one of the world’s most phenomenal game titles would be apt, given how much impact the game has had in the creation and release of current digital entertainment content and media.

From spearheading the standardization of the “in-game advertising” concept, to giving emphasis on the value of going simple with game dynamics and premises, Rovio Entertainment’s brainchild has succeeded where many have failed, causing a progressive shift in the way games are designed, developed and released.

Because of its success, the then-unknown Rovio managed to gain traction as an industry changer, with Angry Birds paving the way of non-Rovio developed “spin offs” and clones.

Here are some of them.

Angry Turds and Chicks’nVixens

Angry Turds, a knock-off of Angry Birds, worked with the same gameplay dynamic featured in Angry Birds, only differing in its overall story. In Angry Turds, monkeys hurling feces was the “bit”, with the monkeys doing so in retaliation to how hunters have plans of stealing their young.

Chicks’n’Vixens would be another Angry Birds clone, this time delving into the world where chickens and foxes are “at war” with each other, just as how the birds and the pigs are battling each other in Angry Birds.

Angry Birds Yoga

Giridhari Dasa from Brazil authored a five part essay titled “Angry Birds Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life”.

A member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Dasa “ported” the gameplay concept in Angry Birds to a different disciplines involved in Gaudia Vaishnavism, using Angry Birds in defining certain yoga concepts.

It was readily accepted, given its unique “packaging” with the Angry Birds franchise.

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