This wildly successful merchandising didn’t come about by chance, however. In the three years since the release of Angry Birds, Rovio has strategically partnered with companies to put their brand in the hands children in both Europe and the U.S. – and they won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

Rovio announced this week that it has expanded its licensing agreement with Hasbro. The toy company will continue to manufacture Angry Birds toys, including ones related to the lucrative Angry Birds Star Wars property.

“Angry Birds is one of the most recognizable entertainment franchises in the world and we’re thrilled Rovio has chosen Hasbro as its premier toy and game licensee,” said John Frascotti, CMO at Hasbro.

In addition to the Hasbro deal, Rovio also announced that it intends to expand its merchandising reach with even more partnerships. The Finnish company has partnered with Power A to provide mobile and video game accessories, with Thermos to create Angry Birds storage containers, and with Pez to create new Pez dispensers. In addition, Gemmy Industries will be creating inflatable toys and Halloween costumes, while Natrol will create Angry Birds multivitamins for kids.

“We are thrilled to have these companies onboard with us,” said Naz Cuevas, SVP of Global Consumer Products Licensing at Rovio. “We are committed to developing great products for our fans with our dedicated partners, resulting in even deeper retail integrations.”

Gizmodo recently got a tour of Hasbro’s workshop that’s nestled in its Providence, Rhode Island headquarters. It’s here that toy makers create the next generation of Transformers with the help of 3D printers. It’s an incredibly fascinating look at how 3D printers are helping to reduce the time required to move a toy from prototype to full on production model.

GIZMODO – Inside Hasbro: Model Shop Magic from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

It’s safe to assume that toys were a major part of your childhood, as they were mine. It’s nice to see that toy companies are on the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to 3D printers and stereolithography machines.

[h/t: 3ders]

Hasbro and The Tetris Company have just announced a partnership that will see two physical games based on Tetris produced before the end of the year.

The first is called BOP IT TETRIS, which “tests players to match the traditional TETRIS block shaped lights as the challenges get faster and the levels go higher.” The second is JENGA TETRIS, which is pretty self-explanatory. Towers of lego shapes, anyone?

“For almost 30 years, the TETRIS game has been played by hundreds of millions of players across nearly every mobile and video gaming platform,” said Henk Rogers, Managing Director of The Tetris Company. “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Hasbro to expand the TETRIS brand and give our fans fun, challenging face-to-face formats to experience the ‘Tetris Effect’ in a unique way.”

As you may remember, Hasbro partnered with Zynga last year to launch physical version of popular online games like FarmVille, Draw Something, and Word with Friends. They also recently announced a partnership with EA to bring Popcap’s popular Bejeweled game to the physical world.

You can expect to see the new Tetris Jenga and Tetris Bop It hit store shelves (globally) this August.

[Photo courtesy Loozrboy, Flickr]

An analyst with Needham and Company are saying that toy companies are starting to get a little scared for their futures. Kids are becoming increasingly interested in tablets and other technologies instead of the toys that generations past were so invested in. In fact, a recent survey of children found that many wanted iPads, iPhones and other devices for Christmas. Of course, the survey only asked about interest in technology-related gifts, but it could be inferred that kids really do want tablets instead of toys.

For their part, Mattel and Hasbro are putting on a brave face. The companies say that nothing is wrong, but you can see the signs of change in their core business. The biggest toys retailer in the U.S., Toys-R-Us, unveiled its own tablet for kids in September called the Tabeo. It’s pretty obvious that what’s considered fun and entertaining for children is changing when even the toy stores are starting to give premium exposure to tablets.

So what can these companies do to stave off their own demise? Get with the times and offer more technology related toys and products. There are ways to tie toys into tablets and video games. Activision proved that last year with the amazingly successful Skylanders that makes kids buy toys to unlock more characters in the game. Mattel could start up a new He-Man toy line and tie it into the latest mobile title for additional unlocks or bonuses. There are plenty of ways for traditional companies to embrace technology while staying true to their core focus. It’s just a matter of finding a solution.

[h/t: BGR]

Social gaming company Zynga and longtime physical game maker Hasbro have teamed up to produce a line of board games inspired by the online Zynga games played by millions around the world. This partnership was first announced back in February, and we’re now getting a picture of what the games will look like.

Some of the games are entirely based on a Zynga property, and some combine classic board games with the Zynga properties. For example, one of the offerings is a straight up physical adaptation of Draw Something – and another is a mashup called “CityVille Monopoly.”

You also have FarmVille Hungry Hungry Herd (a Hungry Hungry Hippos mashup), FarmVille Animal Game featuring Memory, and FarmVille Old Maid & Go Fish.

And yes, there will be a Words with Friends board game available – which will of course resemble Scrabble, but with slightly different point values and letter distributions.

Zynga isn’t completely abandoning digital with this partnership, as many of the games include digital values – for instance, a purchase of the Words with Friends board game give players access to a bunch of new digital features.

“We are proud to team up with Hasbro and excited for our players to experience their favorite Zynga games in a new way,” said Barry Cottle, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Business Development, Zynga. “Our hope is to enhance relationships through play through our web and mobile social games and now with the new games from Hasbro, we can make those connections even stronger for our players.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Zynga to give their millions of fans an exciting experience with the Zynga games they love,” said Eric Nyman, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Leader, Hasbro Gaming. “Gaming brings people together, especially during the holidays, and we can’t wait to offer friends and families even more great options to play.”

Zynga and Hasbro are definitely hoping for a big holiday hit. In all, eight games will be launched this fall with price points around $19.99 to $24.99.

You can expect to see many of these games hit the shelves this month in the U.S., and later this fall in the U.K., Australia, and Canada.

KRE-O, which is essentially Hasbro’s take on LEGO, nabbed the license to Star Trek a while back and will be premiering the sets they’ve cooked up at the San Diego Comic-Con. As toy companies regularly do before a major release, they have teased their new license with the first picture of the U.S.S. Enterprise set.

Gut reaction: It’s beautiful and I want it. I’ve always had a thing for ships, whether they be naval or stellar, and the KRE-O Enterprise does not disappoint. Sure, it’s not LEGO, but it’s the next best thing. At least it’s not Mega Bloks and their awful Halo line.

What makes this reveal even more special is that Hasbro has recreated the Star Trek reboot’s teaser trailer completely out of KRE-O. The fact that the fake MPAA notice at the beginning of the trailer says “The following preview has been approved for all toy loving audiences” fills me with a kind of joy that I haven’t experienced in a long time. As for the actual trailer itself, it has a Robot Chicken quality to it that’s pure delight.

As previously mentioned, we’ll get our first look at the set this year at San Diego Comic-Con. Unfortunately, it won’t be hitting stores until Spring 2013. Here’s hoping that Hasbro reveals more than just the U.S.S. Enterprise at Comic-Con and perhaps some sets based on the older movies. I would do horrible things for a William Shatner LEGO look-alike figure.

[h/t: Collider]

It appears that I may have jumped the gun though as an Intrepid Japanese inventor has created what may be the first autonomous Transformer. This isn’t some cheap gimmick or trick of the camera. What we have here is a fully functional transforming robot that goes from car to humanoid robot.

According to the video, the robot if fully functional with 22 motors that power its movements. Those motors power an amazing array of movements from walking to full on punching power. This little guy even pulls off a massive uppercut that would shatter a Decepticon’s jaw.

The video says that this is version 8 of the robot with version 9 coming soon. That means that there are at least seven of these robot prototypes lying around. I think we all know what this means: Hasbro needs to hire this guy as their new toy lead. I haven’t purchased a Transformers toy in years after what Michael Bay did to the franchise, but I would buy one of these in an instant.

Check out the video yourself and tell us what you think:

[Thanks Reddit]

G.I. Joe Retaliation is set to be released on June 29, 2012. It stars Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock, Channing Tatum as Duke, Bruce Willis as General Joseph Colton, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, Ray Park as Snake Eyes, Lee Byung-hun as Storm Shadow, Ray Stevenson as Firefly, RZA as Blind Master, Arnold Vosloo as Zartan
D.J. Cotrona as Flint, Elodie Yung as Jinx, Eddie Hargitay as Tunnel Rat, Matt Gerald as Zandar, Joseph Mazzello as Mouse, Jonathan Pryce as the President of the United States, and Walton Goggins as Warden Nigel James.

Cobra Commander

Snake Eyes

Roadblock

Duke

Storm Shadow

Lady Jaye

Joe Colton

Jinx

Here is the official trailer for the movie:

“We are very excited to be working with Hasbro Studios,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President of Content Acquisition at Netflix. “This deal allows us to offer even more great kids’ programming to our members, both adults and kids alike, including new seasons of My Little Pony, Transformers Prime, and Pound Puppies after the season finale airs on The Hub.”

Transformers Prime, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, G.I. Joe: Renegades and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends are now available to instantly watch on Netflix. JEM & The Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will follow later in 2012.

“We are pleased that consumers will now be able to watch our award-winning programming on Netflix, the leading internet subscription service,” Hasbro Studios President Stephen Davis said. “We are making our content easy to access, anytime, anywhere and on all platforms where audiences are consuming content and this is a big step forward with our all screen strategy.”

Below is a clip of Hasbro’s “Transformers Prime,” now on Netflix:

As of now, Netflix offers Hasbro shows Transformers Prime, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, G.I. Joe: Renegades and The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, in its 12-and-under section. Later in the year, JEM & The Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, G.I. Joe: Real American Heroes, Transformers: Beast Wars and Transformers: Rescue Bots will be available.

Below is a sample of the “delightfully fast-paced, song-filled adventures” of “Chuck & Friends:”

And finally, Hasbro will resurrect JEM & The Holograms on Netflix in the coming months. The migraine-inducing theme song can be heard in the video below:

Just recently, Netflix lost some of their Just For Kids content in Canada for a short time, due to a licensing issue.