Find out what MNers and their DC’s got up to at the Build-A-Bear Workshop! NOW CLOSED!

[AaronMumsnet]

We were asked by Build-A-Bear Workshop to find 150 Mumsnetters to visit the stores closest to their homes in order to trial their bear-building service. Read on to see what they thought of the in-store experience.

Here’s what Build-A-Bear have to say: “CeleBEARate Easter with Build-A-Bear! From birthdays and holidays to good behaviour or an A+ at school, there are so many moments to #celeBEARate with a new furry friend from Build-A-Bear Workshop! Help us #celeBEARate Easter this year.

As we approach the Easter holiday and half term break, parents are always looking for fun, unique and personalized activities and traditions for the family. Bring your kids to Build-A-Bear Workshop to share a fun, heart-filled experience. Document your experience in photos and let us know about your experience with your kids and what made it memorable and meaningful.”

Testers, please share your photos and answer the following questions on the thread below:

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.
2. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?
3. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?
4. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

Everyone that shares their feedback and fills in a short survey as required will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

My two kids, aged 7 and 3, were overjoyed when I told them we had won the voucher as they are both very very into the build-a-bear store. We have never bought a toy there - although my daughter was once given a teddy for her birthday by a relative - but every time we walk by the Glasgow stores they run in to have a look around and try their luck. The kids were impatient to get their teddies asap, so we build their bears online. It was a very fun after-school experience, a real treat for us to enjoy as a family. My daughter chose the reindeer with candyfloss scent, my son one of the cats with a sound effect. It was very enjoyable to be able to browse through the entire selection, and to take time selection add-ons. They are lovely, so well made. My daughter has not put hers down in a week. No photos unfortunately, as my camera isn't working just now. I would recommend to friends, but would be more likely to recommend the workshops to the grandparents and great aunts in the family, as they have more to spend and they make good gifts for birthdays. They are pricey but they do seem to be in a different league quality-wise to the cheaper brands. My daughter's favourite part was coming home from school to find Trotty waiting in her box. She loved that detail, the little houses they arrived in. All in all it was a lovely experience that we all enjoyed very much.

Here is a photo of our new bear.

Skye is our new bear as we are obsessed with Paw Patrol. We've seen a little too much of it recently as she's been poorly, so the unicorn was discarded as soon as she saw the pup. The outfit she chose had to match the one on display, and she couldn't be persuaded otherwise, despite the lure of the rainbow tutu.

1. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

Yes, its fun and she absolutely loves the dressing it and hasn't put the dog down since. You need to know what you are doing though, as its hard to work out what you should be doing, we hadn't been before and hadn't realised the order of things, nobody explained things to us, the birth certificate wasn't clear at all

1. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience?

A bit overwhelming and chaotic, and I do feel we lost out on a bit of the magic of it. It's crammed into a corner of our local department store, and there is no obvious way in as such. It was just too busy, crowded and hard to see options even though there were not many people there. My childs quite small and she is deaf and aided, and I felt the staff didn't know how to interact with her, no one got down to her level to talk to her, didn't appreciate that the music would interfere with her. When it came to choosing a sound, the staff member had no way to make it louder so it could be heard (and I struggled too over the shop music), and couldn't tell us what was being recorded. There was a little distress over being talked over rather than clearly to her. It would be nice to have an option to dress the animal on site.

What were the highlights? She absolutely loved the heart waving and rubbing and making a wish (to be Skye in real life). Also being asked if she could give it hugs whilst it was being stuffed to see if it was the right level of squishiness.

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.

1. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

We took DS1 (6) and DS2 (4). After a good look at all the different bears available, DS1 picked a unicorn, and DS2 picked a Star Wars bear.
DS1 named his Unicorn because it is a unicorn, and DS2 named his Goo Goo because he wanted it to be a baby bear.
They each picked an accessory to go with their bear, there was a huge choice of accessories available in the shop, but they picked ones that went with the selected bears. So DS1 picked a shiny rainbow lead to go with the unicorn, and DS2 picked a red light sabre to go with the Star Wars bear.
The DC would have happily picked many more accessories if they’d been allowed (DS1 was quite keen on the roller skates for the unicorn, and DS2 was keen on getting a matching blue lightsaber), but as we were already splitting the £50 voucher between 2 DC, we decided that we had to restrict them to one accessory each on this visit.
The roller skates DS1 wanted, for example, would have added an extra £20 to the cost, because you need to buy shoes to clip the roller skates onto as well, and the unicorn has 4 feet.

1. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

I’m a bit divided on this. On one hand, the DC absolutely loved it, but on the other hand, it would be very easy to spend an awful lot of money on accessories.
So on balance, I’d probably recommend it as a special treat, with a warning about the cost of the accessories and the upselling, so friends / family members are aware of that in advance.

1. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

The DC absolutely loved it. We went today and they’ve already been asking when can they go again.

The shop wasn’t too busy, and was well staffed, so minimal waiting time to get the bears stuffed. The staff member on the stuffing machine was very friendly and helpful, and made sure that we knew how to get the “birth certificate” sorted out before we went to the till.

I was impressed by the amount of choice, I think that almost any child would be able to find a bear that suited their tastes given the wide range of styles available.

DS2 especially loved the bit where you can pretend to wash your bear. I think he would have happily spent hours “washing” his Star Wars bear if we’d let him.

There was also a wide range of accessories available, but as I’ve mentioned above, we didn’t get the DC all the accessories they liked because of the cost of them. It would be very easy for the cost of the trip to skyrocket if you got all the extras and a number of accessories.
I also wasn’t very impressed at the upselling at the till, particularly the bit where the shop assistant started showing off the bear carrier that she had on her back.
Fortunately the DC had listened to warnings that they’d probably only be allowed one accessory, so didn’t get carried away with wanting all the lovely accessories they saw!

We went to Build A Bear at Meadowhall.

1. Photo attached
2. My DS (4) was really excited about his visit, we had seen the advert on telly and had a little look at the website too beforehand. He chose Toothless straight away and wasn’t interested in looking at the outfits or accessories at all. He loved the process of choosing a noise and adding a heart and pressing the pedal for the stuffing. As he didn’t really want any accessories we had enough money left for us to get another bear (with a little top up) and got Chewbacca as well. He has just watched the 1st original Star Wars and wanted R2D2 1st until he realised that it was pre stuffed so chose something Chewy instead.
3. Yes I would recommend for a special occasion but perhaps for a slightly older age group as DS likes the mechanics of making the bear but didn’t really fancy the rest of it!
4. The staff were really welcoming, we were 2nd through the door after it opened so there were plenty of staff on hand. I didn’t find the staff pushy at all, in fact having read some of the other reviews perhaps they could have talked to us about the process a bit more as we didn’t get to go through the different options re noises - were just asked if the one they selected was the one we wanted, weren’t aware there was a “bath” the bear could go through afterwards or that there was a dressing up area. However DS was very happy so a big thanks from us to Mumsnet and Build A Bear.

PS I have name changed, if you can’t link this review to the name I signed up for the test with please let me know.

2. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

I took both DD's along and paid the extra for the second bear. DD1 (6yo) chose a multi coloured bunny because it's easter and called it Fluffy because apparently everything is called Fluffy at the moment. DD2 (4yo) chose a grey cat because she already had a cat toy at home (not build a bear) and wanted another one. She called hers Tilly which is the name of one of her friends! I think DD1 really enjoyed choosing but DD2 found the amount of choice a bit overwhelming...she grabbed the cat early on and didn't really look at many of the others. They both chose the strawberry scent because it was the nicest one (they did have a sniff of quite a few of the others). They put noises in (cat for cat and bunny for bunny) - they really liked the noise machine and spent quite a while trying all the different sounds. They also both had the beating heart put in which they found fascinating!

3. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

I would but as a treat for a special occasion or a birthday as it is quite expensive. The woman we spoke to first though did quietly say to us to let them know if we had a budget and they'd work around us which I thought was really good.

4. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

I thought the experience was really good and my girls definitely enjoyed it and love their bears. We were the first people in the shop which was nice because by the time we left (after about half an hour or so) it did get quite busy and a bit chaotic. The staff were great and were really sweet with the girls especially when we told them that they had never been before. Towards the end I did feel like we'd been left to our own devices a bit....I know this was probably to do with how busy the shop was but if I was coming here as a 'treat' and spending a lot of money I think I'd have been a bit disappointed that the experience sort of tailed off towards the end. As I mentioned previously the staff were very good at explaining the process and had a quite word about budgets which I appreciated.

Sorry, also meant to add that we did chose outfits too based on the garishness of the colours and the amount of flounce and frills!

Here's a few more photos for luck!

We visited the Buchanan Galleries store in Glasgow whilst on holiday visiting relatives. My two daughters aged 5 & 6 had a fantastic time! The staff were very helpful and friendly. As it was a special treat they added extras to their bears like a tune which plays when you press its paw and a scent! Along with an outfit they also picked an extra - one daughter chose twinkling wings and the other roller skates. One bear is called Risa and the other Chloe.
As they are quite young the choice in store was quite overwhelming but both had quite strong ideas about what they did / didn't like. It was our family's first trip to B-A-B and I would definitely go again as a special treat although I was quite surprised at how expensive it would have been without the voucher! Maybe I am just out of touch!

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.

2. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

We went to the closest shop to us which was at the White Rose centre in Leeds.

This is Fluffy the bunny, so called because she is soft and fluffy. Dd (7) would have happily had half the bears in the shop but picked this one because she liked the colour and how soft it is. Dd picked pjs (because she liked them) bunny slippers (because they're bunnies like Fluffy) and a sleeping bag (because dd has one and so they can be the same when she goes on sleepovers).

Dd wanted her little brother (5) to be able to share the treat so he picked Pikachu and a hoodie because its his favourite pokemon.

3. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

I would recommend build-a-bear workshop to friends as a birthday/Christmas treat. The bears are very good quality, as are the clothes/accessories, but it is very expensive and the cost quickly adds up. We spent £65 and dd could have spent a lot more on extra outfits and accessories.

4. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

The overall experience was brilliant. When we first went into the store a sales assistant told me about the different offers that were on for easter, star wars offers, which bears were in the sale and which ones were on a 2 for £22 offer. After that we were left to shop which was great as it didn't feel like we were being pressured to choose quickly or pick more expensive bears etc.

Both dcs loved stuffing their bears, especially cuddling them to see if they were soft enough but not too soft. They liked making the birth certificate (with help) and picking the clothes they wanted to make it personal to them. Dd already has a birthday list of clothes she'd like to get her bear.

There was some upselling with the sounds/scents/hearts but it didn't feel like there was any pressure to add them, more a "there's these options if you'd like".

Overall it was a great experience. The staff were helpful and friendly without feeling like they were constantly looking over your shoulder and the were brilliant with the dcs, the staff spoke to the children at their level instead of talking over them or directing everything to me. When we went there were a few people in the shop but not too many so it was a nice relaxed experience and we were able to look at everything before deciding n what to get. I could see it getting very crowded and more fraught if there were a lot of people in there and long queues but luckily it wasn't too busy when we went.

We went to the Exeter store last week, before the local Easter holidays had started, so it wasn’t too busy. The staff couldn’t have been more helpful, and quickly identified us as rookies, so talked us through the entire process before we got started.

I’d had a look online before we went and mentally selected a simple bear, thinking my DS(almost 5) would be most in to the costumes. Shows how wrong you can be. We are now the proud owners of an enormous, bright yellow Pikachu (Pokemon) which DS chose almost immediately, and couldn’t be swayed from - he’s recently discovered Pokemon on Netflix! DS is absolutely thrilled with his new friend, complete with baseball boots and roller skates, and he’s been a constant companion since our visit.

I was really impressed with the whole experience. The staff did try to upsell, but they understood we wanted to maximise our voucher and preferably not spend too much more. They really weren’t over pushy and gave me a running total as we went around, which is great if you’re on a budget. As it wasn’t super busy they had time to spend with DS and he loved the whole building process, including ‘activating’ the heart before it was put in to the bear. As an activity to spend time with him, it was great. I’m not sure it’s something we’d do regularly as there’s no denying it’s pretty expensive, but as a special treat I think it’s definitely something we’d do again. That’s in no small part due to the lovely staff we encountered (special mention to Sophia) as they really made the whole thing for DS (and were very sweet with my somewhat feral 2 year old who was also running around at warp speed!).

I’d definitely recommend it to a friend, with warnings about expense and choosing a quiet time to visit the store. As a first time visitor I think it’s definitely worth checking out the website before you go to get an idea on what’s available and prices etc.

All in all thank you so much for the opportunity, which isn’t necessarily something we’d have thought of doing before, but I’m sure will do again. Having trouble uploading a photo, but will try again tomorrow!

We visited the Bromley store. My daughter is 5 and was so excited. She had never been to Build a Bear before and was desperate to go. She chose the unicorn. She really enjoyed the whole process of stuffing the bear, choosing a sound and the heart ceremony. The staff were great in the store. My daughter named the unicorn Rainbow Sparkle with a giggle sound. She also chose a dress, shoes, skirt and top. It was lovely to be encouraged to try the clothes on before purchase and my daughter loved the washing/grooming station.

I would recommend Build a Bear to a friend though it can get very expensive. My daughter is looking forward to another visit already as apparently Rainbow Spark needs a friend.

Sorry can't upload a photo at the moment hope to add this later.

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.

1. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

Ds chose one of the valentines bears which were on a special offer, meaning we managed to get a dog too for just an extra £10 (I like a bargain!) both were scented with a sweet smell so DS has named his bear sweetie! He chose based on softness so each available bear had to be stroked before the final decision.

There was a lot of deliberation over outfits, older ds eventually settled on a schoolboy outfit and younger ds was very happy with a dinosaur hoody & red wellies- he loves wellies & dinos so was very happy!

1. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why? Yes I think it's a nice experience for a special treat. Although it's not cheap I think the products were well made and it's a lovely thing for the Dc to do - Ds1 is very attached to his bear now!
2. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights? It was nice, there was plenty of help on hand but no pressure selling, and no rushing you through the process although staff happily pointed us in the direction of different outfits etc.

DC have enjoyed swapping bear outfits since they got home, and cuddled them very night

I can't get my photo to upload so hope this link works instead pbs.twimg.com/media/DZ5ixHeX0AEptKK.jpg

DD is a massive My Little Pony fan so couldn't persuade her to pick a bear. DD chose a lavender scent for her Rainbow Dash as she knows it is a relaxing smell and perfect for when she is cuddling the toy in bed. Songbird Serenade plays The My Little Pony theme song. Tempest Shadow is a previous online purchase.

I'd definitely recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to people. The in store experience was fun and the toys are of a high quality. I do agree with other testers that it is quite expensive, particularly if you have several children. We were fortunate that our local shop is an outlet and also had a sale on so the My Little Pony toys (minus accessories) were £15 each which is an excellent price so I'd recommend checking out offers/outlets to get more for your money.

The in-store experience was great. The shop was clean and well set out. I was a bit apprehensive that we would face lots of up-selling which I find awkward to say no to, especially with DD around but we weren't faced with any up-selling apart from the buy a gift voucher for a cheaper price offer.

The store was fairly busy despite being after 5pm but there were enough staff to assist if you needed help. DD loved helping with the stuffing (she got to work the pedal!) and the 'heart routine' of putting the heart in the air to help the pony fly fast and putting it on the ground to run fast.

DD loves her toys so much (Rainbow Dash came with us to Pizza Express the other day!) and we will definitely visit again.

We visited Build A Bear in West Quay, Southampton on a very wet Bank Holiday Monday. The shop was very busy but we still had a really personal experience.

I used an additional voucher, found online (£10 off a £30 spend) so with £60, we were able to comfortably buy 2 bears; one each for my 5 and 3 year old.

They had a wonderful time choosing and building their animals. The 3 year old perhaps struggled with the concept of choosing a floppy animal skin but once her cat was stuffed (with her help), she had a fantastic time choosing accessories for it. Rather than clothes she chose a collar and lead and a food bowl. The 5 year old chose a t shirt and striking red wellies for her bear.

The birth certificates were fun to make and as for the boxes the animals were put in to bring them home, they were the icing on the cake. The 5 year old immediately wanted to colour it in when we got home and both of the animals have since lived in their boxes when not being loved upon and played with.

We had never been to Build A Bear before and I had fairly indifferent expectations, but I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole experience - and that's what it was; a very personal experience for the kids (even the 1 year old who wasn't lucky enough to get a bear enjoyed watching everything going on!) which they will remember fondly. The staff were very helpful and enthusiastic without being at all overbearing or over the top.

Would definitely recommend as a special treat. We 'spent' a grand total of £59 which seems very extravagant for a couple of soft toys, and not something I would usually consider, but it was a lovely day out and the kids were thrilled with their bears!

My son is a massive ghostbusters fan so he chose to make this teddy called ghostie. He loves his teddy so much.

He didn't customise it too much because he wanted to spend the money on lots of clothes. The class mascot at his school is from build a bear and one weekend he got it home and loved dressing it up. In this pic Ghostie the teddy is sporting a lovely marvel dress. It also has a ninja costume, trolls outfit and ghostbusters outfit amongst others.

I think build a bear is fantastic as a special treat but definitely a bit costly. I would buy from there again though as it is really good quality. My son is asking if he can pick more clothes next time he gets birthday money etc.

The highlights? Seeing my son walk around hugging his teddy with sheer pride on his face.

We finally made it to Build a Bear on Saturday - not my cleverest move as a Saturday lunchtime, in the Easter holidays, in the rain, was a bit busy.

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.

See above!

1. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

We browsed the website beforehand to get an idea of what was available. He was very set on getting unicorn, particularly something from the My Little Pony range as he'd been getting into it thanks to Netflix recently. Once we were in the shop he immediately fixed on Twilight Sparkle (who was re-named Unikitty, because he's also massively into the Lego Movie!). While waiting for the filling machine, a friendly staff member asked us what noise we'd like inside Unikitty: my small one spurned the MLP theme songs and horse noises (I mean who wants a unicorn to sound like a horse?) and chose a TRex roar she's a fierce unicorn!

He decided to get the heart that beats for "big hugs".

We then spent a long time choosing accessories - it's not as easy to choose suitable ones for the ponies, particularly ones with wings like the one my son chose, as they get in the way of the dresses, backpacks etc. Thankfully he was really into getting her some shoes to "keep her feet safe" and there was a nice wide range of those to choose from - and we were encouraged to touch, play, try on, role play as much as we liked.

1. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

Yes - it was a good experience, we were there around an hour and didn't feel rushed despite it being very busy. The staff were really warm and engaging, and though my son wasn't choosing typical "boy" choices they never questioned his choice, but encouraged and chatted about it. The woman doing the toy filling was particularly friendly and my son loved controlling the machine!

My caveat would be that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with children or accompanying family members with sensory processing issues or who are non neuro typical. The store can be very over stimulating, with the noise of the filling machine, all the colours, textures of the toys. I think Build A Bear could really help parents by running quiet sessions, perhaps where the toy is chosen, the family leave for a quick tea break, and then toy filled while they're out of the store to minimise stress and anxiety?

1. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting it to be hard sell, and very expensive - but there are a good range of prices, good offers, and the accessories are very reasonable. My son really enjoyed it and wanted to play with Unikitty non stop afterwards, even managing to carry her box around town which is basically unheard of

We liked the computers to make a "birth certificate" - they all worked smoothly and the interface was simple and clear.

My only niggles are the fact that the price of the sound box wasn't displayed, and was presented as "what noise would you like?" rather than "would you like a noise, it's £x"; and that the process through the shop should be a clearer journey. Maybe a guide on the wall, presented as a story?

1. We have two bears (although neither one is actually a bear!). A cat called Fluffy and Chase from Paw Patrol. DS wanted to get a bear for his cousin as well, so we agreed to limit the accessories so that we could get two bears. Fluffy the cat makes a meowing noise, and Chase has some clothes so that he was obviously from Paw Patrol - that already took us over the £50 so we left it there.

1. Yes, DS enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. My only concern would be around the cost. The experience is really all about customising your bear, and all of that comes at a cost. Fortunately, DS is 7 so understood that we were working to a budget - with younger DC I can see it being quite difficult to control how much you spend as it can add up really quickly. Very definitely a special occasion rather than a regular shopping option.

1. It would have been helpful if the website was updated - our nearest store (Kingston) is no longer there and has moved to a concession in the Bentalls department store, but is still showing as a store on the website - fortunately we remembered seeing it previously! Not sure if the concessions have quite the same range and space as the main stores, but we still found plenty we liked.

We went on a Thursday late-night shopping evening so the store was relatively quiet, although there was a party on at the same time. The staff were really good though so we didn't have too much hanging around, although I can imagine it being horrendous at the weekend - again, because it's a concession, there's not a huge amount of space to host the party plus general shoppers. Highlight for me was seeing how much DS enjoyed the whole thing - he genuinely entered into the spirit of it, despite being at the top of the age range, and declared it "best day ever"!

My dauther absolutly fall in love with her new shopkins bear:) the bear is cute and lovely. Amazing shop, staff and experience. Definetly i will visit again and already i recomended the shop to my few friends.
Thank you!!!

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.

1. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?

Meet Kisses and Dave. Our 5 year old and 3 year old went together so we topped up the money to share the experience. They had a 2 for £28 offer on bears so we steered them to bears in that range. They were both very overwhelmed by the amount of choice!
5 year old DD chose the Shopkins bear with a candy floss scent, "I love you' sound and a beating heart. She also chose some sunglasses and sparkly shoes.
3 year old DS chose the bunny with lavender scent and beating heart. He also chose some dungarees. He was quite keen on all of the sounds on the computer in store but we decided against a sound in the end as a bunny with Darth Vader breathing would be a bit terrifying!

The staff explained the process as soon as we entered the store, it was busy being easter holidays but we were not waiting around in queues. Loved the interactions with staff whilst stuffing the bears and the idea of kissing the heart before going into the bear is lovely.

1. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend as it was good fun, however it is very expensive for a teddy and some clothes. Easy to get carried away so have to be prepared to say no and negotiate with your children!

1. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?

Children found it magical and have not left their new toys alone since.

DD thought it was brilliant, she is already talking about when she can go back for more outfits!
DS was a bit overwhelmed but enjoyed himself.

From a parents view it was very well organised and quite self explanatory (once the number system around the shop was pointed out to us!)

There was not too much upselling other than the option of back packs, boxes etc to take the bears home which we declined.

There were some adults in store without children who were using one of the two sound computers for a very long time, which caused a bit of a back up, but this was no fault of the store.

Both of my children especially enjoyed naming their bears at the computers. DD opted for one of the suggested names on screen, Kisses, DS chose to name his bunny Dave (after his grandad maybe?!)

We visited the Southampton store on 3/4/18 and were very grateful for the opportunity!

1. My dd who is 4 chose a Beary Fairy bear which the lady told us was one of their new bears. My dd loves anything to do with princesses or fairies and she took a long time deciding between the princess bear and the fairy one but the lady helping her choose was very patient and then said that she would give us some space and to take our time! The fairy won in the end because she decided that she didn’t like the crown on the princess but she couldn’t say why!! The bear is named Rosie which is no surprise because my dd loves that name (favourite programme is Everything’s Rosie on CBeebies)! It’s very rare to have £50 to spend in BAB and such a treat so we let her pick all of the little accessories, she chose the accompanying Beary Fairy sound which is really quite sweet and not too annoying which is good for us! She also chose the strawberry smell because it was “pink like the bear” and she loves strawberries but she didn’t want a beating heart so just had the plain fabric one that comes for free (which is a lovely touch). When it came to choosing clothing my dd knew exactly what she wanted! She chose a fairy dress and some pyjamas but didn’t want shoes because she was mainly going to be a bedtime bear!

1. Yes I would recommend it but it would definitely have to be for a special occasion though or if they have saved up pocket money as it works out quite expensive. I completely understand why it costs that much though as it isn’t just going into a shop and buying a stuffed toy, you get the whole experience.

1. We went to the shop in Lakeside (Thurrock) and my dd absolutely loved it, she took forever to choose a bear but we never felt as if we needed to hurry up. The shop was so busy and I did wish that we had managed to go before the Easter holidays started but dd was unwell, it was fine though just noisy and we were with my Sister who said that it’s nicer for the younger ones when the shop is quieter as the pace is a bit slower. Saying that my dd is fairly boisterous and had no issues with the noise or busyness! As we were choosing the outfits a member of staff got up onto a chair and said that everyone in the shop had to do the “build-a-bear pledge” which I thought was slightly odd and the poor woman struggled trying to get a shop full of over excited children to stop what they were doing and join in. My dd ignored this part and carried on brushing and blow drying her bear Overall the experience was great, my dd has had a fab morning and not only wants to go back but she also wants her 5th birthday party at BAB which I definitely wouldn’t have a problem with if the price isn’t too terrible!

Thank you so much!

So sorry I have no idea why my photos didn’t attach the my review. Trying again!

1. We went to Derby intu, and both children had a toy, one brown bear and one tan dog.
2. Ben the bear and Isla the dog. Think these are their vogue names of the week. Ben was chosen as youngest wanted a big brown bear, Isla joins a similarish bear and dog at home for eldest. Neither were keen on smells, we were concerned about how annoying noises might be/waking kids up so we steered away from that choice. Ben has a pair of shorts and a for engine T, as child is into Marshal and fire engines. Isla has a reversible tutu. We contributed £5 on top of the voucher.
3. Yes, although if we'd been paying ourselves I'd not have been as keen on having the two bears and outfits, as it's pretty expensive for a brief activity. The staff were very solicitous and appropriate in their giving the kids space and time to make decisions, and very patient.
4. The kids loved choosing from the gallery of bears, and liked seeing all the options. The clothes range was a bit overwhelming tbh! Advice on which items would work well for which bears/dogs/horses would have been useful there. The staff were great. The children really enjoyed the terminals for adding details to the birth certificates.

DS loves teddies, and had been asking for an Easter teddy, so was really excited to have won the voucher.

He chose a large teddy, which he has called Oscar, named after a dog that he loves. He didn't want any of the scents or sounds, but choose an Easter bunny outfit and matching slippers, some Avengers pyjamas, an Avengers sleeping bag, and a Santa hat.

I would definitely recommend Build-A-Bear. DS loved choosing his bear and accessories, and is already planning to buy more outfits for Oscar. Oscar apparently needs a few more daytime outfits and a football kit! Oscar sleeps in his sleeping bag on DS's bed every night, which is very cute.

Thanks Build-A-Bear and Mumsnet!

We went to the Bromley BAB workshop this morning and my little one had a fab time.

There was a small queue, even for that time of the day, but the excitement of making a bear made it all bearable.

She now has Kitty to add to her 'my little pony collection '.

She enjoyed picking the clothes, the heart and naming it. She even typed the certificate by herself . All in all it was a great day out. You have made a little girl so happy. Thank you.

1.Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.
2.Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories?
This is Bun-Bun, LO is on bunny overload since Easter. She wasn't a fan of the sounds but chose a scent; strawberry. I was a bit worried it would be sickly and overpowering but it's very subtle. Because of the voucher we were able to choose 3 outfits. LO opted for a fairy dress and shoes, a tutu and skirt, and pyjamas and slippers.
3.Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why?
I probably would now, I've assumed the high price was down to the experience value but the bears and clothes seem well made and there's lots of variety.
4.How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights?
We visited Lakeside today just after opening time, the store was v quiet and there were plenty of staff on hand. They spoke to LO throughout rather than me which made her feel a bit more special. She can be quite shy so we were happy to chose clothes ourselves but someone came to help 'try them on' with us.
It did feel a tiny bit rushed, I would have like a bit more browsing time to get the full experience but overall it was good fun and we will pop back occasionally for new outfits. V pleased not to have felt the hard sell I had anticipated.

1. Please upload a photograph of your bear and any other photos of your in-store experience.
2. Please tell us all about your DC’s new bear. We would love to know the name of the bear, the reason that your DC chose this name, in addition to any other background details regarding your child’s bear selection process such as their reason for choosing particular clothes, scents or accessories? I took my 3 children to build a bear as a special treat. 2 of my children are disabled and find life very hard and their sibling has to put up with a lot and has always wanted to go to build a bear but we haven't been able to afford it. They each got a bear, rainbow, lovely and poppy!
3. Would you recommend Build-A-Bear Workshop to a friend or family member? If so, why? Our experience instore was wonderful. The lady who helped us didn't pressure us in to buying more than we wanted to. I had told the children we couldn't buy the clothes and accessories as it was already going to cost a lot (almost £90) and that they could ask for them for their birthday. The lady who helped us didn't try to push me to buy them and that encourages me to go again. I would definitely recommend the experience - it is expensive but it was a real treat for them.
4. How did you and your DC find the overall in-store experience? What were the highlights? We found the in store experience wonderful!!! The staff were kind and attentive and my children loved watching the bears being stuffed and doing their hair etc. The only issue we have is that when we have returned home we have found that one of the bears hasn't been stitched properly and was already coming apart. As my children are disabled and cant really cope with shops it would be very difficult for us to return to get it fixed, I have messaged them but have had no response. This is kind of off putting as you would hope that when spending that much money that they would at least message back and try to sort any problems