Build-A-Bear is so much more than just a shop, it is an amazing magical experience that leaves lasting memories. We recently took my 3 year old to build his first ever bear.
Walking into the shop, it hits you straight away with the colour, happiness and smiles. The staff are immediately on hand when you need them to help you with anything, and that is something that is consistent throughout your whole time when in store.
First up, you have the amazing choice of bears. There is everything from animals to bears, the choice is vast. But Marky made an immediate decision for the Deep Blue Sea Bear.
The bears all come deflated, but there is a stuffed selection on view for you to see what they will look like. Your first job once you have picked the bear is picking a noise. There is plenty of choice, and even a One Direction song! Marky decided his bear had to have a dog noise of ‘woof’…as you do when you are a toddler with a fishy bear….
Next up was the stuffing station. This is where a staff member helps you fill your bear up with as much stuffing as your require. At this point you also get to put a heart inside your bear. Marky picked a pulsating heart, which you can feel inside it’s chest.
There is also charity hearts (where a portion of the sale goes to charity) and also the standard hearts which are free, but equally as lovely. The staff worked gets your child to do the Bear promise where they get to kiss the heart before it is inserted inside your bear. The bear is then sealed up and you can hug him. The next station was no present in our Oxford store, but in some stores you can use the facilities to ‘wash’ and ‘brush’ your bear, give it a spruce up.
The next step is to pick some clothes for your bear! The clothes and accessories wowed me, there is so much to choose from….honestly there is something for everyone. There is smartphones, doctors kits, wheelchairs….the list goes on and on.
Marky chose the wetsuit for his Blue Sea Bear.
Finally, you need to register your bear for their birth certificate.
This is so easy, even for young ones. It has colour coded buttons, and they get to choose the name of their bear. This is then printed out and put in it’s special box with the bear.
Build-A-Bear is so much more than a teddy bear shop, it’s an memory making experience which will stay with your children for years, possibly forever. It has easily become Marks favourite shop! He is already planning what his bear needs next…
Check out the flippers on the feet, and the snorkel and mask, such fantastic ideas.
Build-A-Bear is an awesome experience, with prices at under £20 for a bear, and clothes from just a few pound, I think it’s a really special experience for a child. The bears are fantastic quality, and the after service is great, if anything goes wrong with your bear the staff are more than happy to help repair them for free. The staff are also lovely and friendly, they engage with the children brilliantly. It is extra little helpful friendly service like that, that really impresses me with a company. Build-A-Bear have got it spot on, and I am impressed.
You can find your local store, and order online too at http://www.buildabear.co.uk
We were provided with our store visit and bear for the purpose of this review and our honest thoughts on the experience. All thoughts are my own.
