On 8 July 2023, the first ever Angry Birds-themed retail café opened in New York City. A partnership between the creator of the Angry Birds brand, the Finnish mobile-first gaming company Rovio Entertainment Corporation, and SCG America, the new attraction is named iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Cafe.
Angry Birds is a global fan favourite with more than five billion downloads, 25+ million social media followers, and 96% brand awareness. Now, the iSwii by Angry Birds retail café provides an engaging, interactive experience for lovers of the franchise. Pastries, cakes and snacks, as well as bubble teas and coffees, are available to visitors. There are also gaming, shopping and photo opportunities.
Following an agreement made by global licensing giant IMG, the first Angry Birds Retail Café opened in Tangram. This is a new 275,000-square-foot, multi-level retail complex in the vibrant downtown Flushing business district.
The cafe itself covers 3,300 square feet. The entrance is adorned with a series of New York City-themed statues, making it a great backdrop for social media material. The modern decor features a colourful ceiling with themed Angry Birds graphics, a terrazzo counter and a floor coating that resembles dessert sprinkles.
Nest-like wicker and hanging chairs, bird of paradise graphic wall coverings, and shelves covered with tropical plants and roaming baby birds are among the Angry Birds-themed touches. The chef’s seasonal cakes and pastries are also on show. In addition, the venue provides “nest” rooms for private hire, ideal for parties and events. These include Angry Bird treats and VR games, as well as themed gift bags for guests.
To find out more about what guests can expect from iSwii by Angry Birds, Blooloop speaks to Robert Leck, executive director of asset management of SCG America, and Katri Chacona, director of brand licensing at Rovio.
A solid partnership
iSwii by Angry Birds was made possible by a partnership between SCG America and Rovio. SCG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shanghai Construction Group and developers of the overall Tangram complex, as well as the successful One Fulton Square mixed-use project, also in Flushing, NYC. Rovio is the Finnish mobile gaming company behind the much-loved franchise.
Talking about the partnership, Chacona says:
“SCG America is a solid partner with lots of experience in different types of development. They also have a passion for the Angry Birds brand; they share our enthusiasm for the brand. That is key for a project like this. They wanted to bring the brand to life in a unique way, to bring it to a cafe environment, which is something that we have never done before.”
Leck adds:
“Our intention was to find a brand/partner who shares our same core beliefs when it comes to product and or asset development, and who fully understands and commits the resources necessary to be creative, innovative, staying relevant, and while doing so, keeps their targeted audience needs as a priority. Rovio brings these quality traits to every project they are a part of.
“In the case of our iSwii by Angry Bird Retail Café, we were looking for a fun, colourful, gender neutral, youthful, evolving brand that crosses many international timelines, with its familiarity and brand awareness. We were seeking a brand which would have the flexibility to cross over many of our SCG America Hospitality platforms, from our coffee/patisserie, QSR and casual restaurant spaces to technology, entertainment, and retail, as well as our luxury hotels placed within gateway international cities.
“Angry Birds is the perfect brand, that checks all those boxes.”
The enduring popularity of Angry Birds
The original Angry Birds game was released by Rovio in 2009, and it soon became a smash hit. Since then, it has spawned several spin-off games as well as TV and film adaptations, merchandise, comics, theme parks, attractions and more. So, why has this flock of revenge-seeking birds and their piggy nemeses been so successful around the world?
“Angry Birds has been part of the smartphone revolution since the beginning,” says Chacona. “The original game was launched around the time the first iPhone came out. So, it became a big phenomenon at that time. That was the beginning of the story. We were the first company to grow a mobile phone game into a full entertainment brand. We were also the first mobile gaming company to release a movie.”
“But then, we also have a universe of very fun and unique characters who have a lot of humour. The humour is key.
“Plus, we’ve been able to strengthen the characters through the movies and the different types of content. One of the unique things is that our Angry Birds universe has a wide appeal through these different products. A lot of adults play the mobile games. But then we also have content that relates to a family audience, like our movies. That means that parents and kids can enjoy the brand together.”
Leck also attributes the brand’s success to its self-evolving nature, as well as its strong character and story development. He also mentions the many platforms and partnerships that the brand has expanded to, demonstrating its strong desire and effort to stay relevant on each of those very competitive platforms.
Inside iSwii by Angry Birds
When it comes to bringing this world to life at iSwii by Angry Birds, Chacona praises the work done by the SCG America team to create an immersive experience that will appeal to dedicated fans and casual visitors alike:
“The design is a combination of stylish café interior and the immersive world of Angry Birds. It is infused with unique graphics inspired by the Angry Birds universe. The team has also worked hard on some massive, sculpted elements. For instance, for the window display, there is a classic game-level diorama inside it. There is also a photo opportunity sculpture with the birds and pigs in a New York City environment. This is unique for this location, it’s something that visitors can’t find anywhere else.
Going into more detail about the design process, Leck says: “That’s the fun part!” The interior design was done by Tina Wu, head of interior design at SCG America.
“Tina took special care and purpose to design our iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Cafe for individuals and families alike,” he adds. “The 3,300-square-foot iSwii by Angry Birds is adorned with modern décor. It features a collection of Instagrammable NYC-themed statue installations outside the entrance.”
“Other fun interactive features include a glass-partitioned exhibition display with our pastry chef’s custom-decorated yummy seasonal holiday cakes & pastries, all of which collectively create the most fun retail and cafe experience anyone can imagine.”
Themed F&B
Getting the food and beverage offering right was crucial. The themed elements add the wow factor and the Instagrammability, but it’s the F&B that will make people want to stay, and to come back again and again.
“There will be delicacies that will make our fans smile,” says Chacona.
Leck adds: “Our menu and confections are all in-house designed and made. They are truly handcrafted in every way possible, including our themed caked pops, gourmet cupcakes, special event cakes, chocolate barks, bars, and lollipops. They are all themed to not only ensure “Red”, “Chuck”, “Pig”, and my favourite, “Bomb” come to life, but they are also quite tasty too!!”
“Youthful fun favourites were also added, like chocolate dipped madeleines, and rice crispy treats. To complement our array of barista coffees and teas, we also have fresh croissants and assorted muffin pillows for dipping. Bring your sweet tooth as well, as we have quite a fun collection of fun-spirited bubble teas and seasonal fruit drinks. And, of course, we have soft serve which goes well with anything I mentioned!
“We look forward to showing off the fantastic talented depths of our executive pastry chef, Christophe Toury, throughout iSwii by Angry Birds.”
Unique merchandise at iSwii by Angry Birds
Guests can also take a piece of the iSwii by Angry Birds experience home with them, thanks to a range of themed merchandise. This includes items that are unique to the NYC location, says Chacona, adding that some items have been custom-made for the café.
“We have partnered up with Rovio and their partners to have over 120 new Angry Birds retail items. There are also plans to add another 200 in the fall, just in time for the holiday season,” says Leck.
“We are committed to maintaining the newest and coolest product throughout the year, being mindful of the evolving ages of our fans, to ensure our merchandise has a little bit of everything, for everyone – even for the ones who have a little bit of extreme sports in them, with Venom Angry Bird Skateboards. We sell safety helmets and pads too!”
New development in NYC
If you’re going to introduce an Angry Birds-themed café for the first time, where better to do it than New York City?
“NYC easily provides the perfect global stage to welcome our US and international fans of Angry Birds,” says Leck. “It also allows us to introduce Angry Birds to future fans from locations that we otherwise don’t have a physical presence in.”
“It’s one of the largest cities in the US, which is a great starting point,” agrees Chacona. “It’s also a prime location for tourists; it’s really a melting pot. It’s an ideal place for the first Angry Birds café, where we can reach a global wide audience.”
The café can be found within Tangram. This is a new 1.2 million-square-foot, family-friendly, mixed-use development in downtown Flushing, in the borough of Queens. Tangram offers immersive retail, alongside residential, office and hotel space. It is home to 275,000 square feet of high-end curated retail in a multi-level space alongside a sweeping, sky-lit atrium.
Tangram is a joint development between F&T Group and SCG America. It includes the four-star, 208-key Renaissance New York Flushing Hotel, a cutting-edge 4DX movie theatre from Regal Cinemas, Orangetheory Fitness, premier learn-to-swim facility Goldfish Swim School and Flushing’s first beer garden.
In addition, there is a 24,000-square-foot food hall, home to Beijing-based Ju Qi, Taiwanese dessert bar Meet Fresh and one of the largest and most popular hot pot chains in China, Xiao Long Kan Hot Pot, amongst many other options.
More Angry Birds cafes to come
Angry Birds as a global brand was a perfect fit for this location with its appeal to a wide age range and gender-neutral audience.
“Our fans come from all walks of life and other nests alike,” says Leck. “We were looking to be the place where we attract like-minded fans who want to celebrate and be a part of the Angry Birds flock and do this unconditionally. Age is just a number, but not any bird can be an Angry Bird!
In terms of expansion to other locations across the US, Leck and Chacona both hint at future venues to come.
“Our SCGA team and Rovio aim to grow iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Café, and do so in other US gateway cities,” says Leck. “Many cities are being evaluated as we speak. We are so proud to be able to use our NYC iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Café as the flagship moving forward, to pattern our future stores after.”
“We wanted to put together a good concept and a good first café experience,” says Chacona. “But we will expand opportunities elsewhere in the US as well. And then also outside of the US in the future. This is a growing area of the business for us.
“We are working on multiple different areas of the business. For instance, new family entertainment centres, merchandise partners, meet and greet opportunities and interactive gaming experiences. There are definitely lots of exciting things that we are working on!”
iSwii by Angry Birds is a labour of love
With the new café now open, Chacona says that Rovio is always happy to find new forums for Angry Birds fans to interact with the brand in new and fun ways:
“This unique establishment goes beyond the screen. It offers an immersive experience where fans and customers can delight in tantalizing foods and drinks as well as engage in gaming and capture extraordinary moments in our exclusive photo opportunities.”
Leck adds:
“This been a labour of love that takes a full flock to bring to life. Our flock consists of our partners Rovio and IMG, which facilitated the partnership between our teams.
“We have endured a lot to get to this opening point, including a global pandemic. Not one of the entities ever stopped inspiring, motivating and, when needed, challenging the other to bring its most creative and resourceful version of ourselves to this development effort. It has simply been a great pleasure to collaborate with our valued partners, Rovio and IMG. We can’t wait to do this again…details to come soon!”
Images kind courtesy of iSwii by Angry Birds Retail Cafe
