Build-A-Bear Buzz on Break

Build-A-Bear Buzz will be taking a break until further notice.

Thank you for reading!

~Lilli Cooper

Stuffed with Hugs

Today, Build-A-Bear is holding a truly wonderful event: their annual Stuffed with Hugs day. Customers have the option of building a bear for a less fortunate someone, and the cost to the customer is null. Although Build-A-Bear limits the number of donated bears to 150 per store, that number adds up quickly: Build-A-Bear owns hundreds of stores internationally.
This year, Build-A-Bear has put a twist on the event: choose your charity. Yes, Build-A-Bear has selected four charities it considers important and reliable: Super Siblings, Sunshine Kids, Pet Shelters Across America, and FirstBook (I've made those names links so that you can view the organization's website). With this, Build-A-Bear suppports a variety of causes: children's health and wellness, pet adoption/humane education, and literacy, respectively.
This event is a great oppurtunity to teach your children about the joy of giving. Why not have your child make two bears - one for themself and one for a child in need? Or, if your children already have several Build-A-Bears, use this oppurtunity to make a bear exclusively for another child. It's also a good oppurtunity to teach your children about the cause you'll donate the bear to. Better yet, teach them about all three causes and let them decide which to give to!
Build-A-Bear is showing its caring side, and we should all support whole-heartedly. Build-A-Bear is giving its customers an oppurtunity to think of others above themselves and parents to teach and spend quality with their kids. I would support that any day.

Bears of the Past, Part I, Episode 6: Curly Bunny

Good morning! It's Lilli, and I'm here with one of the predecessors of all Build-A-Bear Bunnies: Curly Bunny!

Curly Bunny: Hi!!!!!!!
Lilli: Curly Bunny, tell us a little about yourself.
Curly Bunny: Well, I look alot like Curly Teddy. We have exactly the same fur, we're both 15 inches tall, and we both have black eyes. It just goes to show you the truth of the old saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover": though we looked the same, we had two completely different personalities!
Lilli: Tell us a little about that.
Curly Bunny: I'm really super peppy!!! (Curly's a bit more...relaxed) She liked knitting, I liked jumping...but we made a great pair. We've been BFs ever since. Anyways, I was one of two bunnies released in October of 1997: Lil' Bunny (who's BF with Curly & me) and myself. Sadly, Lil' Bunny only made it to April '98 before they retired her. She was our first retirement. After her, they introduced Fluffy Bunny, Chocolate Bunny, Lil' Bunny II, Joyful Bunny, and many others in the spring collection. There was Pawlette Coufur, introduced in 1999, and Curly Bunny II, introduced with Curly Bear II in 2002. I only lasted two years after that - I left in December of 2004. Curly Bear had been retired two years earlier, shortly after Curly Bear II arrived.
Lilli: We're out of time for today - would you mind hosting our show next week? You'd interview Floppy Teddy.
Curly Bunny: I wouldn't mind at all! Sounds like fun! See y'all next week!

Build-A-Bearville

Build-A-Bear built the perfect online haven for kids. Anyone can join. Everyone starts with the same number of bear bucks and the same possesions. Everyone works their way up the social ladder through perseverance and hard work. Along the way, kids have to make desicions about priorities: do I want to buy furniture for my cub condo, or do I want to buy this shirt? Such descisions teach children the finite quality of money. Eventually, if a child works hard, they will accumulate plenty of stuff. In the process, Build-A-Bearvillers make friends, chat safely, and have fun!

However, Build-A-Bearville recently created the concept of "Store Credit." Simply put, those users spending money at physical Build-A-Bear stores are given exclusive items on Build-A-Bearville. I'm fine with rewarding users for their already-owned Build-A-Bears, but Store Credit gives wealthy users an advantage over less-fortunate users. I don't believe this is the best idea....Build-A-Bear could maximize their profits a different way.

• "Pawsome Points" take place of "Store Credit": We know that every little bit counts, and "Store Credits" scream a message of "You need more! Buy more! Buy more! Buy more!" I could go on and on about how it could have been a good concept, but its execution (pressuring Build-A-Bearvillers to buy) wasn't the greatest. So, how can we switch "Store Credit" to something more positive? Here's my idea: teach kids the value of hard work. Anyone completing the Be 100% Pawsome promotion would recieve a promotional "code." When purchasing something at Build-A-Bear, mentioning your specific code would take 7% off your purchase amount and give you "Build-A-Bearville Pawsome Points." The catch? Use the code as often as you like, but it'll be invalid at the end of the summer. This encourages several things: hard work (to recieve a code), high purchase amounts (buy more to save more) and frequent visits (this code will expire soon, so we need to use it!). There's no pressuring for Build-A-Bearville users to buy, only to participate in Be 100% Pawsome (which is free). The "Pawsome Points" rewarded wouldn't be measured by your purchase amount - they'd be a constant amount, another reason to come back to Build-A-Bear often.

This would definately be an advantage to Build-A-Bear. No gift card or coupon manufacturing costs, no ruined reputation, and more customers! Build-A-Bear would be wise to impliment this idea.

Thanks for reading - next Tuesday, I'll post on the concept of Build-A-Bearville high score tables (and that'll be a happy article!)!

Until then!

~Lilli

Pawsome Panda arrives and Kuddly Koala gets a makover

Build-A-Bear has been rennovating their old bears lately: Black Lab, Kuddly Koala, Pawsome Panda - even Beremy has changed. They're making their bears cuter than ever, simply by changing fur length and style. It's a simply pawsome idea, and I'm all for it! So, without further ado, let's start talking about Pawsome Panda!

This panda, at only $16, is adorable! Her long, soft fur is a new addition, and the price has gone down an encouraging $9! Yet another improvement: Build-A-Bear has started advertising the fact that she looks good in almost any outfit. She's perfect for a little girl's or boy's birthday gift, her price is within a good Build-A-Bear budget, and her eyes are cute enough to melt your heart. Build-A-Bear hit the nail on the head when designing Pawsome Panda: she's the ideal gift for anyone!

Build-A-Bear fans may also have noticed the newly-designed Kuddly Koala. Though not formally announced, this bear has grown his fur out and gotten a bit chubbier! She's cuter, furrier, softer, bigger, and more huggable than ever before. If you're going to pick up Pawsome Panda, you have to pick up this bear too. They'd make a cute and huggable pair!

Build-A-Bear's improvments have made a "BANG" in the Build-A-Bear world. I can't wait to see what they'll do next!!!

Don't forget to read my blog on Tuesday for another report on current stuff!

See you then,

Lilli <3

This blog article (c) Copyright 2008 by the author of the blog.

Bears of the Past, Part I, Episode 5: Curly Bear

Good morning, Thursday readers! Today we have one of my favorite guests, Curly Bear! She was one of the original 1997 bears, too. Here she is!

Curly bear: Hello, Lilli!

Lilli: Hi, Curly Bear! I'm excited to have you on the show - you know, I'm a Curly Teddy!

Curly Bear: Awesome! I do rememer Curly Bear II - she was introduced a few months before I retired. Apperently, the Curly seiries was quite popular.

Lilli: I think so. So, what was it like being a bear back in 1997?

Curly Bear: Tons of fun! I was an average-height bear (15 inches) and helped with cheerleading for the basketball teams! That was, of course, after Maxine locked up the store and the mall was closed.

Lilli: Fun!

Curly Bear: The best part was being a bear for a little girl. I tried on so many clothes - dresses, suits, uniforms, costumes - but I liked the ballerina and cheerleader outfits the best. I guess I'm a sports bear at heart!

Lilli: What kind of books did you enjoy reading?

Curly Bear: Lilli! We wouldn't normally have books! Thankfully, we found a bookstore eventually...I guess you've heard that I went down there twice a week, huh?

Lilli: Yup! I love reading, too.

Curly Bear: It's hard to be solitary after what us bears experienced: we were a whole family with tons of fun siblings! I did only go twice a week, and only on nights when the basketball team wasn't playing. Well, my favorite books were on sports and poetry. I did like the cookbooks occasionally - the idea of non-stuffed food fascinated me - but I really liked the pictures of real athletes trying their hardest, and poetry has continued to amaze me in its beauty.

Lilli: What did you do after you retired?

Curly Bear: Oh, that was easy! On Christmas of 2002 I recieved a ballerina outfit from the rest of the bears (it was a retired one, so Maxine didn't mind our taking it) as a retirement gift. That month, I set out on my own. I first asked advice from Pink and Blue (see Bears of the Past, Part I, Episode 1) since they'd always been like parents to me. They told me to audition for New York Ballet, since I really wanted to dance! So I did. Now, I'm a proffessional.

Lilli: That's all the time we have for now. :( I'm sorry, Curly, but we'll have to wrap it up!

Curly: Bye, everyone! Thanks for reading!

(c) Copyright 2008 by the blog author.

Build-A-Bear this May

Looks like Build-A-Bear has listened to the voice of its customers. Build-A-Bear has stopped in-store promotions for Build-A-Bearville and instead is focusing on the character of the kids. Build-A-Bearville has eased up on their in-store pressuring, to let the fun of their website lure customers in. This is a huge improvement - great job, Build-A-Bear!

On that note, let's take a look at what they've scheduled for May. In Build-A-Bear Workshop, caring and sharing seem to be the theme. Whether it's a free tote for mom (with purchase, May 3&4) or donating a bear to a child in need (Stuffed with Hugs, May 17th), Build-a-Bear is nurturing the caring spirit in a child. They're sponsoring several worthy organizations through Stuffed with Hugs, the purple hearts, and Beremy's Kennel Pals. They've also updated one of their bears, and they're introducing him under a new name (therefore staying honest with customers). They've added many new gift sets, for grads and moms and more. All in all, it looks like a great month at Build-A-Bear Workshop.

I'm looking forward to Build-A-Bear's May schedule!!!

Thanks for reading my post, and tune in on Thursday to read about another bear of the past!

~Lilli