As a poorer child growing up build a bear was a very sentimental part of my childhood. I got my first one at a girl scouts birthday party, and while we couldn't afford the insanely priced clothing we would get thrift shop doll clothing and even found an officially licensed baby carrier at one so I could carry my bear around too. My fondest memories wildly is the bearville MMO--I never had the cool items but the entire world was so cozy and filled with charm I spent a lot of hours there. The first and only time I ever went on a date with a guy was on there--he just asked me out, I said sure and we silently watched our bears play for like ten minutes. I thought for a bit that was just what all dates were like LOL
I was also not so well off due too teen parents but my aunt and uncle would play for me and my dad to take a trip to visit them every summer and theyd always buy me a new bab outfit
ex build a bear employee here!! it’s such an interesting job honestly i can’t tell you how bizarre it is. you’ll go from the sweetest little kids one moment, to absolute nightmares the next, to recording someone’s dying words for a memorial bear straight after. as fun as the job was i was always emotionally exhausted when i clocked out 😮💨
You ever have someone come in to get the clothing for their dog? Because I used to buy the build a bear clothing for my yorkie and I told the employee why I was only buying the clothes and not the doll and he acted like it was so weird lol
@@I-hate-youtube797yeah i had somebody who said she bought clothes for her cat and i thought it was so cool so we talked for like 20 minutes about our pets
You didn’t mention the iconic giant cardboard houses you got to take your bears home in! My parents made it in into a closet for the clothes by attaching a wooden dowel and it was super cute 😋 You would sometimes see kids walking through the mall with the carriers and you would know they were lucky enough to have gotten a Build-a-Bear 🤪
bulid a bear employee here! This vids awesome just to clear some things up, Nintendo is incredibly anal about how we sell their bears, like we cannot recommend sense or sounds and some of the Pokémon come pre-stuffed ( it’s actually a sign of someone stole a bear if certain Pokémons are unstuffed) But build-A-Bear you own if it’s ripped or needs new stuffing, bring it to a store and we will fix it for you! I’m happy to answer any questions bab questions I’m really happy to see other fans online :3 ( little update thx 4 likes! id like to preface im speaking on behalf of my own experince at bab! it GREATLY varies person to person, but every employees experience is vaild and please repect them. bab is a franchised company so it differs store to store!)
@@UltimateVegetaLover at least the builder bear I work at you’re not supposed to ask but normally after working about seven or so hours you kinda forget lol
Actually not automatically stolen bc I’m in the BAB resale community and lots of people sell their Pokémon completely unstuffed to make shipping cheaper. So that’s kind of a messed up claim when they might not necessarily be stolen
I had my 16th birthday party at build a bear this year. My friends said it was the best birthday party they’d been to, and the employees said we were a breath of fresh air from all the crazy little kids they’d had to deal with. Id brought in a prepaid vault pumpkin kitty shell id bought shortly after their rerelease, and because I’d already paid for it, I got to pick a second bear. I picked a mimikyu Pokémon plush. Afterwards, every kid who’d gone to the party brought their bears to school and showed them off. It was awesome. I named my pumpkin kitty Jonny, and he is my beautiful baby son.
Did they re-release the Pumpkin Fun Kitty or is this another bear? I’ve had my Pumpkin Fun Kitty since I was 11, I’m 26 now and so scared of something happening to her 😟
@@laylasadventures4829 they did, it was a bit of a shitshow bc people immediately bought it up lol but I managed to get one early before scalpers came in. cool to hear u have an original one tho!!
@@laylasadventures4829yes it was a re-release. It came out sometime during September I believe. It was available for quite sometime if I remember correctly, I actually questioned whether collectors were even aware of its release or just kept it quiet so it wouldn’t blow and they would sell out fast so they could get one. Maybe I’m remembering wrong and they did sell out fast, I can’t remember that well since I was constantly on and off the site checking for Sanrio restocks😅I considered getting one since it looked cute but got Kuromi and HK instead🩷🖤sad you didn’t know about it till now😭💀
that's so cool!! I would love to have a birthday there sometime, I've always wanted to have a party there! kudos to you and your friends for providing the employees a nice experience :-D
As someone that worked as a Bear Builder during Pay Your Age, I can tell you it was absolute CHAOS. It was like Black Friday but basically on crack. Because it was ANY of our bears, we lost so much fucking money because we sold $50 for $1. And people brought FAMILIES of multiple people and we literally had to tell them we ran out of stuffing for the bears because we were so exhausted. The fire marshall literally had to cut the line at the mall I worked at. It was so bad. At least we got overtime 🤷🏼♀️
We drove like three hours to a mall to take my daughter for her second birthday and our build a bear line was to the back of the mall, we were there like an hour before they opened. We stood in line for like twenty minutes before they had an employee come down and yell that they were out of bears for the rest of the day. They did give out a coupon though.
@@21cormorants That's not what I am saying. I am saying a 13-17-year-old/underage teenager pretending to not be a teenager. I am a 5'7 female who grew up taller than average (around 5'3 or 5'4). Being a bit taller or shorter is normal. Kids' faces and clothing usually give it away (like baby fat, acne, hairstyle, clothing decorated with stuff from kids shows or being a vibrant color).
As a kid, we couldn't afford build-a-bear (or my mom just didn't want to waste money on it) but I always wanted one. I'm just happy that the store near my house still is modeled after the original store design. I'm definitely going to go make one when I have the spare money.
I was the same as you growing up, didn’t have a lot of money, but even if we did at some point and could go, my mom just didn’t wanna lol. But I finally got to go and experience it for Valentine’s Day and I seriously think you should go if you haven’t already :) it was literally such a wonderful experience, even as an adult. I hope you get to build your own bear soon
I bought a build-a-bear yesterday for my birthday! It was an intresting experience and I'm really happy to finally get one! All my childhood dreams come alive!!
I used to work at Friends 2B Made and had no idea it was originally a rival company. The store was physically connected to a build a bear, we shared employees, and I got a discount at both places.
I actually still have my build-a-bear even though I’m 24. It’s a cheetah named Jewel. I think I was into cheetahs as a kid. It’s one of the only dolls I have left. I remember my mom saying how she regrets giving me and my sisters toys away because we got too old for them and now I kind of feel the same way.
One of my favorite lines of build a bears is the girl scout bears. As a girl scout/ troop leader, they are so cute! Most are based on the cookies, and you can get little gs vests for them for each level 😊 Also shout out to the brown sugar puppy, that was my first one and I love it so much :)
Build-A-Bear has always been a staple throughout my childhood. I have a massive collection of Pokemon Build-A-Bears, consisting of Gengar, Sylveon, Sobble and Sprigatito. For my sister's upcoming baby shower, I decided to get a Build-A-Bear for my new niece. It's a rainbow hedgehog, and I want it to be the type of stuffed animal a kid can't part with. The type they bring everywhere they go and wear out in a loving way. I hope she enjoys it. I have a feeling I'm going to make a great auntie in the future.
We didn’t have Build-A-Bear money growing up so my dad would always take me to the store for my “part time job” where I’d wash the display animals in the bathtub. I did such a phenomenal job that the employees would give me stickers after every “shift”. Love my dad for that creative and selfless act that went on for years. When I did get to finally make my own bear I dedicated its heart to my dad. Still have that beloved bear even though it’s worn and tattered now that I’m an adult. I long for those magical moments that seem to be missing in my world today. It truly was something special that I will never, ever forget.
I had a build-a-bear from my Dad where he sang me a little song, and I friggin' got rid of it when I got rid of all my teddies. One of the few things I truly regret keeping 😢
i literally NEED a full length video about bearville i feel like nobody i know talks about enough i lived on there like people did on pixie hollow or animal jam
me and my girlfriend have 4 build a bear frogs. we have the green, the teal, the purple and blue pastel swirl, and a dark green spotted christmas one. we made them all together and we were long distance up until a few months ago and would trade them back and forth. they were like a way to connect us when we couldn't be together and they're really special to me because of that. that's a pretty recent build a bear memory but it's probably my favorite because i remember making all of those frogs with her and they all have two hearts because we each put a heart in all of them
I loved build a bear as a kid! I still have all 8 of my childhood bears and I went to my childhood build a bear store two days ago as an adult for the nostalgia and made a Jeremy Jordan bear!! He has an adorable lil outfit and he sings past is catching up to me 🥰 and I used to play bearville as a kid and I still miss it!
Popped into Build a bear a couple years back to get a new toy for our neighbours granddaughter still remember that lil teddy bear with a pumpkin suit and little black welly boots... I was kinda jealous!
I’m 40 and just got two Pokemon Build-A-Bears for Christmas. We got both our kids Build-A-Bears when they were born, and they were beloved stuffed animals for years. My younger kid also has a number of Pokemon.
Never went to Build a Bear bcs it was too expensive! But i will share this stuffed animal related experience: My fave toy was a baby chinstrap penguin named Flower. She came from the Monterey Bay Aquarium giftshop. She is a grey, pilled, fuzzy oval with orange claws and a grey beak. Her face reminds me of a pug's face. She has two brothers - her twin Murry, who belonged to my brother, and Flippers, an emperor penguin Webkinz. In gradeschool I would make Powerpoints utilizing the basic shapes, clipart, stock audio/photos, and animations in the program to tell stories about her adventures. By making these I was teaching myself to animate, and later started taking classes teaching real animation programs. 16 years later... I am watching this video while working at my desk at an animation studio!
I’ll never forget the pay your age day, I worked at the mall at the time (not at build a bear). The mall I worked at had a build a bear that was just a small kiosk on the middle of the mall and within an hour of the mall opening the Fire Marshall’s had to come in and start removing people because of the crowd. The was a line literally through half the mall with just crying children and miserable parents. I knew some of the employees so the next day I asked about it and they said parents had yelled in there face and threatened law suits against the employees and company. Absolutely bonkers. All of us working at retail stores gathered any kind of plushes our respective stores sold and had displays by the doors since so many children couldn’t get build a bears.
I bought a pawlet build-a-bear, I named him Rex because he has a t-rex sound, he also has a Cotton Candy scent which is my favorite. He is my favorite out of all my plyshies and I really want to get him a build-a-bear friend in the future
I use to collect build a bears, I played bearville as kid, and I had my 8th birthday party at build a bear and they gave me a bear everyone at party had signed including my beloved Grandpa who passed in 2017. For that I’m forever grateful.
i got a handful of Build A Bears throughout my childhood. my first was a plain light brown bear who i got at a girl’s birthday party when i was in Year R, and who meowed when i squeezed her hand. i’m fairly certain i had the white sheep that you have, although i have no clue where she went. i got a german shepherd and a panda at some point when i was in junior school, and also one that was fluffy and pink/multicoloured? i don’t have any of my originals anymore (they mysteriously disappeared… i suspect my mother gave them away. although i wasn’t too attached to my BABs compared to my other teddies) but i bought a green frog last year and i like him a lot.
I spent a pretty large part of my childhood on bearville. I didn't have a build a bear anywhere near me and I finally got one while on a family trip, and I took it everywhere. I would go over to my neighbor's house because her mom bought her clothes for them and we had fashion shows. I still remember all the little secrets you could find on the website, and I probably drove my family insane with how much I played those songs. I didn't know the website was being shut down until it already happened, unfortunately. I would love a full video on bearville, it gave me some great memories!
My boyfriend knows I didn’t have the best childhood, so he’s taken me there. I went there when I was a kid, but once or twice and absolutely no clothing or extras. I love my longhorn and reindeer so much and their sound, scent, boots, flannel, jeans and hat!
ahhhhh my mom got me "wlecome to hugsville" thru gamefly and it has been engrained in my memory but everytime I try to talk about it people think I'm talking about the online bearville. thank you soooooo soooooo sooooo much for validating my childhood memories omg!!!
i went to build a bear in 2017 or 2018 with my dad, when i was 11-12, and that was the only time i ever went there. i got a pikachu and i still have him! when i was little i always wanted to go to build a bear, but my family never really had money, so when i finally went i was really happy. i'm hoping some day in the future i can go there and maybe buy something with my own money.
Not really builder bear but i remember watching a video a while back saying that Beenie Babies (stuffed animals) had spider eggs in them. I did actually own 2 two Bennie Babies and i believed this as they have beads in them.
It's so funny that I got this video recommended the same day I went and got a My Melody Build A Bear lol. I was wondering if you could do a video on Lalaloopsies? They were one of my favorite toys growing up and it's sad seeing them kinda being forgotten over the years.
I got my first (and as of now, only) BAB bear for my birthday in 2008. Its a 2 toned bear, with tan over most of its body and cream on its stomach and feet. I named him Smiley. I got him a blue jacket with a skateboarding design or something, and a pair of shoes. Converse-esque. I did want to “wash” him and get a birth certificate, but my mom just wanted to go home cause i think she was also setting up the party for later that day. I’ve always wanted to go back as a kid, but my family couldn’t really afford to get me another, since i did slowly start to get into video games aswell. I could get another now, since I have some money to spare, But i feel a bit awkward going in by myself.
I love the his! I’ve been collecting build a bears since I was a kid. I have 80 bears and they’re super important to me🥹 I also played bearville so much and I really miss it.😭
I started to collect build a bear almost a year now and a build a bear Instagrammer. My very first bear was a 4th of July dog but i sadly don't have it anymore I wish i have that bear... I remember bearville and wish I could play the game. Ones I was small I remember one of the build a bear computer had bearville on for kids to try the online game by the other computer to name your bear.
As a kid I did have two build-a-bears, rainbow dash and a sunshine hello kitty, both of them had cute outfits, and of course I lost hello kitty’s bow, and rainbow dash had roller skates that actually worked. Now I have them in a garbage bag full of stuff to donate so 😊
i still have my two original bears and they're sooo sentimental - my first is a frog named lucky, and then my second is a dalmatian named rachel. i also have an otter that i got with my cousins last year
My roman empire is that when I worked at build a bear we were given a list of ‘bear-isms’ which were bear puns we had to try and include in conversations with customers such as ‘have a BEARriffic day’ 😭
After watching your video about Strawberry Shortcake I revisited some nostalgic things, specifically Angelina Ballerina and Thomas and Friends, do you think you could make a deep dive video with these two? I would love to see!
With all due respect, Thomas has too much lore for one video. I'm serious. The books date back to the mid 40's, even though the TV adaption started in the early 80's. Angelina's easier and more fit for this channel.
@cridly …Thomas probably does have way too much lore, but that just makes me want to see one of those excessively-detailed long form videos recapping *all of it.* I’d totally watch a 10 hour Thomas video
Former BaB employee here, who was cursed to be a manager/supervisor during the PYA event. My store manager and assistant manager decided they'd open the store that day, leaving me to be the only manager/supervisor to close. That urgent update? Yeah, that went out an hour before my shift. I never found out about it until the next day. That's right, when the store should've been close before I showed up, me and my afternoon/closing crew had to survive that day. Thank Bearemy we had mall security present, because they stopped several fights just before they started.
i had two build-a-bears as a kids. a "butterscotch bear" which i don't think i got an outfit with? and a "chocolate" bear with a valentines-themed outfit and an "i love you! i love you!" sound effect. i do remember going to a birthday party at friends2bmade and making a doll there. this is probably the first time in ages i've heard it mentioned haha. i also had an orange tabby cat from a party at noah's ark. actually now that i think about it i think only the valentine-chocolate bear might have been from a non-birthday party trip.
OH! i should mention i interviewed at build-a-bear a few years ago (did not accept the job, pay was not great) and one of the things i was told is that sometimes people get "memorial" bears for passed loved ones, which i think is really sweet.
I would definitely be interested in a build a bearville separate video. I loved that website! And the music is ingrained in my brainnnn. Hope the remake is out soon
I will say that Pokemon makes the most sense for licensing deals with BAB. This is because the Pokemon games encourage the player to form friendships with their pokemon and it's common, even encouraged, to give your pokemon nicknames to personalize them.
I was never able to get a build a bear as a kid because we were broke. I didn’t realize it was a trend to bring bab back. I bought a bear a few months ago celebrating becoming an adult, getting my own apartment, car, and good paying job. My bear is the rereleased curly bear. His name is “Dude” lol
i only had one build a bear and im not even sure if me or my mom still has her! i dont remember her name at all but i remember she was a white dog with red/white/blue stars all over her, i think she was a 4th of july release lol! i just never bonded with her that much i guess but she was pretty cute!
I bought my only BaB at AT&T Park in San Francisco, back when they had a BaB inside the ballpark. I chose a panda and put him in a Giants uniform because of the popular third baseman Pablo Sandoval who was nicknamed the Panda. I was around 25 and dating a much older man at the time, who took me to the game where I bought the bear. I had the bear in his little cardboard box and when we got to our seats some lady was like "oh how sweet your dad bought you a bear!" 😱 My husband went to the Basic Brown Bear factory in the 90s with his mom and I think his mom still has the bear. There's something charming about their slightly messed up faces.
I grew up in California and there was a bear factory in San Francisco that did a build a bear thing before build a bear existed, our school went on field trips there
i got a build a bear for my 10th birthday in 2014. she’s a snowy owl named wings, i loved her to death. i remember that her heart has a white and light red checkered pattern. i love her so bad, i think she’s in storage. i hope so.
I was lucky enough to be able to get several of these as a kid (after many many months of begging 😂). If I got one of these plushies, it was a HUGE deal. It really did feel so special walking into the store and going through the whole process. I played the SH!t of out the online game too, but I was webkinz pilled already.
Oh boyyy I was at the pay your age event and it was W I L D and slightly traumatic We bailed after 4-6 hours of waiting but I did end up getting a voucher. Some weird memories from this event were: Some 12-14 year olds playing on an escaltor and getting scolded Meeting up with an old friend and her circle of friends and playing Stella Ellla Ohla Being convinced to bail because 'what if they only have spiders left'
I’ve made multiple build a bears in the past two years but my first one from 2003 when I was a kid shall always be the most special build a bear in my heart. I still even have its little story booklet it came with when I made it 🥹❤️
I have 4 Build a Bear Plushies: two licensed being Bulbasaur from Pokemon & Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon and two Build a Bear bunnies: A brown one named Sally & pastel tie dye paint one named Lucy. The bunnies were from when I was little & the licensed ones from when I was in my late teens. Here is a little story about my brown bunbun Sally: She was originally gotten cuz of a Wedding. I was the flower girl & the bride was so sweet to allow both the ring bearer & I to get a Build a Bear animal of our choices... I remember that the ring bearer choose a brown bear who he named ABC123... He was very little and in pre-school I think... Sally was put in a bridal gown & ABC123 was put in a tuxedo. IDK why I remember this, but that was the first wedding I ever went to... I was so cute in the flower girl dress... Both Sally & Lucy were on Bearville.
LOVE this video, build a bear was a huge part of my childhood, i miss bearville SO much + I found a whole ORIGINAL MY MELODY build a bear at goodwill for like 5 bucks i felt like i hit the jackpot.
My dad took me to get my first bab when i was around 10. I had it maybe 2 hours then my mom got home and threw it away in its house box. Its made it very hard for me to have positive feelings towards bab. Literally two decades later that trauma randomly appears when i look at the vulpix i got myself a few years ago.
My ex-boyfriend had a MLP build-a-bear. We both liked the show and it was one of the things we bonded over (we were both like 15 at the time). There was one day when I went to his house to play video games and saw his Pinkie Pie B-A-B and grabbed it excitedly, at which point I noticed a large hole in the back of it. Having collected plushies myself, I expressed my condolences for the damage and asked if he wanted me to take it and have my mother stitch it up as she had done for some of my plushies in the past. He vehemently refused but also didn't elaborate. At the time, I thought he was just worried about me keeping the plush for myself or something, so I tried to reassure him that I wouldn't do that and it would just be a quick fix. He kept refusing while also rapidly getting agitated at my offer. It wasn't long after that relationship that I learnt what brony fandom is *really* like- that they don't just watch the show for it's cute and wholesome storylines.
i just absolutely adore ur channel its as if u know every single one of my fav things and make a video on it :o i hope u have an incredible year i can’t wait for more vids ilysm
Growing up it was a DREAM of mine to work at BABW, so when I got the chance to I was thrilled. Unfortunately, seeing behind the scenes made me really sad and i left after six months. They were starting to get rid of the nostalgic things in my shop, it started to become all about numbers and money rather than guest experience, and I just couldn't be happy in an environment that was nothing like I needed it to be.
I was there for the pay your age. it was absolutely crazy and the lines were throughout the whole mall and outside. I can't believe they didn't expect that though as popular as they are.
Fact that you got your first one in 2009 I had long since giving up on my three got my first one and it was either 1999 or 2000 I was either six or seven I was willing to high school by the time you got your first one in 09 as a child I don’t really expect you to be that much younger than me but apparently you are waiting till you hit 30 then the nostalgia really kicks in
a while ago i went to my nearest build a bear (which still has its classic interior) and saw the uh ..,, smoking jacket from the after dark collection lmao. immediately had to buy it, n now my meowth (called gavin) is absolutely killing it haha.
I went to BAB for my 21st birthday with my partner and it was an amazing experience! the employees were super nice to us and it was amazing to relive my childhood. however…my partner and I went back this year for christmas at a different location and it was…not great. idk if it’s because we were visibly a gay couple and the 2 employees were older women, or maybe just because we were adults, but they were super passive aggressive to us the whole time. didn’t even ask if we wanted to do the full thing (give it a bath etc) just were like “pick your clothes and check out” like ok… ETA: they also asked if we wanted to buy a backpack instead of offering the cardboard house, not sure if that’s a new thing? and yes we got the backpack because it was cute, had little arm holes for the animal, but i miss the classic cardboard house :(
As a poorer child growing up build a bear was a very sentimental part of my childhood. I got my first one at a girl scouts birthday party, and while we couldn't afford the insanely priced clothing we would get thrift shop doll clothing and even found an officially licensed baby carrier at one so I could carry my bear around too. My fondest memories wildly is the bearville MMO--I never had the cool items but the entire world was so cozy and filled with charm I spent a lot of hours there. The first and only time I ever went on a date with a guy was on there--he just asked me out, I said sure and we silently watched our bears play for like ten minutes. I thought for a bit that was just what all dates were like LOL
You know I never thought of thrifting clothes for build a bears ! There is probably baby or toddler clothes or costumes that would fit them so well
I was also not so well off due too teen parents but my aunt and uncle would play for me and my dad to take a trip to visit them every summer and theyd always buy me a new bab outfit
Were you welfare and dollar tree only poor or normal poor
@@grapeyvdoes it really matter ..?
@@grapeyvweird ass question.
ex build a bear employee here!! it’s such an interesting job honestly i can’t tell you how bizarre it is. you’ll go from the sweetest little kids one moment, to absolute nightmares the next, to recording someone’s dying words for a memorial bear straight after. as fun as the job was i was always emotionally exhausted when i clocked out 😮💨
yeah same :"D it's honestly why i'm putting my 2 weeks in soon... (also because my manager is awful)
You ever have someone come in to get the clothing for their dog? Because I used to buy the build a bear clothing for my yorkie and I told the employee why I was only buying the clothes and not the doll and he acted like it was so weird lol
Don’t forget the people that act like it’s stupid and judge you for trying to be fun….. when they’re literally buying a bear from build a bear
@@I-hate-youtube797yeah i had somebody who said she bought clothes for her cat and i thought it was so cool so we talked for like 20 minutes about our pets
i have an interview on thursday omg 💀 to be fair i wouldve expected to have my head melted a bit by the end of the day
You didn’t mention the iconic giant cardboard houses you got to take your bears home in! My parents made it in into a closet for the clothes by attaching a wooden dowel and it was super cute 😋
You would sometimes see kids walking through the mall with the carriers and you would know they were lucky enough to have gotten a Build-a-Bear 🤪
YES that was awesome!!!!! I felt so cool walking around the city w My family carrying my new bear in its box
They actually still have those! You just have to pay like a dollar or sth for one now lol
They’re called cub condos!
we need to talk about how PAINFUL those things are to carry after a while 😭
and coloring the houses was the best part! i would spend hours on mine, they were so detailed
bulid a bear employee here! This vids awesome just to clear some things up, Nintendo is incredibly anal about how we sell their bears, like we cannot recommend sense or sounds and some of the Pokémon come pre-stuffed ( it’s actually a sign of someone stole a bear if certain Pokémons are unstuffed)
But build-A-Bear you own if it’s ripped or needs new stuffing, bring it to a store and we will fix it for you! I’m happy to answer any questions bab questions I’m really happy to see other fans online :3
( little update thx 4 likes! id like to preface im speaking on behalf of my own experince at bab! it GREATLY varies person to person, but every employees experience is vaild and please repect them. bab is a franchised company so it differs store to store!)
I've had sounds recommended to me when I build my pokemon.
Is really nice that you can get them repaired
I didn’t know this so thanks
@@UltimateVegetaLover at least the builder bear I work at you’re not supposed to ask but normally after working about seven or so hours you kinda forget lol
Actually not automatically stolen bc I’m in the BAB resale community and lots of people sell their Pokémon completely unstuffed to make shipping cheaper. So that’s kind of a messed up claim when they might not necessarily be stolen
@@HeyItsSarah30she said a sign, it’s probably something they learn for loss prevention reasons
I had my 16th birthday party at build a bear this year. My friends said it was the best birthday party they’d been to, and the employees said we were a breath of fresh air from all the crazy little kids they’d had to deal with. Id brought in a prepaid vault pumpkin kitty shell id bought shortly after their rerelease, and because I’d already paid for it, I got to pick a second bear. I picked a mimikyu Pokémon plush. Afterwards, every kid who’d gone to the party brought their bears to school and showed them off. It was awesome. I named my pumpkin kitty Jonny, and he is my beautiful baby son.
Did they re-release the Pumpkin Fun Kitty or is this another bear? I’ve had my Pumpkin Fun Kitty since I was 11, I’m 26 now and so scared of something happening to her 😟
@@laylasadventures4829 they did, it was a bit of a shitshow bc people immediately bought it up lol but I managed to get one early before scalpers came in. cool to hear u have an original one tho!!
@@laylasadventures4829yes it was a re-release. It came out sometime during September I believe. It was available for quite sometime if I remember correctly, I actually questioned whether collectors were even aware of its release or just kept it quiet so it wouldn’t blow and they would sell out fast so they could get one. Maybe I’m remembering wrong and they did sell out fast, I can’t remember that well since I was constantly on and off the site checking for Sanrio restocks😅I considered getting one since it looked cute but got Kuromi and HK instead🩷🖤sad you didn’t know about it till now😭💀
that's so cool!! I would love to have a birthday there sometime, I've always wanted to have a party there! kudos to you and your friends for providing the employees a nice experience :-D
As someone that worked as a Bear Builder during Pay Your Age, I can tell you it was absolute CHAOS. It was like Black Friday but basically on crack. Because it was ANY of our bears, we lost so much fucking money because we sold $50 for $1. And people brought FAMILIES of multiple people and we literally had to tell them we ran out of stuffing for the bears because we were so exhausted. The fire marshall literally had to cut the line at the mall I worked at. It was so bad. At least we got overtime 🤷🏼♀️
Whoever came up with the pay your age had their heart in the right place but the oversight is immense 😭
We drove like three hours to a mall to take my daughter for her second birthday and our build a bear line was to the back of the mall, we were there like an hour before they opened. We stood in line for like twenty minutes before they had an employee come down and yell that they were out of bears for the rest of the day. They did give out a coupon though.
It sounds like when parents say their kids are little kids to get the kid's discount at restaurants even though the kids are clearly teenagers.
@@21cormorants That's not what I am saying. I am saying a 13-17-year-old/underage teenager pretending to not be a teenager.
I am a 5'7 female who grew up taller than average (around 5'3 or 5'4). Being a bit taller or shorter is normal. Kids' faces and clothing usually give it away (like baby fat, acne, hairstyle, clothing decorated with stuff from kids shows or being a vibrant color).
Not supposed to say this because I work there we now have a single selected bear. It helps so much
As a kid, we couldn't afford build-a-bear (or my mom just didn't want to waste money on it) but I always wanted one. I'm just happy that the store near my house still is modeled after the original store design. I'm definitely going to go make one when I have the spare money.
Heck yeah!! I hope you have lots of fun when you do!! Are there any designs you really want(ed)?
I was the same as you growing up, didn’t have a lot of money, but even if we did at some point and could go, my mom just didn’t wanna lol. But I finally got to go and experience it for Valentine’s Day and I seriously think you should go if you haven’t already :) it was literally such a wonderful experience, even as an adult. I hope you get to build your own bear soon
I bought a build-a-bear yesterday for my birthday! It was an intresting experience and I'm really happy to finally get one! All my childhood dreams come alive!!
I've been buying Build a Bears for 16 years and I absolutely love them
Yesss!!! Me too!!!!! I’m an adult and don’t GAF it’s too much fun. ❤❤❤ to you
wait omg can you give the link to the bearville rewritten discord???? ive been trying to find one for ages it was my childhood 😭😭😭
I used to work at Friends 2B Made and had no idea it was originally a rival company. The store was physically connected to a build a bear, we shared employees, and I got a discount at both places.
Yea I worked there too I was confused by this we had a section in our small store
I actually still have my build-a-bear even though I’m 24. It’s a cheetah named Jewel. I think I was into cheetahs as a kid. It’s one of the only dolls I have left. I remember my mom saying how she regrets giving me and my sisters toys away because we got too old for them and now I kind of feel the same way.
One of my favorite lines of build a bears is the girl scout bears. As a girl scout/ troop leader, they are so cute! Most are based on the cookies, and you can get little gs vests for them for each level 😊
Also shout out to the brown sugar puppy, that was my first one and I love it so much :)
The absolute flashback I had when you showed buildabear-ville!!!
I totally forgot how into that game I was, I would love a deeper dive into it
I'm glad in Australia we have a bizarre fusion of the two store designs in most places >
Man I really miss the fun games on their website. I loved playing them when I was little.
Build-A-Bear has always been a staple throughout my childhood. I have a massive collection of Pokemon Build-A-Bears, consisting of Gengar, Sylveon, Sobble and Sprigatito.
For my sister's upcoming baby shower, I decided to get a Build-A-Bear for my new niece. It's a rainbow hedgehog, and I want it to be the type of stuffed animal a kid can't part with. The type they bring everywhere they go and wear out in a loving way.
I hope she enjoys it. I have a feeling I'm going to make a great auntie in the future.
We didn’t have Build-A-Bear money growing up so my dad would always take me to the store for my “part time job” where I’d wash the display animals in the bathtub. I did such a phenomenal job that the employees would give me stickers after every “shift”. Love my dad for that creative and selfless act that went on for years. When I did get to finally make my own bear I dedicated its heart to my dad. Still have that beloved bear even though it’s worn and tattered now that I’m an adult. I long for those magical moments that seem to be missing in my world today. It truly was something special that I will never, ever forget.
Your dad and the workers are icons
Build a bear ville was my childhood. I played for hours and hours every single day
I bursted out laughing at the bears dancing to no music 😂😂😂
BUT THEIR DANCES ARE SO CUTE
I had a build-a-bear from my Dad where he sang me a little song, and I friggin' got rid of it when I got rid of all my teddies. One of the few things I truly regret keeping 😢
i literally NEED a full length video about bearville i feel like nobody i know talks about enough i lived on there like people did on pixie hollow or animal jam
me and my girlfriend have 4 build a bear frogs. we have the green, the teal, the purple and blue pastel swirl, and a dark green spotted christmas one. we made them all together and we were long distance up until a few months ago and would trade them back and forth. they were like a way to connect us when we couldn't be together and they're really special to me because of that. that's a pretty recent build a bear memory but it's probably my favorite because i remember making all of those frogs with her and they all have two hearts because we each put a heart in all of them
I loved build a bear as a kid! I still have all 8 of my childhood bears and I went to my childhood build a bear store two days ago as an adult for the nostalgia and made a Jeremy Jordan bear!! He has an adorable lil outfit and he sings past is catching up to me 🥰 and I used to play bearville as a kid and I still miss it!
Popped into Build a bear a couple years back to get a new toy for our neighbours granddaughter still remember that lil teddy bear with a pumpkin suit and little black welly boots... I was kinda jealous!
I love seeing deep dives into silly toys and cute stuff!!! I remember having my own rainbow dinosaur build-a-bear toy when I was younger
Yes, please make a video all about build a bearville!!
I’m 40 and just got two Pokemon Build-A-Bears for Christmas. We got both our kids Build-A-Bears when they were born, and they were beloved stuffed animals for years. My younger kid also has a number of Pokemon.
Never went to Build a Bear bcs it was too expensive! But i will share this stuffed animal related experience: My fave toy was a baby chinstrap penguin named Flower. She came from the Monterey Bay Aquarium giftshop. She is a grey, pilled, fuzzy oval with orange claws and a grey beak. Her face reminds me of a pug's face. She has two brothers - her twin Murry, who belonged to my brother, and Flippers, an emperor penguin Webkinz. In gradeschool I would make Powerpoints utilizing the basic shapes, clipart, stock audio/photos, and animations in the program to tell stories about her adventures. By making these I was teaching myself to animate, and later started taking classes teaching real animation programs. 16 years later... I am watching this video while working at my desk at an animation studio!
I’ll never forget the pay your age day, I worked at the mall at the time (not at build a bear). The mall I worked at had a build a bear that was just a small kiosk on the middle of the mall and within an hour of the mall opening the Fire Marshall’s had to come in and start removing people because of the crowd. The was a line literally through half the mall with just crying children and miserable parents. I knew some of the employees so the next day I asked about it and they said parents had yelled in there face and threatened law suits against the employees and company. Absolutely bonkers. All of us working at retail stores gathered any kind of plushes our respective stores sold and had displays by the doors since so many children couldn’t get build a bears.
I bought a pawlet build-a-bear, I named him Rex because he has a t-rex sound, he also has a Cotton Candy scent which is my favorite. He is my favorite out of all my plyshies and I really want to get him a build-a-bear friend in the future
As someone who learned how to sew plushies partially bc of the insane costs of these places I love being able to say "We got Build a Bear at home!"
😂 adorable!!!
i completely forgot about the little soundtrack songs OMGGG be bearific was my jam
I use to collect build a bears, I played bearville as kid, and I had my 8th birthday party at build a bear and they gave me a bear everyone at party had signed including my beloved Grandpa who passed in 2017. For that I’m forever grateful.
Please make a video about Bearville, that was a big part of my childhood
I really wish Build a Bearville is back…
Also I hope their rewritten project is getting more updates.
It got a dmca in November making them unable to continue 😢
i got a handful of Build A Bears throughout my childhood. my first was a plain light brown bear who i got at a girl’s birthday party when i was in Year R, and who meowed when i squeezed her hand. i’m fairly certain i had the white sheep that you have, although i have no clue where she went. i got a german shepherd and a panda at some point when i was in junior school, and also one that was fluffy and pink/multicoloured?
i don’t have any of my originals anymore (they mysteriously disappeared… i suspect my mother gave them away. although i wasn’t too attached to my BABs compared to my other teddies) but i bought a green frog last year and i like him a lot.
oh my god… i’ve just remembered i had a BAB walkman/mp3 toy??
I spent a pretty large part of my childhood on bearville. I didn't have a build a bear anywhere near me and I finally got one while on a family trip, and I took it everywhere. I would go over to my neighbor's house because her mom bought her clothes for them and we had fashion shows. I still remember all the little secrets you could find on the website, and I probably drove my family insane with how much I played those songs. I didn't know the website was being shut down until it already happened, unfortunately. I would love a full video on bearville, it gave me some great memories!
My boyfriend knows I didn’t have the best childhood, so he’s taken me there. I went there when I was a kid, but once or twice and absolutely no clothing or extras. I love my longhorn and reindeer so much and their sound, scent, boots, flannel, jeans and hat!
ahhhhh my mom got me "wlecome to hugsville" thru gamefly and it has been engrained in my memory but everytime I try to talk about it people think I'm talking about the online bearville. thank you soooooo soooooo sooooo much for validating my childhood memories omg!!!
you NEED to do a neopets video !! i loved playing games on there and building malls, running shops on that website was a full time job 😂
i went to build a bear in 2017 or 2018 with my dad, when i was 11-12, and that was the only time i ever went there. i got a pikachu and i still have him! when i was little i always wanted to go to build a bear, but my family never really had money, so when i finally went i was really happy. i'm hoping some day in the future i can go there and maybe buy something with my own money.
34:53 They still play these songs in the store too💀
The style-savvy music in the back pulls the whole video together
38:50 LEGENDARY BEHAVIOR
i am BEGGING YOU to do a bearville videooooo
Not really builder bear but i remember watching a video a while back saying that Beenie Babies (stuffed animals) had spider eggs in them. I did actually own 2 two Bennie Babies and i believed this as they have beads in them.
I used to work at build a bear in Nottingham during the mid 2000s, it was my favourite job and I have a collection of over 200 bears. Great video.
The mlp ones hit hard
It's so funny that I got this video recommended the same day I went and got a My Melody Build A Bear lol. I was wondering if you could do a video on Lalaloopsies? They were one of my favorite toys growing up and it's sad seeing them kinda being forgotten over the years.
I am begging you to talk about animal jam. The chokehold it had on my childhood was insane.
I got my first (and as of now, only) BAB bear for my birthday in 2008. Its a 2 toned bear, with tan over most of its body and cream on its stomach and feet. I named him Smiley. I got him a blue jacket with a skateboarding design or something, and a pair of shoes. Converse-esque. I did want to “wash” him and get a birth certificate, but my mom just wanted to go home cause i think she was also setting up the party for later that day.
I’ve always wanted to go back as a kid, but my family couldn’t really afford to get me another, since i did slowly start to get into video games aswell. I could get another now, since I have some money to spare, But i feel a bit awkward going in by myself.
I used to work at BABW. If you take your old ones to the store, they will refill it, and sow it up for free. 😊
It should help with the smell!
I love the his! I’ve been collecting build a bears since I was a kid. I have 80 bears and they’re super important to me🥹 I also played bearville so much and I really miss it.😭
THE MUSIC FROM THE DS GAME BROUGHT ME BAAACKK OH MY GOD.
I love your videos! 🩷
I started to collect build a bear almost a year now and a build a bear Instagrammer. My very first bear was a 4th of July dog but i sadly don't have it anymore I wish i have that bear... I remember bearville and wish I could play the game. Ones I was small I remember one of the build a bear computer had bearville on for kids to try the online game by the other computer to name your bear.
As a kid I did have two build-a-bears, rainbow dash and a sunshine hello kitty, both of them had cute outfits, and of course I lost hello kitty’s bow, and rainbow dash had roller skates that actually worked. Now I have them in a garbage bag full of stuff to donate so 😊
I had the Victoria Justice Bear. But sadly it was lost in one of our many moves.
i think about bearville alllll the time!!!! i miss it so much
i still have my two original bears and they're sooo sentimental - my first is a frog named lucky, and then my second is a dalmatian named rachel. i also have an otter that i got with my cousins last year
My roman empire is that when I worked at build a bear we were given a list of ‘bear-isms’ which were bear puns we had to try and include in conversations with customers such as ‘have a BEARriffic day’ 😭
that’s so silly i love it
After watching your video about Strawberry Shortcake I revisited some nostalgic things, specifically Angelina Ballerina and Thomas and Friends, do you think you could make a deep dive video with these two? I would love to see!
Omg Angelina Ballerina!!! Yes!!
We NEEEED an Angelina ballerina vid!!!
Yes!!!
HiT Entertainment had some GOATed franchises.
With all due respect, Thomas has too much lore for one video. I'm serious. The books date back to the mid 40's, even though the TV adaption started in the early 80's. Angelina's easier and more fit for this channel.
@cridly …Thomas probably does have way too much lore, but that just makes me want to see one of those excessively-detailed long form videos recapping *all of it.* I’d totally watch a 10 hour Thomas video
PINK FLUFFY KITTY WAS THE ONE PLUSHIE I HAD FROM THE BUILD A BEAR FRANCHISE, GOD I MISS HER SO MUCH
Former BaB employee here, who was cursed to be a manager/supervisor during the PYA event. My store manager and assistant manager decided they'd open the store that day, leaving me to be the only manager/supervisor to close.
That urgent update? Yeah, that went out an hour before my shift. I never found out about it until the next day. That's right, when the store should've been close before I showed up, me and my afternoon/closing crew had to survive that day. Thank Bearemy we had mall security present, because they stopped several fights just before they started.
i had two build-a-bears as a kids. a "butterscotch bear" which i don't think i got an outfit with? and a "chocolate" bear with a valentines-themed outfit and an "i love you! i love you!" sound effect.
i do remember going to a birthday party at friends2bmade and making a doll there. this is probably the first time in ages i've heard it mentioned haha. i also had an orange tabby cat from a party at noah's ark. actually now that i think about it i think only the valentine-chocolate bear might have been from a non-birthday party trip.
OH! i should mention i interviewed at build-a-bear a few years ago (did not accept the job, pay was not great) and one of the things i was told is that sometimes people get "memorial" bears for passed loved ones, which i think is really sweet.
I would definitely be interested in a build a bearville separate video. I loved that website! And the music is ingrained in my brainnnn. Hope the remake is out soon
Bearville shut down when I was nine I am 18 and I wanna play again sooo bad I still remember my username and password
A bit off topic, but plush toy related: Who here had a Doodle Bear/Bunny as a kid? Gosh I miss those!
I will say that Pokemon makes the most sense for licensing deals with BAB. This is because the Pokemon games encourage the player to form friendships with their pokemon and it's common, even encouraged, to give your pokemon nicknames to personalize them.
I spent my whole childhood on Buildabearville 🥺 I miss it so much
Also with the online ordering it is prone to mistakes like you can order one unstuffed and it will come stuffed and other errors. 💔
THE WAY WE BOTH HAVE THAT SAME LPS BUTTERFLY, THE BLUR GRUMPY BEAR AND THE WHITE NET 😭😭
I went to Build a Bear Workshop once when I was little
I was never able to get a build a bear as a kid because we were broke. I didn’t realize it was a trend to bring bab back. I bought a bear a few months ago celebrating becoming an adult, getting my own apartment, car, and good paying job. My bear is the rereleased curly bear. His name is “Dude” lol
i only had one build a bear and im not even sure if me or my mom still has her! i dont remember her name at all but i remember she was a white dog with red/white/blue stars all over her, i think she was a 4th of july release lol! i just never bonded with her that much i guess but she was pretty cute!
the tomodachi life music! omg 😭💞
I bought my only BaB at AT&T Park in San Francisco, back when they had a BaB inside the ballpark. I chose a panda and put him in a Giants uniform because of the popular third baseman Pablo Sandoval who was nicknamed the Panda. I was around 25 and dating a much older man at the time, who took me to the game where I bought the bear. I had the bear in his little cardboard box and when we got to our seats some lady was like "oh how sweet your dad bought you a bear!" 😱
My husband went to the Basic Brown Bear factory in the 90s with his mom and I think his mom still has the bear. There's something charming about their slightly messed up faces.
ive never seen anyone talk about build a bearville so this made me so happy. i LIVED on this site in elementary/middle school like i was obsessed
Bearville had an insane GRIP on me. I still thinkg about it all the time
@@gabrielkline2581 no same like nobody else gets it
I finally got to buy my own build-a-bear this weekend while traveling to the UK, it was a dream for like 8 years!
wait why do so many games have random seasonal places?? animal crossing does too when you take the boat
I grew up in California and there was a bear factory in San Francisco that did a build a bear thing before build a bear existed, our school went on field trips there
i got a build a bear for my 10th birthday in 2014. she’s a snowy owl named wings, i loved her to death. i remember that her heart has a white and light red checkered pattern. i love her so bad, i think she’s in storage. i hope so.
I was lucky enough to be able to get several of these as a kid (after many many months of begging 😂). If I got one of these plushies, it was a HUGE deal. It really did feel so special walking into the store and going through the whole process. I played the SH!t of out the online game too, but I was webkinz pilled already.
My local BB still has the 2000 design ps the bathtub is permanently closed though
Same!!! I went for the nostalgia a few days ago and it is mostly the same and yes they still have the bathtub it is just closed
Oh boyyy I was at the pay your age event and it was W I L D and slightly traumatic
We bailed after 4-6 hours of waiting but I did end up getting a voucher.
Some weird memories from this event were:
Some 12-14 year olds playing on an escaltor and getting scolded
Meeting up with an old friend and her circle of friends and playing Stella Ellla Ohla
Being convinced to bail because 'what if they only have spiders left'
I’ve made multiple build a bears in the past two years but my first one from 2003 when I was a kid shall always be the most special build a bear in my heart. I still even have its little story booklet it came with when I made it 🥹❤️
I have 4 Build a Bear Plushies: two licensed being Bulbasaur from Pokemon & Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon and two Build a Bear bunnies: A brown one named Sally & pastel tie dye paint one named Lucy.
The bunnies were from when I was little & the licensed ones from when I was in my late teens.
Here is a little story about my brown bunbun Sally: She was originally gotten cuz of a Wedding.
I was the flower girl & the bride was so sweet to allow both the ring bearer & I to get a Build a Bear animal of our choices...
I remember that the ring bearer choose a brown bear who he named ABC123... He was very little and in pre-school I think...
Sally was put in a bridal gown & ABC123 was put in a tuxedo.
IDK why I remember this, but that was the first wedding I ever went to...
I was so cute in the flower girl dress...
Both Sally & Lucy were on Bearville.
In Australia most of our stores still look almost the me is they did when they first opened yellow walls, blue accents and thread spool bins and all.
LOVE this video, build a bear was a huge part of my childhood, i miss bearville SO much + I found a whole ORIGINAL MY MELODY build a bear at goodwill for like 5 bucks i felt like i hit the jackpot.
I think the pokemon plushes were a good medium as far as licensed characters go since you can nickname them in game
My dad took me to get my first bab when i was around 10. I had it maybe 2 hours then my mom got home and threw it away in its house box. Its made it very hard for me to have positive feelings towards bab. Literally two decades later that trauma randomly appears when i look at the vulpix i got myself a few years ago.
My ex-boyfriend had a MLP build-a-bear. We both liked the show and it was one of the things we bonded over (we were both like 15 at the time). There was one day when I went to his house to play video games and saw his Pinkie Pie B-A-B and grabbed it excitedly, at which point I noticed a large hole in the back of it. Having collected plushies myself, I expressed my condolences for the damage and asked if he wanted me to take it and have my mother stitch it up as she had done for some of my plushies in the past. He vehemently refused but also didn't elaborate. At the time, I thought he was just worried about me keeping the plush for myself or something, so I tried to reassure him that I wouldn't do that and it would just be a quick fix. He kept refusing while also rapidly getting agitated at my offer.
It wasn't long after that relationship that I learnt what brony fandom is *really* like- that they don't just watch the show for it's cute and wholesome storylines.
i just absolutely adore ur channel its as if u know every single one of my fav things and make a video on it :o i hope u have an incredible year i can’t wait for more vids ilysm
My sister still has her original Hello Kitty Build a bear from 2006 or 7 and she still has the original bow
Growing up it was a DREAM of mine to work at BABW, so when I got the chance to I was thrilled. Unfortunately, seeing behind the scenes made me really sad and i left after six months. They were starting to get rid of the nostalgic things in my shop, it started to become all about numbers and money rather than guest experience, and I just couldn't be happy in an environment that was nothing like I needed it to be.
two years ago i thrifted a hello kitty build a bear and i love her so much. She didn't have any clothing, so i've been making clothes for her.
I was there for the pay your age. it was absolutely crazy and the lines were throughout the whole mall and outside. I can't believe they didn't expect that though as popular as they are.
my local build a bear has the og design, thank god
Same only thing that changed was the sound machine
Fact that you got your first one in 2009 I had long since giving up on my three got my first one and it was either 1999 or 2000 I was either six or seven I was willing to high school by the time you got your first one in 09 as a child I don’t really expect you to be that much younger than me but apparently you are waiting till you hit 30 then the nostalgia really kicks in
I had the icarly bear 🐻🥲
a while ago i went to my nearest build a bear (which still has its classic interior) and saw the uh ..,, smoking jacket from the after dark collection lmao. immediately had to buy it, n now my meowth (called gavin) is absolutely killing it haha.
I went to BAB for my 21st birthday with my partner and it was an amazing experience! the employees were super nice to us and it was amazing to relive my childhood. however…my partner and I went back this year for christmas at a different location and it was…not great. idk if it’s because we were visibly a gay couple and the 2 employees were older women, or maybe just because we were adults, but they were super passive aggressive to us the whole time. didn’t even ask if we wanted to do the full thing (give it a bath etc) just were like “pick your clothes and check out” like ok…
ETA: they also asked if we wanted to buy a backpack instead of offering the cardboard house, not sure if that’s a new thing? and yes we got the backpack because it was cute, had little arm holes for the animal, but i miss the classic cardboard house :(