Building Norbert
Written: Aug 16 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Building a bear from scratch almost guarantees your child's satisfaction
Cons: It could get pricey if you get all fashionista in there
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| KaraHoo's Full Review: Build-A-Bear Stuffed Bear |
This review is part of a "Shop, Stuff, Fluff & Write-Off" with fellow Kids & Family Advisor, Jenb123. Check out her review of Build-A-Bear, post haste!
Holy interactive shopping! My daughter turns two tomorrow, and to celebrate the occasion, I helped her construct a new friend.
No, we didn’t clone anybody. My fellow K & F Advisor, Jen (user-jenb123) and I, with daughters in tow, decided to visit one of the three Build-A-Bear Workshops in the Chicagoland area. Forty-five minutes and two slightly-enlarged credit-card bills later, we exited with three new stuffed pals—and three very happy little girls.
The Build-A-Bear Workshop isn’t like any other toy store you’ve visited. Launched in St. Louis in 1997, the female-helmed Build-A-Bear company has seen unbelievably rapid growth throughout the East and Midwest, and expects to grow even larger in the coming years. And it’s no wonder: instead of locking beady little eyes with your desired stuffed animal across a crowded F.A.O. Schwarz, at Build-A-Bear you can conceive your fluffy friend literally from the pelt up.
Bear Skin?
Once we entered the crowded store, we were met by one of Build-A-Bear’s Master Bear Builders, who gave us the overview of the store (thankfully, because I probably would’ve gotten completely lost among the various bins of bear skins and racks upon racks of bear apparel) and pointed us to a healthy selection of un-stuffed bear pelts.
There are more than just bears to be made at the Workshop, however: if you so desire, you can choose the "skin" of a cat, dog, cow, pony, or even a frog or turtle. If you do choose a bear, you have your choice of cute, furry bear breeds: polar bear, koala bear, bear cub or Giant Panda. Different varieties of animal are different costs, from $10 to $25, depending on size and coolness. J
Our two-year-olds picked out cute bear cubs, while Jen’s elder daughter picked out an adorable "girl" bear with a pink nose. We moved on, clutching our pelts, to the stuffing station, where we’d be able to help turn our shallow skins into actual huggable creatures.
It Speaks!
Right before the stuffing area is a place where you can choose a "voicebox" to be added to your bear. There are quite a few voices/songs to choose from, and for $5-$8 a pop, you can have your bear singing "Happy Birthday" or cooing "I love you1" to your adoring recipient. Looking back, I wish I would’ve chosen one of these, since now my daughter’s poor bear is now a mute and can hardly compete amongst the millions of squawking and squealing toys she already has.
Stuff It!
We approached the stuffing station, where a kind-faced Master Bear Builder instructed us to choose a tiny fabric heart to insert into our bear with the stuffing. Riley picked a cute red heart, gave it a kiss, and we stuck it into our bear.
Another neat feature of the Build-A-Bear Workshop is that, just before stuffing, they stick a special bar code into each bear, so if a certain bear gets separated from its owner and is turned back in to Build-A-Bear, the staff can extricate the tag (which is coded with each owner’s name and address, which gets added during the "birth certificate" stage), find the owner, and achieve a happy reunion. This is an important feature for those toddler bear owners who like to toss their new bears out of their strollers at the slightest provocation.
Jen’s older daughter helped us with the stuffing by pressing a foot pedal that shot the stuffing into the cavity in our bear’s back (which was a tad disconcerting for the younger set, but it’s over quickly). As soon as it was stuffed to the appropriate fullness, the Bear Builder sewed up our bear’s back and my daughter gave her new friend a test hug. Perfection!
After stuffing, we took our nude bears to the Fluff Bath, where they were fluffed with air to the appropriate cuddliness. Finally it was time to give these guys an identity.
Who Am I?
We proceeded to a bank of computers, where we could register ourselves as proper bear owners and give our furry pal a name. Since my daughter was of no help choosing a name (being far more interested in just pounding the keyboard), I chose something that approximated the sounds she made as she drummed away: hence our new bear’s name--Norbert.
It fits; Norbert’s a serious kind of bear.
With our kids and newly-named bears in hand, we proceeded to the multitude of clothes racks to choose our bear apparel. Build-A-Bear has hundreds of possible outfits for your furry friends, from sequined ball gowns to karate uniforms to bathing suits to "Somebody in Chicago Loves Me" t-shirts, in prices from $5-$25, depending on how duded up you want your dude to be. They also have shoes (yes, shoes) in all styles for your trendy bear’s paws.
I decided to dress Norbert simply in a natty tie, although I had to restrain myself from getting a little bear-sized boater hat that would make Norbert look like Henry Fonda in "On Golden Pond". My two-year old just wouldn’t get the joke.
Up at the register are more fun surprises. You can choose a free ribbon for your bear’s head (which we did, because even though Norbert is a male, he is comfortable enough in his masculinity to look just fine in a tie and a little red ribbon on his ear), and we got cool "Bear-Toos" tattoos for ourselves. We received our "birth certificates", declaring that Norbert is my daughter’s bear, and she will "promise to love it and give it a home". Our bears were packaged in cute cardboard "cub condos" that we could take home and decorate, which we did.
Overall, the Build-A-Bear Workshop is a fantastic experience for children of most ages, although Jen might agree that the environment in there (especially when it’s full of manic children) may be a little overstimulating for kids under 2 or 3 (like ours). But it’s a terrific way to ensure that your kids will adore the little fuzzy creatures that they helped to create.
Norbert, for his part, is now happily rumpled, his tie completely askew, safe in the embrace of my daughter’s sleeping arms. Happy Birthday, guys.
Be sure to visit http://www.buildabear.com to build, order and ship special bears online! You can also play games, learn about the Build-A-Bear company, and make personalized birthday party invitations on the site! Beariffic!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
KaraHoo
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Member: Kara Who?
Location: Indiana (God's Country)
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 154 members
About Me:
So busy being Mom Of Two that I don't even write here anymore.
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