Birthdays Are Better At Build A Bear Workshop!

Birthdays Are Better At Build A Bear Workshop! My baby girl is turning the big 3 this year! I swear time has flown by and it seems like all of my kids are growing like weeds. We have already hit that bottomless pit of a stomach with my boys.

Birthdays Are Better At Build A Bear Workshop!

I’m a little scared to see what the later teenage years have in store for me and my boys. To celebrate my baby girls 3rd birthday we thought it would be so much fun to visit our local Build A Bear Workshop.

This year since her birthday was so close to Easter, we decided to keep with that theme and grab some Bunny’s for the kids to stuff. This was actually their very first visit to the Build A Bear Workshop.

Build A Bear Birthday Party

The moment we walked in we were greeted by such a warm and loving staff, we let them know we were here for Esuun’s 3rd Birthday Party which created a great moment of excitement for everyone.

Esuun received her Birthday Girl Sticker and had nothing but smiles on her face! We were shown where the bunnies we wanted to stuff were and had a look see to figure out which ones would come home with us.

Choose Your Bear

The boys of course picked the brown bunnies, while the girls picked a blue and white one. The next step in building our Bunnies was to travel towards the stuffing station. Right before the stuffing station however, there was a voice box station that blew this “old” woman’s head away.

NEW Voice Box Options

When I was a little girl we were only given the option to choose premade voice boxes, which were kept in a stand-up drawer. Each box had a little cubby and it was always a crazy guessing game as to which one was what.

We always had to press the box we picked up, to make sure it was the one we wanted. Now that it’s 2016 Build A Bear Workshop has totally upgrade their voicebox station for the better! Now that the system has become digital you can now pick more than just phrases and cute sounds.

You can pick other amazing stuff like songs from the radio, including “Let It Go” from Esuun’s favorite movie! There are also other cute things to pick from, like sounds from The Minions! So cool!

Voice Box

Since the system is now digital, it means that every sound you choose will be wirelessly uploaded to your specific voicebox. To get your own voice box, you just scan the tag from your stuffed animal and then choose whatever you want.

The same technology that helps you ping or send data wirelessly through devices is used in this system. When you are done, hit the Done button.

When you go to the stuffing station hand the voice box over to the employee and tell them where you would like it. In the hand, the foot or the tummy. The choice is yours!

Stuffing Station

Here is something that hasn’t changed about the workshop, the stuffing station is the same and is still awesome! Since Esuun was the birthday girl she handed her bear over first, her little bunny was stuffed and held open.

The party host directed the kids to put one heart in their pockets, and 1 heart in their hands. The kids were puzzled, they had no idea why they needed 2 hearts.

Heart Ceremony

The host told them that this was a heart ceremony and they needed two hearts because they were going to put one of their hearts into their sister’s bunny. He asked them to close their eyes and make a wish for her with the hearts in their hand and told them to make sure not to say it out loud.

Once everyone gave him the nod that they were done, he had them do a silly little routine while still holding the hearts. So they jumped a few times and spun around.

I was informed that every heart ceremony is different and not every group will get the same instructions. It’s what helps keep everything so personal and unique with each experience.

Make A Wish!

I was also instructed to do the same heart ceremony and make a wish for the baby girl. Of course, as a mom, my wish was a pretty long one filled with happiness and joy.

We each put their hearts for her into her bunny and then she was laced up and handed to Esuun. The kids finished up their stuffed animals and put their hearts for them inside as well. Once all the bunnies were laced up we headed to the bath station.

The kids washed their bunnies with soap (not real soap) and brushed them with their special brushes. There was even a little yellow duck for the bunnies to play with while they got bathed.

The screen is so big and so cool, if you touch the screen with your hand it will make ripple-like real water would. Now that the bunnies were clean we headed to the clothing part of the store, which is huge by the way! Had a look around and let the kids pick out their favorite outfits.

Build A Bear Clothes

They have almost everything nowhere! Star Wars fans rejoice in the huge selection they now have for you! For the new movie release coming up, there is a batman and Superman section.

Which include Batman’s Batmobile, yeah I was shocked they make cars now! It’s part stuffed so its soft and still rides like a dream. Love sports? They have a sport section as well featuring all the NFL teams.

My boys ran to this section and had a great time picking out their clothes. The girls headed towards the other section which I think was fabulous!

Ana Coronation Day Dress

Esuun decided on the Ana Coronation Day dress with some cute little black sparkly shoes. Her sister chose a rainbow outfit with a reversible tutu. The boys chose a Harley Davison Motorcycle outfit and a Pokemon outfit, with matching Light Sabers.

There was such a huge selection I’m still wondering how they were able to pick out their outfits so quickly, there were many different looks the bunnies could have. There was an Easter section that had some beautiful dresses and suits for the bunnies as well.

After the bunnies have been dressed they receive a quick brush, they head off to get their birth certificates. Here is where everything gets so much cooler for this old-school Build-A-Bear Workshop Mom.

Adopt The Bear

Before we used to have these bulky computers, with a regular keyboard. It had a mouse and also was very basic in its self. Now that it’s 2016, these kids get to play with a huge touch screen!

Whenever you hit a letter on the screen it makes a musical note sound! Which you can only hear if you are standing directly under the speaker, using a directional speaker.

Meaning I can’t hear what you are doing next to me on your touch screen, I can only hear what I am doing. AWESOME! Before you can name your bear however you must scan your barcode found on the stuffed animal’s ear.

Then you must explore your furry friend’s personality by using a x-ray to see what types of things you can find inside the animal. Awesome!

Name Your Bear

Once the kids choose their furry animal’s name and enter in some information about where their little friend will be living, it’s off to the printers. You can collect your furry friend’s birth certificate when you pay at the counter. I think my kids had an amazing time.

I haven’t stopped hearing about their trip or about how we need to go back ASAP. So being the crazy person I am, I planned a follow-up trip with the girl’s friends invited on the day of Esuun’s birthday.

My attempt at getting a full photo with all the kids smiling was as always a struggle. I decided to make a quick little gif of what fun they had. I am truly excited to share this story with you, in hopes you will be able to bring your family and have as much loving fun as we did.

Their party packages are affordable and fun, but you can always just drop in and make a bear any time of the week. While my kids and I were getting ready to leave, we spotted a family who came in with bears looking to buy new outfits for them.

One of the bears was a collector and no longer sold. It was so much fun to see how this family was as excited as we were to shop for new things for our bears.

When was the last time you have been to a Build-A-Bear workshop? Do you go there often? Tell us your story below!