Get Creative & Take Home a New Buddy
Written: May 17 '03 (Updated May 17 '03)
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Pros: A fun interactive experience that allows you to create your new friend
Cons: Restraint must be exercised....one can get carried away at great expense!
The Bottom Line: If you have the opportunity to visit Build-A-Bear Workshop, don't hesitate. They even have an online store, but it's not the same as the hands on experience.
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| mytwosweeties's Full Review: Build-A-Bear Stuffed Bear |
My family and I experienced our first Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco, Texas (a suburb of Dallas). We were new to the area, and had never had the pleasure of visiting one of these stores before. In fact, I'd never even heard of them. Boy, has that ever changed!
At first I felt a little intimidated, not knowing what this store was all about. The Workshop is very colorful, clean, and cheery music is ALWAYS a staple when you walk through the front entrance (flanked by two giant cartoonish type bear statues), but "what are we supposed to do once we're in here?", I wondered.
That's where the lady at the front holding the stuffed animal and a roll of stickers (for your child) comes in. She warmly welcomed us. It must have been obvious that we were "newbies" (maybe standing there with our mouths open in awe was a hint).
The lady cheerfully explained the Build-A-Bear process to us. It goes a little something like this:
Along the right side of the store is a wall that houses "sample" stuffed animal. Below these fully stuffed samples are "shells" of the animal displayed (this means just the outer fur of the animal, no stuffing inside, however eyes, noses, etc. are pre-sewn on them).
Children (or adults, as the case may be), first choose their animal shell. The store is called Build-A-Bear, however, a wide choice of animals is provided.
This first visit being an impromptu one, and not knowing how many features we might add to the animal down the line, I limited my children to the $10-$15 range. My nine year old chose a white bear with clovers all over his fur (I believe this was a special St. Patrick's Day bear..he was $12), and my two year old picked a plain (but cute) black bear (he was $15). Others were available, here's a list of some:
Pudgie Pig $18
Chocolate, Taffy, & Butterscotch Teddies-all $10 each
Curly Bunny-$15
Curly Bear-$15
Kuddly Koala-$12
Giant Panda-$25
Brown Teddy-$12
Shaggy Teddy-$20
Pink or Blue Teddy-$12
Turtle (very cute)-$18
Limited Edition Leopard-$25
Golden Retriever-$22
Black Labrador Retriever-$22
Westie Dog-$22
Fluffy Puppy-$18
Bunny Big Ears-$20
Floppy Bear-$18
Floppy Dalmation-$18
Floppy Elephant-$18
Floppy Kitty-$18
Floppy Monkey-$18
Floppy Pony-$18
Polar Bear-$25
This list is a sampling, it does not include special editions that Build A Bear sometimes offers. I believe they have a line of Presidential Bears, and they also offer Kennel Pals and World Wildlife Federation animals. When one purchases a Kennel Pal or WWF animal, one dollar is donated to the respective charities.
From there, you move on to the Add-a-Sound section. Here you may add your choice of sounds. They range from "roars", to "horsey sounds", to a lullaby. They have meows, pig sounds, short songs (Take me out to the Ballgame, for example), to giggles and "I love you's). I believe they even offer a feature that allows you to make your own ten second recording to put inside your bear. Whatever sound you choose, it will play when you squeeze your new friend. We didn't do the sound (but it's on our "to-do" next time list).
After that, you take your shell to the "stuffing machine". Here your host, that is leading you through the process, points your child to a container filled with little satin hearts. Some were solid red, some were plaid, and some had polka dots. The host asks the child to choose a heart and hold it in their hand. This is so the child can "warm" the heart (to give your new friend a warm heart), then they rub it on their head so the animal will be smart, then they kiss it...so forth, I think you get the idea. It's really cute to watch this, especially the really small children.
At this point, the kids stick the heart inside the shell (through the slit down the back of the animal), and the host fits the shell over a metal rod adjacent to a stuffing machine (full of polyester fiberfill... or so the tag states). The host lets the child step on the pedal that makes the machine work, while she maneuvers the animal shell so that it's evenly stuffed. She then tears a UPC type tag off of the animals label, and stuffs it inside the animal, as well. This is in case the bear gets lost (and the "finder" sends it back to the address on the animals tag), Build-A-Bear will return your lost friend to you.
Next, she sews up the back of the animal and you move on to give your animal a "bath". There's a cartoonish looking "bath tub" next, where your child takes a small brush and brushes the animal while stepping on a pedal under the tub that "washes" it with air.
Next comes the clothing and shoes section. Oh yes, bears must have clothing. We did not opt to do this on our first visit, however we would fall into the clothing abyss on later visit! The clothes range from simple t-shirts (around $5), to elaborate outfits (up to $15 or so). Skechers shoes (believe it or not) are even available!
There are other accessories as well, such as sunglasses, hats, etc.
After you've chosen a wardrobe for your animal (or not), you move on to the making of the birth certificate. Here you enter information into a computer, and have the chance to name your new friend.
You receive your birth certificate when you pay, along with a "Cub Condo" box in which to house your new buddy.
We loved our visit so much that we chose Build-A-Bear for our youngest sons third birthday party. A minimum of six children are required for a birthday party (six stuffed animals), there is no "minimum" cost, just the price of six stuffed animals. You may pre-set the limit for each child. The party was a wonderful experience. Fun was had by all. On this occasion, my kids chose the Dalmation and the Pig. All of the children got little goody bags, and the birthday boy got a special gift from the store (a $10 value). I think the gift varies from store to store. At the conclusion of the party, our hostess took a Polaroid picture for us to keep. I highly recommend Build-A-Bear for parties, it's truly great fun.
Our third visit was for clothing only. Our four animals were getting quite tired of being shirtless. I wondered if the staff would be as cheerful and helpful this third visit, especially since we were only there to purchase clothing, and not actually build a bear. We weren't disappointed. This may be one of the only stores that I can honestly say has proven consistently cheerful, friendly, and helpful.
My children love their animals. In fact, they seated them at the table for lunch with them just today. I think they're extra special because they made them. They also made memories at Build-A-Bear. Fun, childhood memories, you can't ask for more than that!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $12-25
Type of Toy: Stuffed Toy
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
mytwosweeties
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 0 members
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