Build-A-Bear Workshop

Great party for kids! We had it at 930am for our 4 year old and were done before 11am. They host the party perfectly and all the kids just loved making their bears. The whole experience is really quite neat and thoughtful. The venue could be better in that you do not have a party room. So we had to have cupcakes in the mall area which luckily they have some couches right out front of the store. Also McDonald’s is just down the way should you want to do that or sit outside of their location. I really recommend this for an easy and quick party. The cost is what you make it which is also nice. We limited the guests to 10 kids and spent under $ 300 all in with cupcakes, balloons, and bears. In today’s gig of birthday parties I feel good about that investment. You could do a little as $ 10 a head which is cheaper than any other venue and you get a bear out of it. A must do party at least once for your little one!

I love coming in here normally. The people are great, the experience is fun, and the employees are really sweet with the kids I babysit! I avoid weekends when I’m in a time crunch, because the place gets packed.

Really hands on and fun but expensive. Around the holidays they always have some good seasonal bears which are my favorite! Overall the experience is good and the staff works well with little kids which is always pleasant.

I’ve made the mistake of walking in here without a kid in hand or a date or anybody really. I just got a gift card from a friend for Christmas and decided that it’s finally time to cash in. But really — it’s a little embarrassing for a 25-​year-​old to build a bear and be treated like a 5-​year-​old.
Make sure you put a heart in your bear because you can’t have a bear without a heart. Put the heart to your head so you can share your thoughts with him… put the heart to your mouth so he never goes hungry… put the heart to your ears so he can hear. The process of putting a heart into a bear — I didn’t realize it was such a tedious process. But then again, I wasn’t thinking like a kid.
Make sure you give the bear a shower to clean him up. I guess it was necessary. But waiting in line and watching as the kid in front of me was playing with a make-​believe shower made me feel too grown-​up for this! I had to keep telling myself that this is a necessary step — not that it’s a shower of air, but it’s to blow off any debris that was left behind from the stuffing process!
Make sure you dress your bear up. Yikes! This was where I felt lucky enough to not have a kid — coz this is where parents’ wallets get tanked. But still — it only makes sense that my bear needed to be dressed like Batman. I got the costume, but one of the staff told me that no bear in their right mind would leave this store naked — sooo, I had to dress my bear up in the store like the other little kids in front of a vanity mirror station.
I could have also made some sort of birth certificate, but at this time, I just wanted to get my bear and get out of there. Not that this is a bad place at all coz it’s a hit with kids, but this is just not for someone in their mid-20’s to go walking around alone… unless you decide to let your inner child out. In my defense, my inner child was imprisoned in the dark depths of God knows where.
Fun place, very friendly, patient, and helpful staff, and a place for an expensive shopping spree for that special stuffed animal of yours.

Wow, this place is a total scam for parents. You have to buy nearly every little detail and it’s not cheap. Then again, can you put a price on making kids happy? This place clearly believes you cannot.
It’s really actually a pretty fun experience. The staff here is overly friendly, as I would expect them to be. Every step of the way they have patience with the children. They are good at keeping the place pretty tidy and don’t get as annoyed as other toy stores if a kid puts something back in the right place.
I give them props for having a bathroom in the store. This is incredibly convenient if you have a kid with a small bladder, or if you’re like me and are an adult but still have to pee all the time!
For those of you who haven’t ever experienced a build-​a-​bear, here is a general outline of how it goes:
1) Pick out an animal which is totally devoid of stuffing. These range from your standard teddy bear to monkeys to cats and dogs to seasonal items. Prices vary on which animal you’re choosing.
2) Pick out sounds that you can put in the animal. You can also put a hear that actually «beats» in it. You can record your own or get things that are standard like «I love you.» I believe there’s around 20 – 25 different sounds to pick from.
3) Have the staff stuff the animals. The kid gets to decide how stuffed they want the animal so it can be nice and squishy or more firm if they prefer. This step includes some cute little thing about making sure to give it a strong heartbeat and such. They get to choose where their noise goes if they pick it and they get to put the heart in. The staff then quickly sews up the animal.
4) The kid can «wash» off the animal which just includes a little brush and some high pressured air.
5) The kid can pick out accessories for their new animal. This includes everything from outfits to shoes to sunglasses to mini cell phones to dressers to put all your build-​a-​bear clothes in. You can get more than one outfit if you want since the clothes aren’t sewed on.
6) They have computer terminals where you can name your bear, which creates a birth certificate and sign up for emails and such from them.
7) Lastly, you pay lots and lots of cash :)

What a fun place to take kids.

I had managed to not get dragged into the store by my kids for a while and finally they overpowered me. I have to say that the experience was a cute one. The kids seemed to really enjoy the «production», giving teddy a heart and making a wish etc. But after they ring you up at the overflowing cash register, how do you prevent yourself from ripping bear open later on that night to locate the stashed diamonds that they surely must have placed inside to reflect the price you spent on it? Also I must say that I am really jealous that these stuffed animals have a wardrobe and accessories that consists of more items than my own.

I collet teddy bears. I draw bears as well.

We went to Build a Bar about a year ago and the kids had a good time. Each picked their stuffed animal and their clothes. Stuffed the bear, gave it a heart, etc. We went because we had a whole $ 15 gift certificate and was shocked when I still had to spend an additional $ 60! Fun, but can add up.

Overpriced but fun. Its very easy to plunk down $ 200.00 for a couple of animals and outfits. That being said, it is alot of fun and both kids and adults seem to enjoy it. Just be prepared to spend a lot of cash…

There is no other ‘toy store’ like this one! What could possibly be more fun then making your own teddy bear? We took my step daughter and had a blast. Everything is unique from the actual bear ‘skin’ you choose to the clothes you dress it in! They even have you do this very cute little process before you put the heart in the bear. You put it on your ear so it knows all your secrets, and then on your head so it knows all your dreams and then you make a wish and kiss it before sealing it inside the bear! I tell you, if you haven’t been go! But I will warn you it can get expensive quick. A $ 10 bear easily turns into a $ 50 bear!!!