'Angry Birds' Migrates to Baby Products

The Angry Birds will soon fly to your home and become your kids' pal.

Rovio, the developer of the smash hit casual game Angry Birds, has signed a new licensing deal with SwaddleDesigns, which specializes in the manufacturing of baby products. This move comes after Rovio's foray into toys paid off.

Angry Birds has over 40 million players each month and it's one of the top apps on Apple Inc's mobile platform. But Rovio has also sold roughly 7 million Angry Birds toys and gets a "sizable proportion" of its revenue from licensing and merchandising, according to Ville Heijari, vice president of franchise development.

"Rovio's core business is games but licensing/merchandising is one of the fastest growing parts of the company," Heijari told Reuters, adding that this part of the business is profitable.

The new licensing deal will bring the iconic characters and zany art styles to blankets, baby clothes, and other products for those who just can't wait to teach their children how dominant the mobile gaming market has become.

Earlier this year, Rovio raised $42 million from venture capital firm Accel Partners, Atomico Ventures -- the venture capital firm started by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstroem -- and Felicis Ventures, Reuters reported.

Also according to Wall Street Journal, Angry Birds will also try its hand in educational products. Rovio plans to publish a line of educational books for children ages four to their teens. Incorporating the Finnish education system's emphasis on play in learning, these books are designed as a counterpoint to the strict "Tiger Mom" approach to child rearing, Wibe Wagemans, a Rovio branding executive told Wall Street Journal.

He says one of the books will illustrate geometry lessons by launching a bird character through the air, the basic concept behind the popular "Angry Birds" video game.

"Right now it's up to us, with basic brand management, to keep the brand alive, keep it cool and delight our fans with new things," Mr. Wagemans told Wall Street Journal. He recently joined Rovio after a stint at Microsoft Corp.'s Bing search engine.