Lions, tigers and build-a-bears...oh my!
Written: Sep 16 '08 (Updated Sep 16 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: They are durable, fun, cute and have great staff!
Cons: Price.
The Bottom Line: Great place to go especially for a Birthday!
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| bablondie25's Full Review: Build-A-Bear Stuffed Bear |
The first time I saw a Build-a-Bear was at our local mall...and of course my daughter's eyeballs went right over to the store like any child's would walking past that store. Of course we had to stop in and see what all the fuss was about. I couldn't see what the big deal was...stuffing your own bears. I mean didn't people just buy plush animals, why the need to stuff them...but I swear there's more to it then that.
Since I'm very frugal, shopping for your own Build-a-Bear and paying the pricetag can seem daunting. First off, you see a row of bears, and now I see they add more than just bears, but pandas, turtles, cheetahs, dinosaurs, cats and dogs (and more). They also offer limited-time stuffed animals every so often. For instance, the Hannah Montana Bear is available right now as well as the Pumpkin Kitty for Fall. The prices seem okay to start with, $16, $18, some are $22 and the Cheetah I bought was $25. Not too bad, it's when you build onto them that makes them expensive. I think my daughter's first one cost us over $60 or around $80. So let me reiterate that it is NOT cheap to go there! But you are paying for the EXPERIENCE, the added extras and the lifelong pal your children (or you) get to keep for life.
What happens is you pick out an animal in bins you want (the stuffed example hangs above the bin). I like a few bears, a panda, a kitty and decide on the $25 Cheetah. Yes, I did it for myself on my birthday. They do make great birthday gifts. As a matter of fact, someone bought my daughter one on her birthday, but she got to miss out on the building it and picking it out herself process. Anyway, I grab the Cheetah and prepare to stand in line for 15 minutes waiting for other children to get their bears stuffed. I get up to the stuffing machine, it's cool and has stuffing whirling around in it. They allow the kids to press the pedal as the worker will stuff the bear in front of you by the machine. She asks if we want it soft, or hard. I want it medium/soft...and she made it medium/hard so I figure it will soften with time. She has my toddler son pick out a little cloth heart for free and the kiss it and make a wish and it's stuffed into the chest of the animal. They sew it up fast and off you go with your stuffed animal.
My daughter takes it over to the grooming station and fluffs it with some air from a pedal you step on (it looks like a giant bathtub, but air comeso ut of the shower nozzle). She combs it as well. Then we pick out its accessories. I will add that I opted NOT to put in any sound, you can put prerecorded sound into the bear where you would push on it to hear it. I am not a big fan of that, so I skipped it (you can also record your own saying). We proceeded to dress it in Halloween/fall gear, adding a costume and trick or treat bag. The total cost was $42, not bad. If I would've added more accessories or clothing it would've been more. The animals get to go home in their own little "house" a durable cardboard box that looks like a house. Keep in mind the bears are usually around 18" and will say so when picking them out (so they're not too small and not too huge). Personally, I love the variety and it seems they add more and more as years go by which is nice. I wish they would add 24" or above versions, or have more stuffing stations (so there isn't a huge line on busy days). Those would be the downsides. There have been times I've walked in there and they didn't have any bears/animals I would want to buy...so it depends on the time of year for which animals they carry or not.
They have parties for kids you can book that would cost in the hundreds, but would be a lot of fun for the kids. I do notice some people just walk into the mall and do it for no occassion at all, but mostly people save it for a special occassion or birthday. Overall the Cheetah and other bears, or kitties we bought held up nicely. You get a birth certificate (you get to name it) printed up and you can sign up for a rewards card (the more you buy the more rewards credit you get for future purchases). They always have friendly staff, some days (if they're not busy) they like to ask you if you need help and other days they are too busy to help. You can just go in without purchasing ever and wander about to look at the animals and clothing items. One time we even went in to just buy an outfit for my daughter's old bear, so you do not need to do this whole process every time you walk into the store.
I will say once you tell a child they may get a bear, you must give them a price limit, or also plan on spending a lot of money. It is difficult to just say to a child to only pick out the say $15 or less bears and only one accessory for $5...it just doesn't happen that way. Plan on a definite $40 on up per stuffed animal per child. If you have a niece or nephew and don't know what to get them, I would check for a location in their area and then go ahead and send them a giftcard.
Overall: fun for kids and adults. Plus they've added more "boy" stuff like motorcycle accessories or plush dinosaurs, etc. We'll definitely be back a few more times. Go to http://www.buildabear.com for more information plus you can buy and build bears from their website or check your rewards points (or for a location in your area).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 42
Type of Toy: Stuffed Toy
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
bablondie25
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Member: bablondie25
Location: Seattle Area
Reviews written: 484
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
My new blog is up with fun tips/funnies/ideas/money-savers/photos/art projects and so on! www.bablondie.blogspot.com
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