The Build-A-Bear stuffing station is a kit that allows your children to make two of their very own Build-A-Bear cuddly friends from the comfort of their own home. It comes with all the fun bits that you would find at any Build-A-Bear store including stuffing your own bear, a magical heart to place inside your bear and even some accessories for your new cuddly friends including clothes.
Inside the box you will find -
- 1 Build-A-Bear Stuffing Station
- 2 Build-A-Bear Furry Friend bears in 2 different designs
- 2 Bags of Stuffing
- 2 T-Shirts
- 2 Build-A-Bear Birth Certificates
- 2 Build-A-Bear plastic hearts
- 11 cardboard accessories including heart inserts for the plastic hearts.
To get started you choose your bear "skin" and carefully place it onto the nozzle on the stuffing station machine. I found that twisted it on rather than pulling it on felt more secure, your child will probably need help with this bit as it can be a bit fiddly. You then place your bag of stuffing inside the machine (each bear comes with its own bag) and then twist the handle clockwise to begin stuffing your bear.
We did find that the bear popped off the nozzle a few times as the stuffing doesn't seem to spread throughout the bear so when the bear pops off you will need to use your fingers to push the stuffing to the edges of the bear including its head, legs and arms. You then just twist the bear back on and repeat until all the stuffing is gone.
You then choose a picture to place inside your plastic heart, make a wish and place inside your bear. A handy zip fastening makes closing up your bear super easy and means if your child wishes to change the picture inside their bear's heart it is really easy to do.
Both James and Evelyn had so much fun making their own Build-A-Bear and the stuffing stations comes with everything you need for two bears so there is no need to buy extra's. It is a great experience for children to be able to do and would make the perfect gift for any Build-A-Bear fan.
As a parent I have a reservations about the Build-A-Bear stuffing station. It is priced at £29.99 (although currently priced at £24.99 in Argos!) which definitely makes it cheaper than the bears available in store. However the bears are considerably smaller (measuring around 8 inches tall once stuffed) and for me don't have that Build-A-Bear "feel". The bears do have the classis BAB mark on their feet though and you can buy lots more bear designs so perhaps the others would feel a little more special.
The only other thing that bothered me about the stuffing station is that once you have made the two bears that come with the stuffing station it is kind of redundant unless you go out and spend more money on more bears to stuff and fill. I am sure all parents will agree that when you have children storage space is tight so having a toy taking up room that cannot be used again without an addition cost is a little frustrating.
That being said the Build-A-Bear workshop stuffing station is definitely a fantastic experience and both James and Evelyn loved it! They both have their bears on the pillows of their bed and love knowing they have a special heart inside and that they made the bears themselves!
If you are looking for a unique and fun gift idea for any child who loves teddies or Build-A-Bear I would really recommend considering the stuffing station as I think all children will enjoy the experience of making their own teddy bear!
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** We received the Build-A-Bear stuffing station free of charge for the purpose of this review. However all words, opinions and images are my own and I retain full editorial control of this post. **
Eliza really wants one of these. She is obsessed with build a bear
ReplyDeleteI get what you mean about build a bear being pricy, my friend spent almost £40 on one in there once x
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic for Build A Bear fans. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like so much fun! Although O is a little too young for it at the moment, I just know that Jack would love it!
ReplyDeleteI have a love/hate with Build a bear. It is just so pricy but so darn adorable at the same time!!!!
ReplyDeleteI must admit we do like build a bear and this toy sounds really lovely for children. I do get what your saying about it being redundant after they've been made though
ReplyDeleteIt’s a shame they don’t give you that build a bear feel that you get in stores. I’ve always wanted to make my own bear as it’s such an important companion when your child so to create your own bear is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like so much fun, my children love their build a bears, great that you can make one at home!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a super fun activity for the little ones and I love build a bear but agree having a toy left over you can’t use seems pointless unless they start selling kits a little cheaper so if you already have the station you save x
ReplyDeleteMy two have a couple of these and they are pricey, but very well made. As long as you avoid all the extra accessories, you'll be fine!
ReplyDeleteI've been seeing ads for these a lot really, and I've been debating whether to get one for my daughter when she's a bit older.
ReplyDeleteThis would keep my kids very busy. Looks like good fun.
ReplyDeleteWe love going to Build a Bear so to make one at home would be awesome! Its a great present to save up for x
ReplyDeleteMy girls love their build a bear teddies, sounds fun to do it once at home though!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter really loves build bear. She has so many bears, small and big bears. She just love all of them.
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