First look at LEGO Angry Birds

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Last month's announcement that LEGO will be releasing sets in the conjunction with the Angry Birds movie in 2016 was met with disappointment by many. I suspect this teaser image revealed by Kotaku will do little to improve the mood.

As you can see the birds themselves appear to consist entirely of new pieces, as do the pigs which are silhouetted around the edge of the image. The bird appears to have no connection points other than on its feet and hands which is very disappointing, although we will reportedly get a better look at San Diego Comic-Con.

This is therefore the second announcement in as many days regarding sets to be revealed at Comic-Con, so we might expect to see additional sets revealed shortly.

News via Brick Fanatics.

72 comments on this article

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By in United States,

Oh boy.

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By in United States,

Looks very Duplo. In fact, I almost think these would be better as Duplo sets - after all, AFOLs tend not to care about Duplo, so if it were confined to that brick-type we might not have to go through all the "oh no this sucks its the end of lego rabble rabble" crap that I'm sure is coming.

Anyway, not my cup of tea and about five years too late, but I guess European toy companies with outsize success have to stick together.

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By in United Kingdom,

Wait for the headlines to appear saying this: "LEGO Angry Birds is a new addition to the DUPLO range." A small note - the hands look to be DUPLO hands. (Hint, hint.)

2016 looks very disappointing so far - a useless BatMan set, and then DUPLO Angry Birds. :(

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By in Finland,

hmm... Red is a little dissapointment, not that fun but still quite childish... hopefully we'll get more pictures from the pigs soon.

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By in United States,

And suddenly, Galidor and Ben 10 had another series among their ranks.

What. Is Lego. Thinking?? I will be utterly surprised if this series even turns out slightly profitable. Lego is five years too late!

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By in Canada,

This isn't so bad. About the same amount of complexity and articulation as the smaller rock monsters from Power Miners, minus the opening jaws and the studs on the hands.

But really, I care less about the figures than the actual playsets. A lot of Angry Birds' appeal comes from the physics of its gameplay, being able to strategically fire birds from a slingshot and knock down structures. I'm curious how LEGO will reflect that in the sets. Unless, of course, the MOVIE manages to lose sight of the actual gameplay mechanics that made the franchise so successful, but I hope that's not the case.

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By in United States,

Ill reserve judgement on these for now. While they appear, from a teaser cartoon frame, to be specialized I'm not sure what people were expecting exactly.
So I'm not expecting these to be be anything more than what minecraft is, which is to attempt to translate a game. In this case not even a 'building' toy unless you build the pig levels for the bird to be flung into (with one of those new 'jumper' things for the minis), which is what Im guessing it is, unless they will be sets to mirror the movie due out.
like @18000pieces says, a bit late though for Angry birds to have its own line IMO

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By in United States,

the bird fig looks like mega bloks...

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By in United Kingdom,

Yeah hang on now you mention it why this and not minions.

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By in United States,

No. No. No. Please no.

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By in United States,

Oh man! I can't wait for Lego Pet Rock, Lego Troll Dolls, Lego Pogs and Lego Cabbage Patch Kids!!!

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By in Switzerland,

Does anyone even still play Angry Birds?... why would TLG want an IP like this? I feel this will end up as the TMNT line did. IP is way past it's prime and won't do very well.

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By in United States,

Abort abort! Save yourselves while you still can!
The bird doesn't look too bad, now that I see the rock monster resemblance... I love those guys... I don't think the sets will be awful, I just don't want them to exist.

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By in United Kingdom,

Gerry Anderson themed LEGO. That's what I want.

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By in United States,

@derfazoid Technically the TMNT line is based on a currently airing TV series that has been somewhat successful (the show, I don't know about the Legos) so that's not exactly the same, but I get the sentiment.

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By in United Kingdom,

There to coincide with the movie which is due out next year which i'm betting younger people will love and then want the sets. I think they look quite cool and i know my nephew will want them.

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By in Canada,

@DanRSL: Angry Birds may not be making headlines anymore, but Angry Birds is still one of the most-played mobile game series, and Angry Birds merchandise continues to sell like hotcakes. If all it took was an animated TV series to boost TMNT from the depths of obscurity to a popularity it hasn't had in years, what makes you think that an already popular mobile game series with an animated theatrical movie on the way is dead on arrival?

Now, obviously I don't expect it to become the next LEGO Star Wars or LEGO Super Heroes, but not every theme needs that kind of long-term profitability to be worthwhile for the LEGO Group in the short term.

@David_Tennant_Lord: You have to bear in mind that sometimes the point of creating new themes is to draw in new fans, not simply placate existing fans who already have plenty of other themes they're happy with. LEGO could not succeed as a company if they only produced things they've already been successful with and didn't take any risks.

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By in United States,

I was hoping for mini figure torso and feet with a round body that fits over the torso, like a wookie.

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By in United States,

I hope all "AFOLS" understand that these sets are probably for kids, I rarely played Angry Birds and I never liked the series, but with a movie coming out during the same time that these sets would be coming out LEGO has made a very profitable standing.

And hey, what is wrong with Duplo looking characters being associated with Lego? They need kids to be able to traverse onto playing with Lego's so when they become an AFOL they can keep buying sets, and stay interested.

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By in United States,

Everyone is missing the point. If you've played the game, you know that it's all about launching things into other things and watching them go Boom!

This may be a weak theme given that the Angry Birds franchise feels past it's prime, but they have the potential to be the ultimate "play" sets.

I see a different future - we should look forward to angry bird themed rube goldberg contraptions and bird launching contests at summer and fall 2016 AFOL conventions.

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By in United Kingdom,

^ Possibly, but does the clutch power of LEGO bricks not negate the fact that structures in Angry Birds are easily knocked over? Of course the designers could very easily construct structures which are breakable when struck, although that would be nothing new as similar features exist in many other themes.

Naturally Angry Birds sets lend themselves to high play value, but is the 'destructible' function not likely to become rather repetitive given that it is likely to be the only sort of feature offered by each set. Having said this we don't yet know what the film will be like and until we have a better idea of that I don't think we can surmise too much.

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By in United States,

Wow, that looks just...awful.

I think this is a bit of a blunder on LEGO's part.

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By in United States,

LEGO has jumped on a dead bandwagon. Even though this is likely a desperate attempt by Angry Birds to remain relevant.
I don't like this. It looks stupid already, and AB isn't about construction, it's about DEstruction. So no complex models, which should have indicated that this is a terrible fit for LEGO.

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By in Netherlands,

I don't like the look of both the pigs and the birds (yet?). Maybe the gameplay will be represented through a new kind of shooting piece?

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By in United States,

On something of a meta note, I find it interesting that LEGO's moving into the "purposely destroy the thing you built" category of play--not just with Angry Birds, but with other recent sets that include breakaway elements.

I find that highly commendable . LEGO sets are known for their stability and sturdiness, especially when compared to knock-offs. It would be easy for TLG to just turn up their noses at breakaway models and maintain that building is its own reward. I give them credit for putting more "action" into their product by actually encouraging the destruction of a model.

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By in United States,

There is a lot of negativity lately between Angry birds and the new Batmobile. The way I see it, if you don't like it, simply don't buy it.

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By in United States,

Lego come on really? ........

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By in United Kingdom,

No, just no.
In relation to other's comments it's based of the move-of which we know very little- rather than the game!

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By in United States,

@Russell844 That is probably the best idea anyone has had in this comments section so far.
@Earth-16 Lone Ranger wasn't the best movie ever, but the sets were still really good!
Maybe this is just an experiment? You never know until you try I guess... would be fun though to throw Minifigures at structures..

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By in United States,

@henrysunset good call! Rube Goldbird machines! My only complaint is why do the birds even have hands and arms?

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By in Australia,

More disgusted with the amount of users here calling them 'Legos'...makes my left eye twitch every time!

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By in United Kingdom,

Lets be honest nobody who posts here is part of the target demographic.
If kids like the sets they will sell and make more.
Lego continues to make things that are more complex are less like tradition lego but they still make the old stuff so its all good in my eyes.
You cannot like everything Lego makes

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By in United States,

The pain... the pain is intense...

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By in Australia,

These characters have lost their distinctive shapes; they're hideous. Maybe that's how they appear in the film, although I doubt it.

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By in United Kingdom,

Since when did the birds have legs?

I have an ominous feeling that the movie will have very little to do with the destruction element and much more to do with the 'birds protecting eggs' element. I'm not really sure if this image gives us anything to go on other than the fact that the figs look weird.

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By in United Kingdom,

Why the negativity about Lego being five years too late with Angry Birds? They are not flogging a dead horse. Walk into any retail outlet and you'll see Angry Birds toys, mugs, t-shirts, fridge magnets still on sale. Star Wars still sells over thirty years later. TMNT is still popular after a remake. Most thought the Simpsons was a decade too late but that proved popular as well. Just remember the Angry Birds movie is not even out yet, so who knows ...

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By in United States,

@Huey1 and The Rancor;
I really hope they won't appear in the movie like this, with the rather freaky addition of arms-wings and legs. *shudders* I think Angry Birds took this one too far. Their realm of mastery is games, not movie making.

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By in Australia,

I'm of two minds on this one. On the one hand, it looks awful. I mean, let's not beat around the bush on this one. It looks awful. OTOH ... having those little bird figures as decoration for my Lego city? That lends itself to possibilities. And plus, when the shops start clearancing the sets out (just to get rid of them), I'll be able to buy them really cheaply.

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By in Australia,

I agree with many, this looks very weird. Although is that egg piece new? If so, it's probably the only good thing about this theme. The idea of a movie about Angry Birds makes me laugh, but LEGO sets just frustrates me.

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By in Australia,

Well, LEGO must know something we don't about Angry Birds... After all, creating that many new moulds (that are so unique they can only be tied to a single theme) can't be cheap, so either they got a serious cash injection somewhere, or they're overconfident that they've got a hit on their hands...

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By in United States,

I can't understand the negativity here. They're not late, they're tying in to the movie release as per usual. Did people complain about LotR sets because they were made long after the books came out?

The sets will likely be made up of sections stacked on tiles, made to be knocked down. They don't "look like Megabloks". We may get some fun new elements and elements in new colors.

I haven't complained about Minecraft or Simpsons; I just haven't purchased any. Are there things I'd rather see them make? Oh yes: full Classic Space reboot, more LotR, new vehicle elements designed to make two minifigs fit side by side without getting overly wide or a small steering axle for minifig scale vehicles, bring the Islanders back to Pirates...I could go on. I'd also be broke.

My point is, TLG is looking at the big picture, and we're looking at our collection rooms. We vote with our dollars. What is whining going to do about Angry Birds? Do you think they'll say, "Whoa guys, shut down the factory...AFOLs don't like 'em"? No, you can vote with your dollars and try to prevent a second wave, but that's about it.

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By in United States,

Well, at first I thought that TLG could do an amazing job with brick built birds, but now I'm extremely disappointed by the one piece figures with two connection points as they show here. Hopefully the structures have good parts and look cool.

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By in United States,

Why is this even a thing!?!? Some of the stuff LEGO has been coming out with only make me excited... to save money.

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By in United States,

This is a no-brainer—everybody loves spending hours painstakingly constructing a set, only to have your 4-year old smash it.

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By in Canada,

Guys, there is a reason they look like they do...Visit AngryBirds Wiki. ya know what? - http://angrybirds.wikia.com/wiki/Angry_Birds_Movie - Look at that picture. They are based OFF OF the Movie! Look at Chuck and Bomb. They will most likely look VERY similar. If LEGO is trying to go for the Movie apperance, I give a huge thumbs up. They NAILED it. LEGO is hardly EVER dissapointing. I bet everyone who dobuts this theme, will regret they're doubts after seeing the sets in a week. TRUST ME, I have LOTS of LEGO Knowledge.

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By in United States,

This is a ridiculous concept. Angry Birds already flew the coop. They might as well make Cut The Rope Lego sets too. And Farmville. And Candy Crush.

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By in Romania,

It seems to me that a lot of people made up their minds without getting a single image of an actual playset.

You may wonder about wether you will like them or not, but to already be sure? Well... :)

In my opinion the idea of having a destructible play-set, that can be rebuilt eventually in many DIFFERENT set-ups, will strongly appeal to the younger audience.
Wether this is the case, and wether the implementation of such a system will be cleverly made or not, it remains to be seen.

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By in United Kingdom,

The "90 percent of people don't want this" figure is just made up! its common for people to pick 80 and 90% to justify their dislike. Whilst its not for me, you need to remember that the target audience is 7 to 8 year old boys. As that is by far the biggest group of buyers of Lego. Hence product development and marking focus on this group. If AFOLS were the biggest market then things would be different I'm sure.

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By in United States,

I'm getting a little tired of these nonsense licensed themes. While I DO like the idea of actually being able to knock down a tower and score points, I feel like this is a waste of a theme. I would have much rather seen so many other themes that this one is just disappointing.

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By in United Kingdom,

Personally I'm looking forward to the sets and in particular to collecting the birds.

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By in Canada,

"90 percent of people don't want this!" is NOT true. Its more like 40% don't want it. Why? Because there are tons of children who see this but are not allowed to comment online at their age. I am very excited for LEGO Angr Birds.

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By in United States,

I didn't realize those birds had arms...

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By in United States,

Hey, Huw Im new and whenever i post a comment i cant see it!

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By in United States,

Great. If Angry Birds wasn't enough, they had to get Kotaku involved.

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By in Taiwan,

Agree, it looks really Duplo-ish. Suppose that it's System base, the actual size should be pretty big. I assume that minifigures have dominated the whole LEGO fanbase, and not sure if it's proper to throw out another stand-alone size of figure just like Mickey Mouse was?

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By in United States,

Since this is tied in to the movie, I doubt that the sets with be demolition based like the app game. I'm betting the sets will be vehicles, buildings, and scenes from the movie.

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By in Denmark,

Come on guys! These birds are following the minifig concept from the POWERMINER monsters... whom were pretty cool too. This is going to be a great theme for my small son who loved destroying my lego buildings. And the birds will be SO cute. :-)

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By in United States,

Ohhhhhhh boy, here come the bad themes.

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By in United States,

I have a baaaad feeling about this :|. It might turn out good though if they are like the k'nex angry birds where you can build the pigs fort and then, you have a slingshot so you can nock down the fort with the bird(s). :-)

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By in United States,

I like how everybody's complaining already. The sets haven't even come out and already they're being compared to Galidor, Ben 10, etc.

I'm not sure I heard any complaints about the absurd Hagrid figure in 4738 or the absurd Pong Krell in 75004 (he looks nothing like the way he should), and the sets those figures were included in were more or less decent, so why already begin judging these sets based on the figs? Goodness.

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By in United Kingdom,

Firstly, I don't understand why people are saying LEGO are too late with this theme. It's tied in with the movie, so arguably the movie is late, but not the theme. In any case Angry Birds is still enormously popular despite what some people are suggesting here.

Secondly, I'm sure the target audience will love it. My kids have a physical version of Angry Birds in which you build the structures out of plastic pieces, place the pigs and then fling the birds at it with a catapult. It's great fun. If LEGO go down this path, which is quite possible as some have pointed out, then brick-built birds don't make much sense.

Personally: meh. I can take it or leave it.

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By in United States,

Can't wait for it to come out!

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By in United States,

its like they took chima and acctualy found a way to make it worse

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By in Australia,

BAD I Like the K-nex ones Much Better

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By in Australia,

pvp3020, no one was suggesting brick-built birds; just birds that look like the ones in the game.

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By in United Kingdom,

There is a disturbance in the force, Hmmm! Lego Angry Birds Star Wars! I've failed, my master!

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By in Belgium,

I just don't like the idea of destroying lego by trowing lego birds to it.
I'm sorry lego but this is just BAD.

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