Indie agency Maurizio Distefano Licensing has signed its first flock of licensees for Angry Birds in Italy.

Ahead of the May big-screen debut for the popular app-based gaming franchise from Finland’s Rovio Entertainment, the Italian licensing agent has inked deals with Accademia (back-to-school, handbags, wallets, picture frames, greeting cards, diaries), WorldCart (handkerchiefs, napkins, paper goods), Perletti  (umbrellas, raincoats, boots), Multiprint (wood/rubber toy stamps), Modecor (chocolate/sugar decorations, lollipops, soft drinks), Preziosi Food (snacks, chocolate eggs, Easter eggs), Grani & Partners (erasers, metal tags, keychains) and Pengo (ceramic/glass mugs, plates, cups).

More partners are expected to come on-board shortly for categories such as toys, games, confectionery, apparel, plush, backpacks and dress-up.

Angry Birds products target a core demo of kids four and up, but are also expected to gain traction with a large secondary market of young adults and gift buyers.

At its peak the Angry Birds brand was raking in yearly CP revenues of more than US$200 million across a wide range of product categories. Revenues and licensing sales have dropped off since, and this past summer Rovio cut 260 jobs.

Rovio is banking on The Angry Birds Movie‘s star-studded cast, including Jason Sudeikis (We’re the Millers), Josh Gad (Frozen) and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), to attract movie-goers and breathe new life into the franchise, which boasts more than 2.8 million downloads across all platforms.