Annoying Orange
????Company: The Bridge Direct
????Location: Boca Raton, Fla.
????Price: $9.99 for plush toys and collectible figures
????Age: 4 and up
????It was only a matter of time before the Annoying Orange got its own line of toys.
????The Annoying Orange is an animated web series created by Dane Boedigheimer, featuring a variety of talking fruits and vegetables. Boedigheimer brought the characters to life by superimposing his own eyes and mouth on them.
????The main character is the orange, who tries to annoy the kitchen crew with his hilarious and sarcastic exchanges.
????The webisodes became a hit and now boast over 800 million views on YouTube.
????Toymaker The Bridge Direct, which scored its first massive toy hit last year with its exclusive Justin Bieber dolls, quickly jumped onto this viral trend after spotting its explosive popularity.
????"We pride ourselves in keeping a pulse on what kids are following," said George Vorkas, general manager with The Bridge Direct. "We noticed the Annoying Orange web videos two years ago and kept an eye on it ever since."
????When Annoying Orange hit nine million fans on Facebook, Vorkas said the company decided to pull the trigger and lock in a license to produce a toy line. "Annoying Orange has the same fun factor as Angry Birds," he said.
????In November, Annoying Orange fans will be able to buy plush characters and a collection of six talking Annoying Orange figures, each with their own annoying phrases. All the toys launch exclusively at Toys R Us.
