Build a Bear

[goofy370]

My son is turning 8 next month and really wants a build a bear party. Have any of you had a birthday party there? Is it reasonable? Do they cater to boys as much as girls? Any input is much appreciated!
Thank you!

Tracie

 

[isla bonita]

What about any coupons?

 

[JoiseyMom]

My son went to a party there last month. From what I understand, you pay for what they buy. Let's say you pick a $10.00 bear/animal, the kids pick the color they want, and you pay for the animals. You decide which outfits they can purchase. They showed us a bunch all under $12.00, and the kids picked the outfits. The helper, took the tags from the bags, and the tags from the clothes, and that was what the parent paid. I hope that made sense .

 

[dizagain]

Hi! Haven't had a party myself, but we've been to quite a few. The parent sets a price limit on animals - $10 on up. The party will have a staff member take them through the process. Don't know if it's different for boys, but girls usually play a few games like "musical bears", etc. while waiting to stuff their bears. The parent also sets a price limit on clothing - nothing (bows are free) or it can go quite high. Most parties we've been to, the kids could choose a t-shirt at least. Sometimes they got the whole she-bang which was outrageous imho. Then they move over to the computers to make birth certificates and they're done. The kids get a few goodies in their bear's "home" like stickers, etc. Some Build-A-Bear stores in malls offer package deals with a cookie store in the food court (often Nestle's)...you go down there after finishing with the bears for snacks and gifts. There's no place at Build-A-Bear for this part - it's not allowed....an area I think they could improve! My girls LOVE Build-A-Bear and while it's expensive, it is alot of fun!

 

[stitchmom]

My son (8 years old) just went to Build a Bear for the first time this past Monday. We gave him a gift certificate for Christmas to use. There are lots of choices for boys, as well as girls - if your son likes sports, there are major baseball & football team outfits, as well as general sport outfits. There are also different career outfits that would appeal to boys and animals to choose from other than bears. My son built a Yankees bear. I do think they are a little pricey if you were to have a large party, as the bears run from around $12 - 20 each, the outfits are about $10-12, and the accessories start at around $3. My son's bear came to $36 - the bear, the Yankees uniform (hat, socks, pants and jersey), and an accessory pack with bat, ball and glove. He had a great time, though, and they really do it up nice - first the boy picks out a bear, then he decides if he wants to put a small heart in it. When he takes it to the stuffing station, there is a person there who goes through a whole routine like putting the heart up to your child's ear so it can "hear" all their good thoughts, etc. You get to choose a name for the bear and print out a birth certificate, too. I would recommend it highly for boys as well as girls, if you don't mind paying a little more than for a standard party. Hope this info helps! aw: Forgot to add that they do have a card that you get stamped for every $10 you spend - once the card is full (I think it is $100) you get $10 off your next purchase.

 

[strasfamily]

We had a party there last year for my daughter. She had 2 boys that she invited and they loved it as much as the girls did. I think we paid just under $150 for 7 or 8 kids. They each got a bear $15 or less and an outfit $10 or less. When I booked they did have a special running at the time - I think I saved $25 or $30. After the party we went to the food court for cake and punch and opening presents. We will probably do it again this year. We feel compared to other parties, the cost was reasonable and each kid got to go home with a very nice outfitted bear rather than just a goodie bag with little trinkets. The birthday kid also gets a special bear that each attendee signs.

 

[Debbie Jean]

We had a party there last year for my daughter. She had 2 boys that she invited and they loved it as much as the girls did. I think we paid just under $150 for 7 or 8 kids. They each got a bear $15 or less and an outfit $10 or less. When I booked they did have a special running at the time - I think I saved $25 or $30. After the party we went to the food court for cake and punch and opening presents. We will probably do it again this year. We feel compared to other parties, the cost was reasonable and each kid got to go home with a very nice outfitted bear rather than just a goodie bag with little trinkets. The birthday kid also gets a special bear that each attendee signs.

DD, who worked at Build-A-Bear for over a year, was a "party bear" and must have done hundreds of parties over that time.The cost is not unreasonable for the bears, but since there is a no food policy most people go to the food court after for a snack and to open presents. That being said, kids seem to absolutely love having parties there and they were always fully booked.

BTW, employees are not allowed to take tips... good for you, not so nice for the kids who do the parties

 

[beavismom]

Something else to add... we have done these parties for both my son and daughter and they have been to several as well. I would set a price limit of X (probably $25)dollars that they can spend. If they want, they could bring an animal they already have and spend the $25 on clothes and accessories or they could buy a more expensive animal and no clothes... I am sure you get the idea. I would spell it all out in the invite so that parents can make sure the kids understand going in to the party.
Since there isn't a party room we just brought Hostess Cupcakes and Capri Suns to have outside in the mall (no food court either). I liked it as a party and didn't think I spent that much more than I would have at Chuck E Cheese or something similar where I would have done gift bags too.

 

[thelionqueen]

We went to a party and honestly didn't think it was that great. The bears were very nice for the kids, but my boys wanted to play. There was no place where the kids could just "hang out" and have fun.

Everything was structured and there wasn't much room for just being boys.

In my opinion, kids want to play. Sure, the bears are fun, but it doesn't give them room to run around and be kids.

The most successful parties I've had is when I had some food and cake, a few activities (always physical, musical chairs, tag, etc) and a place for them to run. Just my .02

 

[ceecee]

We had DD's birthday party there and it was great! I had a set limit for each girl (since we had 10) and the party co-ordinator helped them stay within the limits explaining what they could choose, she was just wonderful and the girls had a great time, they played a few games and jumped or hopped to each station. DD's bear got a special wish heart from all of her friends to put inside her bear. They put all the presents in the back room and after the party we went to the food court for cupcakes and juice. DD opened the presents there and the Chik-Fil-A cow (dressed up character) came over for a "visit" which was an extra treat! The bears came in a Cub Condo and each one had an envelope with stickers and cards inside (and they got a $5.00 off next purchase coupon) so no need for treat bags! DD also got an autograph pillow (bear face) that had a marker so all the guests could sign it and a CD with Build A Bear songs. She got to stand on the check out desk and ring the bell for how many years old she was and the store sang to her. It was probably our best and easiest party. Not the most expensive either and the best part of all.....they do it all for you and you just watch and enjoy!

 

[wshupnastar]

Both of my daughters have had birthday partys at BABW. I may be in the minority here, but both me and my DH find it much easier than an actual party at the house. And by the time we factor in the costs of balloons, cakes, snacks, and everything else we would get for a party, we feel it really isn't that unreasonable. What we did was just invite their closest friends/relatives. I think there may be a 7 child minimum. And we told each child we would be purchasing items up to $25 (tax not included, it is much easier to keep track of that way!). We chose to do $25 because that way it was up to the child to decide what to buy. They could pick a less expensive animal and get an outfit for it or they could spend the whole $25 on one animal. I figured that way they could all get exactly what animal they wanted. Of course, it seemed most of the parents sent the kids extra money which was fine, the employees at Build A Bear are amazing at keeping track of everything.

As for discounts, we ended up filling up at least one punch card and we had one almost full before, so we filled it up as well and the employees (anyone else want to type CM's everytime you type "employees"?) took the amount earned ($20) off of our party that night.

We really had a good time with the parties. They were two years ago and my youngest (she will be 9) is thinking of doing one again for this years birthday. (The kid is hooked...I think she needs a BABW support group...she wants to spend all of her money there!)

 

[Delilah Bleu]

My dd's party was there last year. Since it was only 6 children I set the limit at $25. The party assistant helped the kids pick stuff that kept them under the limit. They all had a great time. We went to a pizza place nearby before and had pizza and I brought cupcakes instead of cake (so much easier). It was a $50 deposit before the party and about $85 or so the day of the party. I did get a coupon to save $25 - it was a special buy 5 get one free type of deal. Overall about $200 in all.

 

[cats mom]

We had a group of 5 yr. olds, both boys and girls, at dd's party and the boys really enjoyed it too. My son, about the same age at the time as your DS, went along and had to have an animal too (he has quite the collection of dogs from BABW)

The BABW folks were very easy to work with. I actually bought outfits in advance and brought them in because I found them on sale. They had no problem with me doing that.
The gal doing our party got the kids really excited about the fact that they got to have clothes that you can't even buy anymore... and it I think it helped them feel a bit less overwhelmed.

It is a pretty short party unless you plan something else. About an hour or maybe hour and a half tops.
We actually started and ended at home and just took the kids to the mall to do the bear thing. I only had 6 kids though so that was easy.

I did stay to help at one my DD went to a couple of weeks ago that didn't go as smoothly. A couple of parents sent A LOT of extra $$ for their kids to use, others sent none, and we actually had a couple of girls in tears over the whole fairness thing. (yep... 1st graders where "fair" is huge)
It was tough to have some girls (the birthday girl and her sister included) completely outfitting their fancy animals while others were trying to stay within the $25.00 limit. "what can I get for $3.00?"
Honestly I think it would be much better if parents didn't send extra $$, just go with the limit the party parent sets and then bring little Suzy back later to get all the extras!

They do have printable invites and thank-you's on the website and you can even send an e-mail party reminder.

I'd be sure to ask about any coupons or specials they have going for parties. I asked when I booked my DD's party and the gal said she would have one for me when we checked out.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I would agree with you depending on the age of the child. My ds4 went to a b-day party there last month. They had over 20 kids, and that was way too many for a 4 year old's party. My ds was melting down, and did want to run around. If there had been 10 kids or less, it wouldn't have been as bad, they would have gotten though the party quicker. For older kids, I don't seem them having a problem. Parents have to think before they book a party, about the ages of the kids and their attention spans. Unfortunately most parents just book the party and don't think about the ramifications.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

I can't imagine 20 4yo's running around. that would be chaos!!

my DD7 had her last birthday party at BABW - I was very pleased with the cost. There are 2 basic bears at $10 each, I set a limit of $16 for the animal, so my DD could get the bunny she wanted, not every child went for the most expensive animal. I also let each child get a teeshirt for their bear ($5 each). The parties are supposed to be 6 or more kids, we had a couple of last minute cancellations, so were down to 5. My friend's DS9 decided to make a bear with the gaggle of 7yo girls and had a fun time.

THe birthday kid also gets a simple cloth bear that everyone signs as a memento.

I was very pleased with the party, we also went to the food court for snacks. I brought in a homemade cake and cooler of drinks and we did presents there also.

 

[1of6]

We had my dd 6yo party there. We went cheaper and the kids didn't know the difference. We let the kids pick an animal $12 or less. This gave them 4 choices. We did not do any clothes for the bears. They got ear bows for free. I did let the parents know in advance that we would not be buying clothes. All of the moms said, "the girls are leaving with a bear, that is better than any goodybag I'll ever give out."

We had 10 kids, half of which were boys. My ds was the oldest at almost 8 and my ds was the youngest at 3. My 1yo nephew was there but in the stroller the whole time. His cousins took turns "working" on his bear. All of the kids had a ball.

We did go down to the food court after for cake and drinks. It worked out great!

 

[graygables]

My 17yo DD has been a BB (Bear Builder) for 2 years now and we love BABW! My younger 2 have their parties there, and I've coordinated a couple of things for homeschool groups/Disney fan meets, too, so there have been boys. The BBs are very good at keeping the kids entertained. You set the limit, I like $25 per child b/c they can choose any animal for that price. The BB's are also very good at keeping up with what they've spent and keeping it from turning into a beg-fest. I usually arrange food with Chick Fil A (BABW has food "partners", check the website for your location) b/c they set up tables, have balloons, etc. I order kids packs and a brownie tray, and voila! It's much better for us, b/c we live sorta in the boonies and it's a long way for some people to come.

 

[Jsme]

Several years ago my DD had a party there.

The way it was then...you paid the fee for what amount you wanted to buy which included that price animal and party bags and an animal that everyone autographed. The birthd child also go a CD to listen to. You had to guarntee a certain amount of children and pay for that amount even if you had less attend.

For us DD's day was in April. A few months before they had the little sundresses buy one get one free. I bought enough dresses for who all was invited and after they made their animal I let them chose which dress they wanted. Of course prior to the party DD picked out her dress. I wanted her to have first choice without doing it in front of everyone. Then I took everyone to eat pizza. It was alot of fun.