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 2: Black Bear

Good morning, Build-A-Bear fans! I have secured an interview with the Honorary Black Bear, and he should be here any second. Oh, here he is now!

Black Bear: Hey, Lilli!
Lilli: Hi, Black Bear! I'm so excited to have you on the show!
Black Bear: No, the excitement is all mine. I've been following your blog, and you're doing a great job!
Lilli: Thanks! Well, let's get on with the interview. The first thing I usually ask is, "Tell us a little about yourself," but I guess you have a lot more to tell than most bears.
Black Bear: Indeed I do. For starters, I was introduced to Build-A-Bear the very first day the store opened. That was an immensly exciting day, and there aren't words to describe it. I lasted all through the winter of that year, and all us bears celebrated Christmas by sneaking into the snowy night while the mall was closed. Most of us had short fur (myself included), so it was a brave thing for a teddy bear to do!
Lilli: Wow! I can't imagine. What happened after that?
Black Bear: I'll cut my long story short; I'm sure other bears can tell you some of the fun times we had. But, one by one, we were retired. I retired in January of 2002, the year they retired most of their original bears. I was the first bear that year to retire, and it was awfully sad to leave. I, at least, knew my retirement was coming: during the previous summer, Build-A-Bear introduced Black Bear II and sent me on the "sell-out" path.
Lilli: So, what did you do after you retired?
Black Bear: I went on vacation, of course! First, I visited the Baby Bears, Blue and Pink. They'd never admit it, but they were teddy bear celebrities with speaking engagements and a trailer! After I traveled with them for awhile, I joined Chubby Cubby in Alaska (he was an old-time friend who'd retired in December of 2000). The snow was cold, however, and I had short fur, so I moved down to Chicago and took a job with the Chicago Bears (I coach their mascot).
Lilli: Thanks for coming, Black Bear! It's been an honor having you here on the show. I'd love to publish more of your stories sometime!
Black Bear: Anytime, Lilli. I'll see you later.

This and all other Build-A-Bear Buzz stories are Copyright (c) 2008 by the writer of this blog.
If you have a photo of Black Bear, please e-mail it to me for blog consideration at buildabearbuzz@gmail.com

Topaz Teddy...

Build-A-Bear has released their latest in the line of Gem of a Friend, Treasured Topaz Teddy. And although the fur is soft and the face is cute, this bear's color is a wee bit off. Bright yellow is adorable and white is precious, but this in-between color makes matching outfits difficult.

Depending on why you go to Build-A-Bear, this bear is a great idea or a real flunk. Topaz is the birthstone for November, but...well, by November this bear will have retired. Fluffy for those little kids to hug, but not great when buying fashions. A great smile spreads across her face, but it somewhat mimicks that of Kisses fur You Teddy, Gem of a Friend Precious Pink Teddy, A Friend for All Seasons Winter Teddy, and the like.

Personally, I don't think Build-A-Bear picked the right color or time of year for this bear. Otherwise, I think another bear is a cute idea.

I'll see you on Tuesday for my blog on a new Build-A-Bearville club, and on Thursday for another episode of "Bears of the Past."

CU then!

~Lilli

Bears of the Past, Part I, Episode 1: Baby Bears

If you have a photo of Baby's First Blue or Baby's First Pink, please send it to buildabearbuzz@gmail.com for use in this article!

Welcome to my new seiries, Bears of the Past. For the next few weeks, we'll be looking at Part I: The First Bears, in which we'll interview some of the very first Build-A-Bears ever released.

Today, we have two special guests to interview: Baby's First Blue and Baby's First Pink. So, without further ado, here they are!

Lilli: Hello! Welcome to Build-A-Bear Buzz!
Blue: Hey Lilli!
Pink: Hi, Lilli!
Blue: I'd just like to start by saying what a priviledge it is to be here on your "show."
Pink: You have a wonderful place here!
Lilli: Thanks, but let's cut to the chase. Why don't you each start with telling us a little about yourseves?
Pink: Well, we're identical except for our noses (mine is pink!) and the color thread they used to stitch our paws. I guess that kinda makes us twins!
Blue: Yeah! We were both released in October 1997 with several other bears. We were reccomended for kids ages 3 and under.
Lilli: That's a good idea. I understand that you weren't the smallest bears, either.
Pink: Oh, no! We're 14 inches tall. The smallest bear released in October of 1997 was Classic Brown Teddy, who was only 11 inches.
Blue: I really enjoyed being one of the only bears especially made for younger kids.
Pink: Me too. I didn't want to retire so soon!
Lilli: When did you retire?
Blue: We had to leave about six months after our arrival - June of 1998.
Pink: We were the second set of bears to retire, and weren't replaced until Cuddly Teddy Blue and Cuddly Teddy Pink were released in January of 2002.
Lilli: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks so much for letting me interview you!
Blue: Sure, Lilli!
Pink: Thanks! Bye!

New calendar, new look for Build-A-Bearville news

It's March 1st, the day Build-a-Bear reveals the events to take place for the next month! Two furry friends, two contests, a promotional, two online events....Build-A-Bear has packed this month full!

Of course, some of us didn't want February to end. For those of you who are still excited about this year's "Leap Day," there's still a bit of time left for your Build-A-Bear in-store reward - a free t-shirt with a $15 or more purchase. So hurry in - the t-shirt may look dorky, but the virtual Build-A-Bearville reward makes it worth it.

Build-a-Bearville has something else that's very new, and you can't miss it: they've changed the look of their news bulliten. More efficient and attractive, it makes reading the "Build-A-Bearville News" much easier than just staring at a block of text. (like it used to be) It looks a bit like a web browser with tabs, making it a fun "toy" to go check out! Each tab has a label: "News & Events," "Friends," "Fashions & Stuff" and "Games & Quests."

I think it's a good idea to change the look of the Build-A-Bear news, and Build-A-Bearville certainly kept me more informed than the main Build-A-Bear website! Evidentally, Build-A-Bear is trying to make Build-A-Bearville their "website" and buildabear.com their "shop-site." This is great for the users - get on Build-A-Bear to play and not to shop. I'll go for that any day!

In the upcoming posts, (don't forget about the mini-posts this Tuesday and Thursday!) I'll tell more about Build-A-Bear's "five-month reward program," fashions on Build-A-Bearville, and the brand-new spot where Build-A-Bearville users will love to hang out. Until then,

~Lilli

Fashion Forcast

Spring fashions are exploding into Build-A-Bear stores. For the last two months, Build-A-Bear has been steadily releasing their spring collection, complete with countless new outfits. Build-A-Bear has been following the latest trends: Camo stuff for Hello Kitty, sparkles added to every outfit, an adorable Tye Dye Bubble Outfit has been released, denim wear is increasing in popularity, and your sweet teddy bears can wear a skull-and-crossbones t-shirt. (EW!) I think all those outfits are cute (except for the last one.) Their theme with their new dresses is bright pink: Fushia Bubble Dress and Floral Belted Dress are vibrant. The softer Gingham print is more desirable, in my opinon. (so it's good they've released it!) Sparkles are SO in. Build-A-Bear seems to have more shimmery, sparkley things than last year. And for the Limited Too girls, Build-A-Bear Limited Too merchandise has gone to skirts. A final note to notice is the increase of Hannah Montana stuff for bears - but I suppose that will only last as long as the show.

So, this year we may expect the slow death of the Hello Kitty wear, the dawn of brighter pinks and tons of sequins, and more cute bear skirts!

See you on Saturday for my weekend post.
~Lilli

Valentine's Day Dance and new bears

Build-A-Bearville is celebrating Valentine's Day all this week with the Valentine's Day Dance! Head right down to the Pawforming Art Center and join in the fun! If you'd like to show off your new "moves," head down to the Build-A-Bear town center and click on Beremy to recieve a Valentine's Day dance disco move.

Notice all the Valentine's day decorations!!!! Build-A-Bearville is full of hearts, balloons, and banners.

Build-A-Bearville has another change: this one shows Build-A-Bear's attention to every detail. The newest Bear Associate at the virtual Build-A-Bear Workshop is Build-A-Bear's up-and-coming Limited Edition Bunny, to arrive in real stores February 15. Watch in future posts for updates on this!

In stores, Build-A-Bear has released their St. Patrick's Day bear: Lucky fur You Teddy arrived February 8th. Creamy, slightly off-white fur sprinkled with three-leaf clovers makes this teddy a cute addition to the Build-A-Bear family. Released with it is Build-A-Bear's annual supply of St. Patrick's Day outfits, from an Irish Dancer dress to green bear jammies. Also included is the ever-popular Leprechaun outfit, this year being in tones of black and green.

Also, Build-A-Bear is celebrating the Chinese New Year with their slim but cute Year of the Mouse. (yes, it is really named that) A sandy-colored mouse with a few wiskers is just the thing to commemorate the year of the Rat....or so Build-A-Bear figures. I don't suppose too many mothers will be too happy about a little bear that looks a bit like a rat.

That's all for now! Until next week,
~Lilli

Happy Groundhog Day!

(above image from buildabear.com)

Happy Groundhog Day, Build-A-Bear lovers! It's Groundhog Day, the biggest weather prediction of the year. Of course, Build-A-Bear would not miss this event for the world - they celebrated by releasing a Groundhog in late January, to retire today. And as we bid goodbye to our furry friend, we also bid goodbye to six weeks of warm weather - for the virtual Groundhog on buildabearville.com has seen his shadow. Yes, in Build-a-Bearville, the ultimate Build-A-Bear town online, they have a groundhog! Just look in the Friendship Forest Cave, near the bongo drums. There's a little cave that you can click on and view the video.

Stuff fur Stuff members, be sure to enter the Stuff fur Stuff Club Appreciation Days sweepstakes! The prize is a 32" tall Hearts-fur-You puppy. No purchase necessary, but a purchase made on your Stuff fur Stuff card before February 4th will automatically enter you into the contest.

And lastly, for every $1 you spend on Build-A-Bear products in-store or online you will recieve $100 in Bear Bucks on Build-a-Bearville! So spend on - I have a feeling Bear Buck inflation may become a problem sometime soon.

Interested in the cute picture, above? Here's what's included in your online order of Furbulous Forcast Groundhog from buildabear.com:

• 16" Groundhog
• Groundhog tee
• Faded Denim Jeans
• White Tennis Shoes
• Groundhog Hat

That sums up this week - tune in next week for a report on Valentine's Day!