Build-A-Bear Workshop, known for its in-store retail experience, has launched a new online program called WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS, offering entertainment and other activities to inspire play, creativity and connection while at home due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each Wednesday, Build-A-Bear will provide new activities, including recipes for easy-to-make snacks, DIY-craft ideas, coloring sheets, story time, games and more. Consumers can then share thier creations with #WorkshopWednesdays or upload directly to www.buildabear.com/celebearate for the chance to be featured on buildabear.com or the Build-A-Bear social channels.
Additionally, the online Bear Builder has enhanced features that simulate the in-store experience, allowing shoppers to pick their new stuffed animal, add scents & sounds, dress them, and make a special wish on the heart. Build-A-Bear has clsoed all its stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland due to the coronavirus.
Families can also tune into Build-A-Bear Radio, available exclusively on iHeart Radio, or the Build-A-Bear YouTube channel. Build-A-Bear Radio features today’s top music hits and segments such as Story Time and ABearica’s Countdown, a weekend round-up featuring the most popular hits from the past week. Kids can also join Lindsay & Erynn for surprises, challenges, fashion and more in The Workshop or follow their furry friends’ adventures in Bearville Alive! on YouTube.
“Families around the world are adjusting to extended time at home and are looking for ways to stay active, connected and entertained,” said Build-A-Bear president & CEO, Sharon Price John. “Build-A-Bear has been a source and outlet for creativity, imagination and fun since we opened our first store more than 20 years ago. With WORKSHOP WENDESDAYS, we hope to continue to deliver what families have come to expect from Build-A-Bear, starting with our innovative online resources and continuing with unique in-store activities when we are able to reopen our physical stores. We firmly believe in the importance of the comfort and security that furry friends can provide during stressful times, especially for children, and we are committed to our mission to ‘add a little more heart to life’ during these unprecedented times.”
To this end, Build-A-Bear Foundation has committed to donating at least 50,000 teddy bears in 2020. In addition to the donations, the Foundation has donated more than $250,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts and shoppers can further support these initiatives and the COVID-19 response by donating to Build-A-Bear Foundation online or purchasing a Hearts ‘n’ Hugs Teddy. For every Hearts ‘n’ Hugs Teddy purchased, Build-A-Bear Workshop will donate a teddy bear to Build-A-Bear Foundation for a child impacted by COVID-19.