Build A Bear

I’ve always felt this toy store is a little out of place on Princes Street, which is dominated by the likes of Urban Outfitters, H&M and Topshop. To be honest, I only went in because I spotted a class mate working behind the till!
I’m convinced I would have LOVED this place as a child; I was quite the teddy obsessive and the prospect of being able to custom design my own would have blown my mind!
If you’re too lazy to design one from scratch, they also sell ready made toys as well. It’s quite a large, bright shop and was a pleasant place to pass time, despite having no intentions of buying anything!

With bears starting from as little as £5 Build A Bear is the perfect place to pop into if your out shopping with the kids, with the promise of a bear, they’ll be more than willing to co-​operate when being dragged round the shops. My friend does this with her little cousins all the time and it always works a treat.
The staff here are super friendly, and like Jonny I did find that they seemed inanely happy and perhaps have gone slightly mad having to be enthusiastic about stuffing and dressing cuddly toys during the 9 – 5 slog.
It’s not just the teddy you can get here, you can also buy them clothes and accessories including scuba diving outfits, goggles and wedding dresses. Crazy…

I almost applied for a job here. It’s lucky I investigated first. The staff were zombies. All of them. Happy, smiley, zombies. They carried out their tasks with the biggest grins and the cheeriest of voices. There was never a frown upon them. Only some distant look, somewhere behind those wide eyes, something silently saying, begging, «help me».
So despite the fact the the Build a Bear company removes the personality of any employee and replace them with some soulless cheer, forever cursed to build legions of bears, this shop really does seem lovely and innocent. Sure its a big company that exists only to exploit a niche market and take precious money away from poor little children by convincing them that the only road to happiness is in a stuffed toy, but they really do a good job of convincing you how wonderful and cute it all is!
In short: you go in, you build a bear, you pay up. You can customise your own bear in all manner of ways, from the sort of fluffy stuff its made from, to its clothes, to the voice it has. It truly is a Frankenstein experiment. You can give them your OWN voice, or a preexisting voice (I expect the stolen voice from the captive exmployees, now replaced with one of three default Build a Bear squeeky voices).
In all seriousness this probably is the sort of place I would have loved when I was a kid. I loved toys. In many ways I still do. I can still appreciate the charm and magic this sort of place can represent for a child.

The kids love choosing their own toy to stuff then it’s clothing. It’s all great fun and the stuff they have is amazing. Little rollerboots, surfboards, biker jackets, shades. I enjoyed the whole experience too and it’s nice to have a toy that is so customisable. It is, however, very expensive. I spent £60 on a stuffed dog wearing rollerboots, a sparkly top, a tutu, pink pants ad a matching lead and collar. (For my daughter I hasten to add).
There are nice touches though like pawsports. We took the stuffed dog to lapland and got the airport to stamp it :). I would recommend, but just be prepared for a nasty bill.

I like the concept of this place buy oh my the cost! 25 quid for a bear and we could easily have spent three times that. Its a great fun experience for a child but do be warned — its not cheap! Still, once you start you can buy clothes as souvenirs from various places, or for various occasions.

What better thing than to give some one the charge of over looking the constructions of there special teddy.
Young old and older can get overwhelmed but it all it is great fun.
The staff seem to have a general joy in the work also.
When ever you make a bear you make a memory. (corny but true)
Not to mention you can upgrade the clothes of you bear with it fun in its self.
It is truly a treasure of a experience

I took my Daughter there to buy her first teddy, She was only about a month old so she was a bit young to enjoy the experience, But Mummy loved it haha The staff are fantastic with the children and really care about their job.