First Angry Birds Retail Café to Open in New York City
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER: With more than 25 billion downloads and 25 million-plus social media followers, Angry Bird has evolved into more than an amusing mobile game. The latest sign of that burgeoning enterprise, which includes two feature films and a Netflix series, is the opening of the first Angry Birds retail café.
Interestingly (and strategically), the iSwii by Angry Birds outpost will not be based in the heart of the tourist-flooded Times Square, but in Flushing, Queens. The 3,300-square-foot space debuts Saturday inside Tangram, a 1.2 million-square-foot engaging mixed-use development. In the Instagrammable café, shoppers and Angry Bird players can try and buy the trendy bubble teas and pastries, do some gaming, buy Angry Birds merchandise and, of course, take photos with abandon in the Pop Art-colored interiors.
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The Shanghai Construction Group America SCG America partnered with Angry Birds’ creator Rovio Entertainment to debut the game franchise’s first retail café. The deal was sealed with the help of Angry Birds’ worldwide licensing agency IMG.
The interactive destination features in-person and screen activities to reel in individuals and families. New York City-themed statues outside of the entrance are meant to be an added attraction, as is the mural on the store’s ceiling and the colorful dessert-like sprinkles motif that can be found on the floor and on the terrazzo counter. Patrons will be able to hang out in nest-like hanging wicker chairs, surrounded by bright wall coverings and tropical plants.
Visitors will also get to window shop the chef’s confectionary creations, through a glass-partitioned “exhibition” of the custom decorated cakes and pastries. The family-friendly and social media-leaning interiors were cooked up by SCG America’s head of interior design Tina Wu. Those who yearn for more nesting can reserve private rooms for special events, where guests can play Angry Birds VR games and leave with Angry Birds swag bags.
Indoor fun isn’t the only main event that Angry Bird has introduced recently: Angry Birds fans have until Monday to try the 30 new levels in Angry Birds Friends. Rovlo teamed up with the National Parks Foundation to create those based on greenery and scenery that can be found in U.S. parks.
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