Build A Bear Store
Bear-stuffing fun in Downtown Disney Anaheim!
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There's a Build A Bear Workshop in Downtown Disney Anaheim, and your little ones are going to LOVE it!If you don't know what a Build A Bear store is---read on!
"Build A Bear Workshops" are a worldwide chain of store locations that let kids--or adults!--stuff their own teddy bears and then dress them. And, mega-popular they are! There are dozens of Build A Bear Workshops all over the world! New locations open monthly, both in the USA as well as in many different countries. (Who would ever have imagined that so many people would want to stuff their own teddy bears?)
If you'd like to head to a Build A Bear Workshop close to your home, you may use the following link to jump over to the "Build A Bear Workshop Locations" page of this website to find out all the other BuildABear Workshops in California...plus Nevada and Arizona, too.
The Build A Bear Store at Downtown Disney Anaheim is hard to miss--it's a tall, green, 2-story Art Deco structure. (It's quite attractive, and its exotic architectural style fits in well with its flashy resort location.)
Once you step inside the door, a giant California "Surfer Bear" greets you! And, walking along further, you'll come to the main sales floor LOADED with clothing and accessories for the teddy bears you'll be making.
By the way...teddy bears aren't the only "furry friends" you can make at the Build A Bear Work Shop. You can construct a polar bear, hippo, dinosaur, koala bear, elephant, panda bear, penguin, cheetah, dog, kitty, "human" doll---or, at Christmas time---Frosty the Snowman and his pals. (Some styles may not be in you local store, however.) Plus, more and more selections become available with time. New styles rotate in...old styles rotate out of the Build A Bear Store every season.
In the fall, bears go "back to school" and play football. All sorts of costumes can be found for the bears in October as Halloween approaches...and then, it's back to December again...and Build-A-Bear's endearing collection of fuzzy winter fellows.
In the slide show above, you can see some pictures of Build A Bear's Easter animals, and the Valentine's 2008 limited edition Build A Bear dog. If you'd like to see some Build A Bear Halloween costumes and animals (including a ghost!) please visit the Halloween BuildABear Pictures page of this website.
Build A Bear Store---
Steps to creating your own stuffed animal!
1.) The first step in building your own teddy bear at the Build A Bear Store is to select your empty, un-stuffed animal. There are bins full of "empty" animals; you decide which one you'd like to make by looking at "finished examples" of the animals.If you DON'T want to stuff your own bear, that's OK, too. You'll find a selection of pre-finished animals available for purchase, as well. You can buy them already dressed in a particular style---eg. bride & groom bears, graduate bears, sports team bears, Mouskateer bears, etc. Or, you may purchase a "naked" animal and dress him from the wide selection of Build A Bear outfits and accessories that you'll find in the store. You can choose from dresses, pants, shirts, tees, scarves, socks, shoes, hats, purses, belts, uniforms, costumes...and even THIS list is incomplete!
Bear stuffing machines blow in the fluff!
On to the bear stuffing machines! You don't actually hand-stuff your bear (or penguin or koala) at the Build A Bear Store. You'll take your selection to the "bear stuffing machine," where you'll get to watch the fluffy white stuffing material rotating in its clear plexiglass enclosure. One very special part of this process is getting to personally add your bear's heart---AFTER you make a wish upon it!The "heart ceremony" part of the Build-A-Bear process is one of the things which makes the shop so popular with little girls. Be careful! While most employees perform this ceremony with equal zest and enthusiasm, you'll find the occasional employee who leads the ceremony with less intensity. While you're waiting in line for your turn to fluff 'n' stuff, if you notice that one Build-A-Bear employee is markedly more friendly and enthusiastic (and, thus, give your little one a fonder memory of her visit here), make sure that you grab that particular employee, even if you have to wait! (On the other hand, when I stuff a bear by myself, I'm invariably still asked to perform the "heart ceremony" even though I'm an adult! Where's a lackluster employee when you need one?)
The Build-A-Bear Workshop folks advertise that kids get to "come make a stuffed bear" at their stores...but, in actuality, the children themselves have very little to do with making the finished bears---the bear stuffing machines do the work! Thus, the folks at the Build-a-Bear store need to come up with things for kids to do during the process to make them think that they actually did something---and to give their parents the feeling that they got a good deal for their money!
In this photo on your left, you see my granddaughter, Natali, pushing down a pedal with her foot near the fluffing and stuffing machine. This allows the stuffing material to enter the bear, while giving the child something to do during the process.
During the middle of the stuffing process, while the bear is still partly empty, the Make-a-wish-on-your-bear's heart ceremony takes place. Also, if you have selected a voice box containing a recorded message to be inserted into your bear, then now is the time that this gets added as well. (For example, Natali chose her bear to say "I Love You!" out of a selection of over a dozen different voice box messages.) The voice box containing the message will be placed into the bear's arm or foot, so that it will be easy later for your child to squeeze the box and make her bear "talk."
Following the insertion of the bear's heart and voice box, the employee who is building your bear will add the last bit of stuffing, then close up the bear by its handy lacing system (similar to shoe laces.) Voila! It's done!
To prolong the excitement for your child, she is next sent to the "bear bathing station" to give her bear a (waterless) pretend bath. Of course, the bear is neither dirty, nor does it need its pristine fluffy fur un-tangled; this is just "part of the fun." As you can see in the photo, Natali takes her bear's bath seriously, and is enjoying the time immensely.
(Note: For information on how to clean an older Build-a-Bear that has become dirty, see the "FAQ's" section below.)
Next step: it's on to the bear dressing-station. Here, as you can see in the photo to your left, Natali was able to dress her bear in a cute little pink and white scooter-skirt-and-jacket that she had found. (Cost was $12 for this fashion, and the outfit was adorable.)
I let Natali dress the bear slowly. She was really enjoying every moment of her time at the Build-a-Bear store!
(You'll have to decide ahead of time what your "bear budget" is going to be, because, quite frankly, this store is really going to tempt you to spend money!) The Build-a-Bear bears and other various animals are adorable. The Build-a-Bear outfits are all adorable. The Build-a-Bear accessories are all adorable. You'll have to decide ahead of time just where you're going to draw the line!
In total---after selecting your empty bear, your outfit, your voice box, your accessories---and even your Build-a-Bear furniture (!), the well-dressed bear can easily come to $35...and can range up to $65 if you choose a detailed outfit.)
Once you finish your bear, you'll name him or her, and receive his or her official birth certificate! You'll also get a decorative box called a "Cub Condo" in which to take home you "brand new friend," as the Build A Bear folks would now call your creation!
Build A Bear Birthday Parties
Another very-popular-with-kids phenomenon is the "Build A Bear Birthday Party." This is a very entertaining type of party, if the birthday girl's parents don't mind taking out a second mortgage on the house!To have a Build A Bear party, you must have a group of 6 or more guests attending the party, and you must call for reservations in advance. (Downtown Disney Build A Bear Store contact info is below on this page.)
The birthday party group will not receive a discount on the teddy bears or their clothing. Each child in the party selects one of the basic, ready-to-stuff bears (or other animals), just as any other store visitor would do. (Build-A-Bear animals start at $10...although your selection of animals gets better if you're willing to pay more. Therefore, the MINIMUM price for the birthday party will be $60, and that's if each child selects the cheapest bear, and if your daughter doesn't protest that "my friends will hate me if they leave with naked bears!") More likely, your guests won't choose bottom-of-the-line bears, and you'll probably allow your guests to dress them. If each bear ends up costing $30, you've just spent $180 for the 6 bears...and you won't have even served the guests any refreshments! (When Natali attended a Build A Bear birthday party, the birthday girl's mother gave each guest a store gift card for $25, which gave each guest enough Build A Bear cash to select a bear and dress it, but eliminate the most expensive styles.)
So, what IS the advantage of holding a Build-A-Bear party? Well, the BuildABear shop will try to make this a very special occasion for your youngster. Your group will be escorted by its own, personal Bear-building consultant, who will guide your guests through the bear-making stations, regale them with bear-lore, and--in general---help the guests to feel that they're very special for being there. Each guest will receive a free party favor, plus the birthday child will receive a free gift, compliments of the Downtown Disney Build-a-Bear Store.
Despite the popularity of Build A Bear birthday parties (and Girl Scout troop parties, as well), most Build A Bear Store locations don't have party rooms. Guests are simply sequestered into a corner of the sales floor.
At the Downtown Disney Build A Bear Store, however, you MAY be able to have some privacy at your party. This is because the Downtown Disney Build-A-Bear location is 2-storied, with bear-stuffing machines on both levels. Your party may be taken upstairs to the duplicate sales & bear-building floor.
When I called to speak personally with an employee of the Downtown Disney California location, she assured me that, "We will TRY our best to allow your group the exclusive use of the upstairs area. However, if the store becomes busy, we'll have to open the upstairs to the general public."
Build A Bear Workshops do not allow eating and drinking in their stores, so your party will have to move its location mid-course in order to serve the refreshments or eat the birthday meal. Each Build A Bear Store location has "food partners" which make a special arrangements (supposedly) for Build A Bear parties to get discounts at their dining establishments. The Downtown Disney food partner for Build A Bear parties is the La Brea Bakery Cafe.
Now, the La Brea Bakery Cafe is a nice place, offering a wide selection of sandwiches as well as treats. However, when I called them to find out how much discount my party group would receive there, the La Brea employee said, "Oh, we don't give discounts to Build A Bear parties---our children's meals are at a discount price already." So, although the La Brea Bakery is the Build-A-Bear's food partner, it doesn't seem like there's a particularly good reason to use them as your party's food provider.
If you're just looking to serve treats and drinks at your party, you might try The Coffee House at the Disneyland Hotel. There, you can find cute Mickey-themed cupcakes, cookies and Rice Krispie treats under $2 each. (The La Brea bakery sells treats, but NOT Mickey Mouse-themed goodies.) Or, for $6, you can pick up boxed sandwich lunches at The Coffee House, complete with Mickey Mouse cookie, sandwich, drink, and chips. Outdoor patio seating is available on a first-come-first-served basis. For further information about The Coffee House, use the following link to visit the "Disneyland Hotel Restaurants" page of this website.
If your pockets are deeper, you may wish to treat the birthday guests to a Disneyland Character lunch or dinner. If so, you may use the following link to view the Disneyland Character Dining page of this website.
Still another choice for the birthday meal is the exotic Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. Children's meals are available at the Rainforest Cafe. Also, the exotic "Volcano" dessert would be a very interesting treat for your party---that is, it's a treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds! You may click on the next link to view the Rainforest Cafe pages of this website.
Strangely enough, NONE of the dining venues at Downtown Disney or the Disneyland hotels sell birthday cakes! Even the La Brea Bakery doesn't sell them---and it's a BAKERY! (The La Brea Bakery, however, does allow you to bring in your OWN birthday cake to their facility.)
Build A Bear Store--Frequently Asked Questions
I've been asked some interesting questions concerning Build A Bear topics...so I thought I'd share some of them with other readers who may be having similar questions.Question: How do you clean a dirty Build A Bear animal without damaging it?
Answer: I was cautioned by the BuildABear folks that machine washing their creations is NOT the way to go! Voice boxes will get damaged. Some bears may lose fur (certain styles have more of a problem with this than others, they say.) At the Build-A-Bear Workshops, you can buy a Bear Cleaning Kit. (At the Downtown Disney location, this costs $6.) You'll use the spray included in the kit to coat the bear, then wipe it off carefully, bringing the dirt and the stains off along with the cleaning solution. They assure me that this does a good job of cleaning the bears; however, I've never tried this personally. Nevertheless, if washing isn't recommended, using the cleaning kit is certainly worth a try, right?
Well, unfortunately for would-be franchisees, all of the USA Build A Bear Work Shop locations are company-owned. So, there simply are no Build A Bear Workshop franchise opportunities available for interested individuals who would like to become Build-A-Bear owners.
Question: What types of animals are available at Build-A-Bear stores?
Answer: It's really impossible to say exactly what selection you'll find at a given Build-A-Bear location on a given day. Merchandise rotates every few weeks...along with the seasons and holidays. Not only that, but individual stores may run out of a particular item. The largest selection of Build A Bear animals is on the company's website, where you'll find bears (both curly and fluffy), giraffes, unicorns, pandas, koalas, tigers, puppies and dogs (collies, poodles, labradors, beagles, boxers, golden retrievers, westies, huskies among others), mooses (meese?), frogs, bunnies, chicks, ponies, unicorns, cats and kittens, monkeys, cows, gators, and Winnie the Pooh's, Hello Kitty's, and Shrek's...in addition to whatever seasonal items happen to be offered. However, you won't enjoy the fun of creating the bear yourself if you buy it via the website. But, what you CAN do is pick out your favorites, then call the store to see if they carry the particular Build A Bears that you like best!
Question: What are Build A Bear's "Bonus Bear Bills?
Answer: These days at Build A Bear stores, you'll notice that some of the animals you may choose are labeled with a small sign that says "1,000 Bonus Bear Bills. Unfortunately for parents footing the bill, this sign does NOT mean that you can get a discount on what you're buying! These Build A Bear bills are virtual money! Similar to the Webkins or Neopets websites, you can actually pay REAL money in order for your child to equip their online, virtual Build a Bear animal!
Your Build A Bear's Birth Certificate gets your child a free virtual animal at www.BuildabearVille.com. Check your bear's birth certificate for the special number your child will enter online to activate a virtual version of the BuildABear animal she made at the store today. Once online, she and her virtual bear can have fun together playing games...AND she can dress up her bear with items she can buy online. At first, she can use the free Bear Bonus Bills to buy the merchandise. After your child has run through the free bonus bucks, you'll have to start paying REAL CASH to finance her fun.
Do all Build A Bear birth certificates contain the Buildabearville special code on them? No, only Build A Bear birth certificates for animals made during or after October 2007 have the special codes. If your child made an animal during or after October 2007, you may register them and get your free virtual BuildABear friend at Buildabearville.com any time---even today, months later! But, if you haven't made any Build-A-Bear animals since October 2007, you may ask an employee for a special code that will allow you to register up to 5 Build A Bears made before that time...so that your child can play online without having to make a new Build A Bear!
Question: Do the Build A Bear Stores have a discount plan?
Answer: Yes, they do! At the Disneyland Build A Bear Workshop only, Disneyland Annual Passport holders can show their annual passes & get a 10% discount on the spot! But all Build A Bear stores participate in a "Stuff Fur Stuff Club" rewards program. For every dollar that you spend at Build A Bear stores, you receive a point in the rewards club. The Build A Bear company keeps track of your points, and every you save up 100 points, you'll be mailed a certificate good for $10 on your next Build A Bear shop visit. (You may choose to be emailed with your certificate, instead...which you can print at home.)
Build A Bear Store Contact Info
Downtown Disney BuildABear's Phone and Address
Here's the Downtown Disney Anaheim Build-A-Bear Store contact information---
***Downtown Build A Bear Address...
Build-A-Bear Workshop
1540 S. Disneyland Drive, Suite 104
Anaheim, CA 92802
***Downtown Disney Build A Bear phone numbers...
Local phone number for the Downtown Disney Anaheim Build A Bear Store is (714)776-5980. This is not a toll-free number.
National number for the Build-A-Bear headquarters and the central party reservations system is 1-8770789-BEAR (2327). This is a toll-free number.
***Website address---
You may order pre-stuffed bears and other furry friends on the Build A Bear company website. All manner of accessories are also available, as well as a wide selection of holiday items. (Build A Bear makes a BIG FUSS over each and ever holiday that requires a seasonal change of clothing for your bears!) You may use the following link to reach the Build A Bear official website,
www.buildabear.com.
Or, if you wish to register your Build A Bear online and receive its free "virtual" counterpart, you may register your bear and start playing games by visiting the www.buildabearville.com website.
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