Build-A-Bear Workshop

I’ve never had the opportunity to actually «Build A Bear» but I did get the chance to do a side-​a-​long with my 10 year old niece. The process was easy, you pick a deflated bear, take it to the employee so she can fluff it up, stick a heart in it dress it up (that took forever to decide), create the birth certificate and your off.
That’s it. You are done. The end.

I love Build A Bear! I have great memories of making my own bear when I was little, so when I thought my daughter was old enough to make her own I couldn’t wait to go!
I have been to this location before and remember liking it since it never gets too crowded. I invited my brother and niece who is also 2 years old because I thought she would enjoy it.
When we stepped inside the store there were only one other parent/​kid there. We took the time to pick out what bear our kids wanted and then it was time to stuff! This was very fun for the kids because they liked to be able to press the button with their feet to make the fluff go inside the bear.
However, after this it was all very mediocre. I remember when I was little having an employee walk you through the steps of being able to fluff the bear, dress it and pick out a name on one of the computers. The employees seemed to have cares less about us being there or making our experience special. There were 3 employees and at that point we were the only people in the store. They cared more about not having to work rather than help us through the process. I guess this is what we get for going to a location in the mall?
Either way, our daughters had a blast and love their bears so that’s all that matters! I will try not to go back to this location in the future though.

I took my niece here the other day, and this place is fun! I enjoyed helping her make her own bear, and picking out the clothing. This place definitely brought out the kid in me.

Great costumer service! The staff members are so patient. I went there once and was hooked! The whole preparation and celebration of the creation of the teddy is so special for both children and adults that you feel the conection with your stuffed animal right away!
Years have gone by and I continue to take my children to this store to buy accessories for their beloved animal. Once, I thought I had lost all my coupons for not using them and a staff member helped me get every code off my e-​mail and use my bear rewards ;) Very helpful÷

Visited this location for my daughter’s birthday. Lindsey and Brenda delivered great customer service. They gave my daughter a birthday sticker and crown. It was sweet when they asked us (mom, dad, big bro, and grandma) to kiss the heart which would be put into the pink glittery kitty birthday girl picked.
Damage done at Build-​A-​Bear $ 51
Add-​ons included cotton candy disc/​smell, birthday song, dress, shoes, and crown.
Thankfully birthday girl didn’t see the car or couch for her new friend.

My boyfriend and I popped in the other night to grab some extra goodies for our daughter’s Christmas gift. The staff was extremely helpful in helping us choosing the right My Little Pony for her. One of the associations, I feel bad that I didn’t catch her name, offered to replace one of the items that we were getting because the stitching looked a bit off. She stuffed a brand new pony! The store was pretty packed so we really appreciate that she took time to ensure that we were leaving completely satisfied! Thank you Hillsdale staff!

For my daughter’s 7^th birthday, we had a build-​a-​bear party with 10 of her friends.
I booked online, which was an easy thing to do. Times get filled out easily so book early. Then i got a call back couple days before the event to confirm my reservations.
On the day of, party leader was friendly enough and she organized the whole experience with the kids. Although I increased the budget for what each kid can have, she made sure that i was still within that range. I didn’t have to mentally calculate everything. She only made the bears within my price range available and already picked out the clothing (it was a lot of choices) that the kids can chose from. So no need to worry about the kids, they are being guided. (It’s the parents you want to watch out for, those ones who always want to be greedy. We never have shortage of them).
She had all the kids roped up at the end of the store, «private party», during the entire process. So, nobody really wondered off by themselves. They enjoyed stuffing their bears, wishing on hearts, putting wish hearts on the birthday girl’s bear and they even played some games.
They encouraged all the parents to leave the kids in the store and go shopping or something. But I stayed around and I had all the chance in the world to take all my pictures. At the end they snap a picture of all the kids with their bears and they give you a copy.
My party included goodie bags. I wished they could have made it better. There were only 2 items inside and a bottle of water that most of us did not get. If I had known I could have prepared for a better goodie bag for the kids.
Over all it was a good party and I’m glad that we had it here. I partied at build-​a-​bear workshop!

Came here on Friday because my son saw a spiderman stuffed animal. (he’s obsessed with spiderman) Both of the workers were friendly, most def knew how to interact with kids. Paid around $ 44 for the spiderman bear and his outfit.

Expensive.
The idea of choosing your own stuffed animal friend, filling them up with cotton, and then giving them a special heart before closing them up is a genius idea. Especially since they sell all sorts of clothes and accessories for the furry friends. However, it does get expensive so watch your kids.
Build-​A-​Bear is located right in the middle of Hillsdale mall. Just park your car and walk along the downstairs. You should be able to find it! And since it is in a mall, parking is all around so don’t worry about not finding parking.
I came here on Saturday specifically for a Toothless stuffed animal. When I came in here, I immediately looked over all they had to offer and was bummed by the lack of Toothless I saw in the bins. I asked the cashier and she informed me that they just didn’t have time to take them out and that they did indeed have them.
I got my Toothless, guys. At $ 27 (including tax)! That’s a price I’ll happily pay to get what I’ve been wanting since the doll came out around the time of the movie.
Service is insanely friendly! All the workers I’ve talked to were into having a conversation with you instead of just brushing you off with disinterest. It’s definitely an awesome feeling!
Overall, expensive. But I don’t always splurge on stuffed animals so I’ll let it go. I’m just happy I got my Toothless. :)!

I brought my daughter and her friends here and they were very excited. The employees were really nice, and the prices for the bears and clothes were actually cheaper then stated online.

If you wander into build a bear workshop you have a vast amount of characters licensed and unlicensed that you can choose from to have your child build a stuffed animal. You can also add in sounds there are quite a large variety from giggles to the words I love you and animal noises. The downside is I have been shopping at build a bear workshop since 1994 and if you had a birthday party you got a Yellow bear and a pen and all your friends could sign their names to your bear for your birthday party. Now you get a sticker only. You used to have full access to a rainbow of different color bows. Now they only carry pink red and white and only party people can share them. I am disappointed at the downsizing and yet the cost is higher. It reminds me of a bag of potato chips where there’s more air now and less potato chips. I like the variety of different outfits that they have available. The staff at the store are very accommodating and nice.

I brought my two nieces here; they were so excited!!! After they finally chose a stuffed animal/​pony, it was time to get them stuffed. This is where the staff took over. She brought them over to the filling machine and did this really cute ceremony with their ponies. Then the girls picked out some clothes and shoes and the staff helped them put on the pieces, paying special attention to make sure after the shoes were on the animal would still stand up right. Now it was time to make the birth certificates and the staff was incredibly patient, especially with my youngest niece.
I was really impressed with the level of customer service, super friendly and patient!!!

I never been here before but they have great system here.
Guimar was our sales person and she was so tentative and caring for our kids!
They do small stuff that makes the stuffed animal so special and personal to each child. Like saying this little wish when they put in the heart inside with the child.
Certainly it was so special to our kids that they treat them so special.

My son received a gift card on Christmas for BuildABear and we finally got to use it on 1÷26÷14. This place is amazing! Soo many bears and animals to choose from! Not to mention Hello Kitty and Limited Edition’s too! This was our first experience to this store ever and we loved it!
Okay, so my son picks out a Red Panda stuffed animal and decides to name him «Red». Ha ha! The store employee, Anna, assisted us in the process of stuffing Red! She was amazing! She was soo sweet and kind to my son! She explained everything in great detail and was patient with my son’s endless questions!
«Red» turned out to be soo cute! I kinda want one for myself! LOL!
My son is asking when we can go back and get another stuffy!
If you are going to the store… ask for Anna to help you! She is awesome with kids!

Not for birthday party for large group!
Can you believe that there is no ‘Happy birthday song’ in birthday party?
No way! But it really happened. I thought I missed it during I paid for 11 bears… But when I asked, asked and asked to my girl and her friends — because I couldn’t believe it — they all said no.
I booked Fri 4pm (Dec. 6) and I heard no party booking but us until 6pm that day. But when my group were kicked out store for line up and deliver for birth certificate — they told me because we’re large group — and only I among our group was inside the store for payment, I saw a small group sang a happy-​birthday song guided by another buildabear worker … What the H *****!! Yes, that time was just 5:10pm. And we’re almost Asian and the other small group were white. I don’t want to believe…
Our party leader was young, unfriendly, unkind and irritable. She did screaming always to my kids! No entertainment. She did Nothing but making bear and deliver the birth certificate. She made every kids did heart warming and wishes for their own bear at the SAME time. Of course she made all birth certificates instead of them and just delivered. Eventhough, all children are already so big kid to make their own (age9−10).
So, don’t plan build a bear birthday party if your group are around 10. Here is just good for personal bear shopping .If you plan birthday party for small group, no need to book, I think! You can benefit though you book or not. Or before booking, you should check their party procedure very finely.
My girl? Of course she loved Buildabear. She had a lot from this store. Bears, small frys, cloths, beds, accessories, wardrobe…
For me? It worth less than 50% money I spend in this time.
Very disappointing!

I came here on Friday for a 6 year old’s birthday party. I think for a birthday party– the energy of the party leader is super important. Or maybe cause I’m a teacher and I’m pickier about energy level especially for a kid’s birthday. Anyways the two party leaders were good. They weren’t great and the «entertainment» seemed really simple. They played Simon says while all the kids waited their turns to stuff their bear. They asked them if they went to Disneyland and their favorite ride.
When the party was over. I went over to read the pamphlet about booking a birthday party with them and it sounds so much more exciting then what you actually get.
BUT– it seemed the kids really enjoyed it. The party includes them picking a bear and stuffing it. and after the hour party, then the kids with their parents and new friends go and buy clothes for the bears. I think they really enjoyed that part!
Oh but the cool thing about the party is that the birthday kid’s bear has SOO many hearts from their friends. They each get 2 and then they make a wish for themselves and one for the birthday kid. and the birthday kid gets the second heart from each of their friends. I thought that was the sweetest part of the whole birthday party.
Not sure how much the birthday mom spent, it seemed like a pretty penny. Overall, probably a great place for a party if the kids are young. not sure if it’d be as entertaining for someone older than 6.

Princess bear for my Angelbear!

I love coming to Build-​A-​Bear. It’s my go-​to place for baby gifts — but I’ve been known to buy their little critters for adults, too. Each gift has been warmly received and appropriately oohed and ahhed over.
All in all, I think this is a good location. The folks who work here are friendly and very helpful — I’ve never seen an employee here who looks disengaged or disinterested in their job. All the merchandise is super cute, and I’ve always been able to find just the right thing to «make» a gift perfect for someone — whether it’s an animal I can dress as a Star Wars character (complete with sound-​effect-​enhanced plush light saber) or a Giants World Series Champions teddy bear tee. Furthermore, they keep things neat (no small feat for a kids’ store!).
If I had a gripe, it’s that they encourage kids to SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE during their parties. I’m all for fun, and know kids will be kids, but my gosh, you can hear those SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEs all over the dang mall. Heaven help you if you’re walking by at just the wrong moment — no need to walk up to Claire’s to get your ears pierced at that point!

BEST. IDEA. EVER.
This place is great for any special occasion and for all ages! You can come here with your significant other, friends, or family. These furry animals make for a great gift: weddings, graduations, birthdays, etc, etc. I mean who doesn’t love furry animals? Especially when you can personalize it however you want, and it’s made with love! Makes me feel like a kid every time I step inside Build-​A-​Bear :)
I came here this weekend to get a gift for my friend’s bridal shower. Since she loves Hello Kitty, I got her the original white one, with a wedding dress! It’s the most adorable thing ever! You can also build monkeys, pandas, bears, dogs, cats, etc etc. You get to stuff it, dress, it, and name it (with a birth certificate)! There are lots of outfits to choose from and the staff is always so nice and helpful! And it’s not that expensive to build your own bear, it’s probably the same price as you would pay at a regular store. Totally worth it just for the experience! :)

Cousin wanted to come here AGAIN for the second time this week. Earlier this week, she bought a dog from here and today she wanted 2 bears (one for herself & one for her mom).
First you pick which animal you want.
Stuff it.
Hug it.
Make a wish & stuff that heart inside it’s fluffy stuffing.
Wash it.
Dress it.
Name it, print birth certificate.
Pay an enormous amount for all the things you just picked out. Animals don’t cost much, but the accessories sure add up.
Take your new friend home.