Build-A-Bear Workshop

I don’t mean to be critical, but you Unilocalers don’t understand teddy bears.
I admit that in my childhood, I was an absolute bear fanatic. I love bears. I also admit that I still have two. These live in my bed. I am 22 years old.
The bears here at Build-​A-​Bear are just a gimmick. They’ve got no soul!
Firstly, the principle characteristic of a bear is that it be soft. These are too hard. Also you can record a message and have it put into your bear so that it ‘speaks’. This is funny for a joke, but what child wants a bear with a hard thing in the middle of it that makes weird noises when you press it. How on earth am I going to fall asleep hugging that eh?
Secondly, why do people think that teddy bears should be wearing human clothes? Bears are not humans. They do not want to wear clothes. This is the equivalent of dressing up your child in a bear costume all day every day. The child will be embarassed, and probably traumatized. So will the bear.
I spoke to both my bears and they agree, this place is evil. Like the factory in Super Ted.

Build a bear workshop in theory sounds like a lovely idea, however the store layout often gives me the eebies. Connotations of The Nutcracker and a kid’s tea party in super size come to mind, it doesn’t help matters when the Build a Bear motto is to «Bring the Teddy Bear to Life». Eepy Cray? A little. But you really can’t knock the idea with Build a Bear, which is to give something of fine quality to a loved one, for just cos or for a special occasion, and then add your own twist so it’s got some semblance of a unique quality to it. The staff don’t exactly look like they’re all fun and cutesy and bear loving in their serious shirts and chinos, but if you’re a bit lost in the «where do I start» department, then they are really very helpful to these needs. The premise is, you pick out a furry animal, give it occasion appropriate attire, (cap and gown, flower for get well soons, birthday cakes etc etc) and then personalise it with animal noises or recorded messages. Once it’s been stuffed, sewn and decorated, it’s ready to take home. The best bit about build a bear is, if you’re buying for a kidlet, then take them along, they can sit at stations and pick out noises for their bears and outfits and all that fiddly cool stuff that kids love. Although I think the company preys on this a little bit, so when your kidlet doles out the puppy eyes, you’ll be forced to pay out the inflated prices for the unique new best friend.

I have a bear. His name is Jeremy Bearpants. He is so-​called because he doesn’t wear any pants. His full name is Dr Jeremy Bearpants. He has a PhD in pantlessness. I built Dr Jeremy at the Build a Bear Workshop, as a Christmas gift for my sister. But then, I got him home and took him out of the box, to watch Lost with me, because I felt sorry for him all cooped up in his box. I fell in love. I ended up keeping him and building my sister a new bear.
I was 18 years old.
If you have ever been to BaB, then you will have experienced the immense joy that emanates from this place, and you will not judge me. Because BaB is awesome.
Where else would you be able to choose how squishy you want your bear? Where else would they let you choose if your bear had a beer belly (yes. Of course yes. Why would I want a beer-​belly-​less bear?) Where else would you be able to construct a new friend, and give him horn-​rimmed geek specs? Nowhere else. BaB is special. Of course, you could go to Bear Factory, but it’s shit.
The BaB process goes thusly:
— choose your bear ‘skin’. This can be an upsetting stage of the process, as you rifly through baskets of stuffing-​less bears and bunnies, choosing the right one. It’s upsetting, but necessary.
— Queue up with other budding Bear Builders at the stuffing station. Here, the lovely lady will fill your bear, to your specifications re: softess and beer belly size.
— Give your bear a heart, which you warm between your hands, blow love into, and occasionally the bear stuffing lady will ask you to sing it a song or do a dance, to make sure the bear is full of love and fun.
— Watch as your bear is stitched up.
— Give your bear an ‘air shower’ and a good brush, to make sure his/​her fur is all lovely and fluffed up.
— CHOOSE THE CLOTHES!!! This bit is the best bit. You run around choosing tops and shorts (not in Jeremy’s case, of course, he likes crotch freedom) and accessories.
— Take the bear to the counter, where they will expertly dress your bear and pop it in a lovely little box that’s part-​pet-​carrier, part-​house.
— Take bear home. Love bear for rest of natural life.
Oh, you also get to do a little birth certificate for your bear. It’s magical. It’s like creating a child, but without all the labour and pooing in front of other people (that happens in childbirth, a midwife told me, so from now on, it’s me and the bears)
BaB is great if you need to give a special gift, or if you just fancy a new bear-​child to hold whilst watching Lost. Nobody will judge you.

Moving on from building tiny soldiers and a world in which these little minions symbolically kill each other (Games Workshop for those who might have found this review by itself!), it only feels right to regress even further into childhood to a simpler, more innocent time. Do you know how important teddy bears are to children? I do. My grandmother gave me a bear when I was five years old. His name is Fuzzy. Yes, is. 21 years later he is sat on this very computer desk on top of a bunch of files, and I won’t lie to you, I still cuddle him if I can’t sleep. That bear travelled on holiday with me, he soaked up many of my adolescent tears, he’s seen the coming and going of boyfriends. A good teddy bear is for life, and Fuzzy will probably be buried with me as I don’t trust any of my own children (should I have them — God, and already I don’t trust them) to keep him well and pass him onto their own.
This is why this shop is such a great idea, and the clue is in the title. I think each child should only be allowed one bear, but that’s just my cosy idealistic little policy and it doesn’t account for the sheer volume of spoilt little madams and misters out there. The clue is in the title, effectively you bring in your little ones, they choose their bear, and they help make it. It’s a process used for every bear (and you can also get other animals) whereby at a certain point, when the stuffing is added, the child selects a ‘heart’, warms it in their hands, makes a wish and places it in their toy. This secures the bond as it were. Then when stitched the little customer can help fluff up the bear, give it a name and register it in the shop Find-​A-​Bear ID tracking system (I’d really laugh if some kid wanted to call theirs Buttcrack or Farts, it’d sure take away the sentimentality), find it some togs (only Paddington Bear had clothes in my day!) and take it home in a Cub Condo.
I think it’s a cute idea. The clothing and the cub condo appeal to just how materialistic kids are these days, but the heart and the personalisation add a whole lot of emotional value. What better way to introduce your little critter to its first bear. As well as this, the shop is full of great gift ideas and you can even book Build-​A-​Bear parties for unique birthdays. Bear buying has sure moved on from when I was a littlun, but I must say this is a pretty innovative and sweet way to keep up with the times.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek I love this shop! It’s awesome!
The ultimate place to take a child to if you want to spoil them… a great gift to buy your girlfriend as long as you let her come and decide what she wants.
I love the way you choose everything from the animal to the amount of stuffing (very important, you don’t want him too squishy) to the outfits to the voice! Everything!
It’s great when you see the children’s faces all giddy when they see their little friend coming to life! A great present, buy a gift card for Christmas but make sure you wait a little while before you hit the shop, immensely popular and one to avoid for the first couple of days!
Quite expensive but well worth it! Something they will keep which will remind them of you forever!

I must confess I go weak at the knees when I pass this store. Its creator knows a thing or two about how much cute sells, and how much business you can generate from putting a smile on a child’s face. That, coupled with weak-​willed parents (well, not that weak-​willed, they’ve always wanted an excuse to come in here too) make this a winning formula.
So it works like this: your child chooses their new best friend, they’ve got everything from traditional bears, dogs and cats to Christmas polar bears and moose. Next, they can add their own sound, or a pre-​recorded one. Then their friend is taken to be stuffed and stitched, with a hug test to make sure it’s just right. Finally, the bit that really makes the bear seem like a real, the children get to give their furry friend a spa treatment, a birth certificate and their very own outfit.
The total cost is around £20−28 depending on the bear chosen but considering the overall experience, a fun day for the kids (and you!), and a friend for life, it’s a pretty good deal. Just try and go when it’s quiet.

The Build-​A-​Bear shop is an excellent place for children and adults who want to buy a toy with a difference. When you enter the shop you choose a Teddy bear design and the you make out a certificate for it and then you stuff it yourself! This is an ingenius idea that makes the experience very special for children. The teddy’s are priced quite cheap and there are lots of variations to choose from. A big thumbs up!

Quite honestly my very first reaction upon setting eyes on this place was utter revulsion and trauma. I cannot think of anything more traumatising for a child to witness then seeing a ‘friend’ being stuffed. The actual process is very brutal to look at! Also the uniquness of the trip is somewhat spoiled when you see all the other children moving along with conveyor belt like motion having exactly the same thing done.
The staff are over the top artificial and unenthusiastic as they ‘go through the motions’ again and again.
Over priced gimmick, there’s much nicer ways for a child to have a teddy made as in at home, with mum or dad or gran with one of numerous kits and patterns out there.
I don’t have anything positive to say about this hideous place.

NO! oh gosh I loathe this place, it’s hell on earth. While yo might think it’s all cute and fluffy fun, it’s pure tatt, awful quality stuffed animals with shoddy made outfits that you know some poor child in Asia has literally slaved over and awful accessories. The staff look like they’ve been tranced into a cult and are fake the whole experiece is so. Not good.
Full of spoilt, whinging ungrateful brats and parents that should know better
If you want your child to acheive a proper sence of pride in making their own fury friend, there are plently of well priced kits out there to help them on their way or why not use some old clothes and your sewing kit at home?

What a great place to bring the kids! You can ceate your own bear. It will be born, you have to name it and then pick its clothing. You can record a message inside the bear if it is a gift for a loved one, or just if you want it to say soemthing cool! Its very fun picking out the clothing and there is so much to choose from! If you are looking for something personal as a gift this is definetley the place to come! Prices are not cheap, but reasonable for what you are getting. They staff are very helpful if you dont know what to do! Go on, build your own bear!