 Just one of the bears to choose from 
Build a Bear Workshop - Fun for all!
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Recommendation added: 13/11/2006 13:19
By: dewberry (YSUK rating +704)dewberry has been thanked 11 times for this contribution
"Great Fun For Adults And Children Alike!
Last week I took my kids' on a shopping trip to Birmingham City Centre, as we were walking through the Bullring my daughter spotted the Build-A-Bear Workshop where the sign in the window said they could make their very own bear. Of course, we had to go in.
The basic premise of Build-A-Bear is you choose a bear 'skin' (for want of a better word!), help to stuff it yourself and pick any accessories or clothing to really personalise the newest addition to your toybox.
As I entered this large shop I was amazed by the sheer amount of bears to choose from; as none of them have yet been stuffed the floppy 'skins' are displayed in huge baskets with some ready made examples on display so you can see what your new friend is likely to look like after stuffing. There are bears of all colours and sizes, unicorns, cats, dogs, horses and just about every other animal you can think of all ready to be stuffed and taken home to love.
The thing which took longest was the kids' choosing which bear they wanted. My seven year old was in heaven; first picking up a lion, only to put that back when she spotted a cute kitten, then replacing that with a monkey before returning to the lion she originally chose. Once the decision had been made as to what bears they wanted, another decision needed to be made – did they want a talking bear. You can have a chip fitted with a message of your choice so that when pressed your bear will 'speak' either the pre-recorded message or your personally recorded greeting. We didn't use this as they basically wanted a bear they could take to bed without having to worry about lying on it and it starting to spout off a load of messages in the night.
The next step is stuffing. You can choose how firm you want your bear and the staff member responsible for stuffing the bear will gradually fill it with a rather brilliant 'stuffing machine' to first a soft finish, letting you squeeze your bear between bursts of stuffing so you get the cuddliness you require. My daughters' loved the fact that they could press the stuffing machine controls themselves to fill their bear exactly how they wanted it. Then it was on to the stitching. All the bears are pre-stitched meaning it took literally two minutes for the 'stuffing hole' to be stitched up, and obviously the children weren't allowed to do this bit themselves but the member of staff was lovely and kept them engaged in conversation while she completed the stitching.
When the bears were fully stuffed and stitched, it's off to the accessories rack to make your bear as fashionable as Paris Hilton. Honestly, every possible item of clothing is included in the range from dungarees and t-shirts to wedding dresses and nurses uniforms. There was a sale on the clothes at the time of our visit so for a small amount of money the kids' bears were kitted out in all the latest fashions, including a cute rubber raincoat complete with umbrella and Wellingtons!
The cost of our visit was £32 in total; which included two large bears, an outfit each and the raincoat ensembles. Included in the price is also an adoption certificate so you can fill in your bear's name (once you've decided on one!) and you'll always have a keepsake of your special day at the Build-A-Bear Workshop.
As well as bears to make from scratch, there is an extensive selection of ready made bears to choose from plus a variety of 'special' bears dressed as brides or babies to commemorate a special event in your life. These bears cost from £5 up to over £20, depending on the size and how elaborate they are.
Staff in Build-A-Bear are fantastic. Every member of staff I encountered was friendly, polite and perfectly suited to working in such a child orientated environment. They were without fail knowledgeable about the items sold in the shop, and also happy to explain the process of the building of your bear at every step. My seven year old adored the lady who stuffed her bear and kept running back to her to ask her opinion on the choice of clothes for the lion, as if mums advice wasn't good enough!
Build-A-Bear is fully accessible to wheelchair users and families with pushchairs. The floor of the shop is totally uncluttered and racks are low enough for even the smallest child to reach whatever they fancy for creating and dressing their bear. Located in the Bullring, this new shopping complex was designed to be completely wheelchair friendly so you'll have no problems at all getting to the shop itself.
To find the Bullring (and thus Build-A-Bear) is easy. Simply head into Birmingham City Centre along any of the main routes and follow the well placed signs to the Bulling. There is a huge car park, where you have to pay a fee to park, within the Bullring complex and Build-A-Bear is located on the first floor.
Build-A-Bear Workshop
Bullring
Unit SU330, Level 1
Birmingham
B5 4BA
Tel – 0121 6437948"
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