Build-A-Bear Introduces Workshop Wednesdays For Kids And Families Staying At Home

Build-A-Bear provides fun, activities, and at-home hugs in response to COVID-19

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Apr 22, 2020, 06:00 ET

ST. LOUIS, April 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) today announced that it has launched a new online program called WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS, offering kids and families entertainment and other activities to inspire play, creativity and connection while at home due to the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Build-A-Bear Provides Family-Focused Activities Each Week
Families can join Build-A-Bear each week for WORKSHOP WEDNESDAYS, an online resource that provides a variety of activities and ways to stay entertained throughout the week. Each Wednesday, Build-A-Bear will provide new, fun activities for the whole family, including recipes for easy-to-make snacks, DIY-craft ideas, coloring sheets, story time, games and more! Share your 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.

Families can also tune into Build-A-Bear Radio, available exclusively on iHeart Radio, or the Build-A-Bear YouTube channel. Fun for the whole family, Build-A-Bear Radio features today's top music hits and fun 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.

For those missing trips to their local workshop, the online Bear Builder brings the fun of the Workshop home! The Bear Builder has enhanced features that simulate the in-store experience, allowing Guests to pick their new furry friend, add scents & sounds, dress them, and even make a special wish on the heart, whether for themselves or as a gift for someone from whom they are currently apart.

Build-A-Bear President & CEO, Sharon Price John commented, "Families around the world are adjusting to extended time at home and are looking for ways to stay active, connected and entertained. 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."

Send a Hug to Someone You Love
From annual birthday celebrations to lifetime milestone moments like graduations, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many events to be delayed or celebrated in entirely new ways. The Build-A-Bear Giftshop offers the perfect way to celebrate these important moments by sending a furry friend to commemorate a special day and tell someone that they are cared for.

A great idea for any occasion, the gift of a teddy bear hug is a special way to stay connected to the people you love. Build-A-Bear furry friends are customizable for each unique gift recipient and become a special delivery perfect for everyone. Gifts can be made even more memorable by including a Record-A-Sound with a personal voice-recorded message or with customized embroidery on select items!

Build-A-Bear Foundation Gives Teddy Bear Hugs to Those Who Need Them Most
As families continue to adjust to life at home, parents may be struggling to explain the situation to their children. Studies consistently show that teddy bears can be helpful to children in handling emotions and limiting stress. A teddy bear is always there and can provide stability and understanding for a child who is struggling to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and helping that child to navigate uncertainty and anxiety. Even for adults, there is evidence that the hug of a favorite teddy bear brings comfort.

Build-A-Bear Foundation believes that teddy bears are important in these times, bringing people of all ages a sense of comfort. In support of its mission to add a little more heart to life by sharing hugs and making days a little bit brighter for those in need, the Foundation has committed to donating at least 50,000 teddy bears in 2020.

In addition to donations of furry friends, the Foundation has donated more than $250,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts. Guests 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.

About Build-A-Bear®
Build-A-Bear is a global brand kids love and parents trust that seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear Workshop has over 500 stores worldwide where Guests can create customizable furry friends, including corporately-managed stores in the United States, Canada, China, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom, third party retail locations and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and South America. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $338.5 million in fiscal 2019. For more information, visit the Investor Relations section of buildabear.com.

About Build-A-Bear Foundation
Build-A-Bear Foundation seeks to add a little more heart to life by sharing hugs and making days a little bit brighter for those in need, with a focus on children and families. A 501(c)3 organization, Build-A-Bear Foundation is guided by the belief in the power of hugs and the simple comfort of having a furry friend by your side. The Foundation supports its mission with financial donations as well as providing furry friends to organizations that support children's health & wellness, disaster relief, and children in need. Build-A-Bear Foundation is committed to sharing teddy bear hugs and spreading happiness around the world. For more information, please visit www.buildabearfoundation.org.

SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop