We were invited to review the Build-a-Bear Workshop in the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Presley and Cash were given the soft toys they helped make and the clothes that they dressed them in, free of charge.
I'd always looked longingly at the Build-a-Bear Workshop in the Trafford Centre, but never gone in. I was under the impression that the teddies were expensive, but I'd missed the point. Building your own bear or owl or wolf or even lovebug is about the experience. You get to spend a hour making your very own soft toy. You choose a pelt(!), give them a heart and a voice and then stuff them and dress them. You register their 'birth', then you take them home and play with them. Then it's about the teddy. You dress them, undress them and take them to bed every night. You can also go online for educational games.
We found the whole experience quite magical. The staff were welcoming and helpful. Lisa, who looked after us, was brilliant with the boys. Especially when a random child, whose mother was nowhere to be seen, set off the drying machine and frightened them. Lisa had to take us out the back, where it was quiet, for hand-stuffing of the soft toys.
Presley and Cash eventually calmed down and were comforted by their new friends.
May I present Jamal, styled by Presley,
and Teddy, styled by Cash.
I think they're fabulous. Build-a-Bear was a wonderful experience.
.
