Build A Bear

Build a Bear is a great shop for parents and children alike, giving the child not only a gift they’ll treasure, but the opportunity to take an active part in the design and production of that same toy, making the whole experience that little bit more memorable. Each step of the design process, from selecting the bear’s general appearance and features to picking out the toy’s clothing, accessories and even giving the stuffed animal a voice by implanting a voice chip (sorry if I’m spoiling the magic for those reading at home!).
The staff are all trained to help make the child’s bear-​building adventure as wondrous as possible, placing this shop a league above those that simply sell uninspiring, mass-​produced toys that can never claim to be unique, or a gift straight from the heart. Of course, you’ll pay that little bit extra for the experience, but what you end up with is a toy that will occupy pride of place in your child’s collection for years to come.

This is the sweetest little shop, and my experiences here have been really great.
I first came across the Build-​A-​Bear workshop (henceforth, BAB) in the US, in Pennsylvania. My youngest brother, who was 4, got a gift certificate from all of us to build his little bear, whom he called Beary Bear (oh hush) and dressed in a little soldier’s outfit (hush, I said!).
He had such a good time, and finally regretfully and tearfully parted with that bear around 10 years old (sorry kid, but we all know it’s true).
Most recently, I took a friend’s daughter into the Bullring shop for the same experience.
The BAB set up is really unique and wonderful. It gives children the feeling of being in Santa’s Toy Workshop, helping to build and create, and that collaborative effort brings no small amount of magic to their toy.
BAB works like this: kids pick the type of creature they want (popular choices are a moose, a teddy bear, a puppy), then you take him over to the stuffing machine. One of the BAB staff gives kids a talk about how once your animal is completed, it will be given a heart and filled with love, and how they’ll have to look after it.
Each animal receives a heart and its stuffing, then it’s time to head to the clothing section, where, for the included price package, you get to pick an outfit for your bear, including shoes (you can purchase additional outfits as well). Then onto accessories.
The final step is picking a name, and having a name tag attached, the child’s animal put into a box and taken home to become a favourite forever (or at least until puberty).
It really is a wonderful process, and absolutely heart-​warming to see children’s faces lighting up with delight as they build their bear. A flawless idea.

A really nice shop where you can make a teddy of your choice, stuff it, put sounds into it and dress it (the clothes are extra)
The staff are pleasent and very helpful and you get your completed teddy in a little box.
The shop is well layed out and the teddy clothes are very cute (if a bit expensive).