Angry Birds remains an international obsession on mobile devices, despite the fact that the red bird is completely [expletive] useless. It's also Finland's greatest export since Teemu Selanne.
The 2012 IIHF World Championships are scheduled for next May in Helsinki and Stockholm. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association just revealed the official mascot for the tournament … and it's Angry Birds' puckhead cousin, HockeyBird. This'll sell a few trinkets.
HockeyBird > Goooly.
From the Finnish Ice Hockey Association:
Is it is a plane? No. Is it a bird? Yes. And a crowd pleaser, a team supporter, a tournament promoter, and a character that will be remembered in years to come. The official tournament mascot is many things, and HockeyBird, designed by Toni Kysenius at Rovio Entertainment, the company behind the hit game Angry Birds, is all that.
"For us, getting the Hockey Bird was fantastic. Angry Birds is Finnish, known worldwide, and one of the hottest topics of conversation wherever you go," says Mika Sulin, general secretary of the Finnish tournament organization.
"For Rovio, being a part of the hockey world championships is something new, and Hockey Bird is the right person to join the party. He's the first angry bird who gets to break free from the Angry Birds game environment. His job is to bring bird energy to a big sports carnival and basically, be everywhere," says Kysenius.
And, if the Finns are losing a close game, it'll be his job to sacrificially hurl himself at the opposing bench as if they were a collection of green-colored swine accused of stealing eggs …
See more art for HockeyBird here. This would be the greatest marriage ever between hockey and Angry Birds, but we're not sure there's any topping this goalie mask.