Angry Birds Christmas edition bringing joy to the world soon

Angry Birds developer Rovio has clearly hinted at a Christmas edition of the game, which could be heading to the iPhone and possibly Android handsets soon.

On Rovio's Facebook and Twitter pages, the developer has replaced the usual Angry Birds image with a picture of the annoyed red bird above, complete with a Santa hat.

The Finns also tweeted on 10 November: "Really happy with Angry Birds Halloween results, we will do something cool for Christmas. A bit different too."

So what should we expect from an Angry Birds Christmas edition? We're guessing more levels and a new festive look. It wouldn't be Christmas without loads of snow, and the pigs will probably be stuck in Santa hats.

It won't be the first time a popular iPhone game has been updated in time for Christmas. The character in Doodle Jump dressed up as Santa in last year's Yuletide update, with the addition of snow-themed monsters.

The 59p Angry Birds Halloween update did predictably well when it was released in October. Angry Birds is still one of the most downloaded iOS games at the moment, with a free Android version also enjoying massive success.

A video was recently released on the Web, which shows just how much of a cultural phenomenon Angry Birds has become. A hilarious and beautifully created skit shows what happens when you try to broker peace between the birds and the pigs.

Be warned before you watch it -- amid the hilarity there's a fair amount of angry avian profanity. Be sure to watch the whole thing to the end, as the payoff is absolute genius.

If you're looking for some help with the game, check out our Angry Birds guide. It outlines the strengths and weaknesses of each bird, and is a great weapon in your battle against those green piggies.