Jump, Jive and Snuggle

As you probably already know, I, the WeaselMomma have a special affection for teddy bears.  I still have my favorite bear that Santa ever brought for me as a child in all of her well worn and well loved glory. 

Over the years I have refused to grow up managed to build myself a collection of teddies (the hugging kind), but my favorite ones are the ones that I have made myself.  Now you are right, I am anything but crafty, actually, I'm very crafty, just not when it comes to crafts. so of course I am talking about bears that I have made at Build-A-Bear Workshop.

That's why when my friends at Build-A-Bear Workshop contacted me and asked if I would like to make a trip to my local shop and check out their Christmas collection of furry friends, including the new Speaker Starz Bear I jumped up and down with glee at the opportunity.  After all, making a trip to Build-A-Bear is part of my personal Christmas tradition anyway.

You see, I have been a fan of this special place for long before they were ever a fan of mine years.  Their furry friends have been a source of comfort for me when I just needed something to hug and snuggle and every year for Christmas I get a special outfit to dress my Claire Bear in for the holiday.  After all, the Weasels get new Christmas outfits every year.  It just makes me feel better to dress Claire Bear too.

Last Wednesday the Speaker Starz Bear was launched and after I dropped the Weasels off at school I headed out to go make one.  All. By. Myself.  I love going to Build A Bear for myself.  It's not just for kids.  Stop mocking me.  I happily made my bear, named he Bloggy Yes, I go through the entire ritual of kissing the heart and all. and went on to pick out a special Christmas outfit for Claire Bear who was tucked up in my bedroom at home.  It had to be just the right one.

Whatcha Think?

Once home I plugged my iPod into my new pal and cha-ching, I loved it!  The speaker is tucked into it's left foot and the sound quality was really quite good.... and it came preloaded with batteries!  There is something profusely awesome about Christmas in Hollis belting out of your teddy bear while it is sitting on the kitchen counter.  

Yeah, I got to Jump, Jive and Snuggle.

Check out their entire holiday collection online and take a few minutes to visit one of their workshops, with or without the kids, while you are out Christmas shopping anyway.  They make great gifts Mr. Weasel even wants a Bumble for kids of all ages.

Just to sweeten' the idea of what a great place this is to visit let me mention that

• You can play with your furry friend at Buildabearville.com for free.
• They partner with The Marine Toys For Tots program.
• They partner with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

And just to keep the FTC off my back and all, I'll let you know that Build-A-Bear Workshop provided me with the Speaker Starz Bear at no cost to myself.  I paid out of my own pocket for the Christmas outfit that I bought for my Claire Bear.  I have not been compensated for this post and as always, my words are always my own.

 

A Beary Amazing Place

Last week I attended a brand building conference in St. Louis by way of an invitation from Build A Bear Workshop.*

Now I know what you are thinking, 'WM, why would you attend a brand building building conference? You have a great brand that is,..............well we don't know what it is, but we love it!'. To that I say, with a house full of kids, pets and insanity, I am not foolish enough to turn down an invitation of 2 nights and 3 days to go away all by myself and not cut up any food for anyone else.

In reality, I was incredibly excited to have been invited. Not just because of the mini vacation aspect of the deal, but because Build A Bear Workshop has played a Beary special role in the life of Weaselville.

We first started taking the Weasels there when they were a fairly new store in the mall. It looked fun, but it also looked expensive. When I noticed that BABW had bears starting at $10 and realized that we could say yes, we took the kids in. It was fun and we all loved it. The entire experience of creating your own bear was wonderful and the cub condos that they came home in were adorable. We liked BABW and would be back from time to time over the years.

When our daughter Claire passed away, my arms ached a tangible and physical pain from wanting to hold her again, not to mention the ache in my heart. Within a few weeks, I went to BABW by myself for the first time ever. I picked out the softest, most cuddly bear and made her just for me. I dressed her in little PJ's and would cuddle her in bed at night. She brought me comfort and gave me something to hold tight during long sleepless nights.

ClaireBear

When Mr. Weasel and I were expecting our next child, we wanted a special way to tell the Weasels the happy news. Once again, I went to BABW. I made a bear, and dressed it in baby pajamas, wrapped it up in a baby blanket and recorded a message to tell the Weasels that we would once again have the joy of a baby in our house when they squeezed it's hand.


Build A Bear has indeed played a role in important life moments in Weaselville.

That being said, the conference was amazing. I learned so very much, not just about the company, but brand building information that will be beneficial to me. I met, networked and bonded with other bloggers and started real friendships. However, my real take home experience, that will stay with me always is the generosity of spirit of the BABW family. A relatively small team considering the global reach of the company. It was completely evident that these were some truly exceptional people that love what they do and really do care about each and every customer on a personal level. Everyone was completely approachable, warm and real. You just can't fake that level of caring .

After hearing the Founder and Chief Executive Bear, Maxine Clark speak, it was obvious why this was. Maxine is not what you picture in your mind when you think of the CEO of a large global corporation. Yes, she is a smart, savvy and successful business woman, obviously, but more than anything she is real and she truly cares about her community, customers and everyone within the BABW family. She has brought these values into every niche of the company from the stores and through the Headquarters BearQuarters. Her spirit was palpable through the entire building and everyone who works there. It truly is a family. Even the mood of how the BQ offices are decorated is that of warm friendly, fun and real.

The Bearquarters is decorated with the same feel and bright colors of the stores. It is a dog friendly workplace scattered with happy pups all around people's desks and bears (the stuffed variety) making it an amazing atmosphere full of people who really love what they do. Maxine's spirit, kindness, generosity and self, impressed me more than her jaw dropping resume ever could.

Along with all the information, tips and hospitality that were given, we also were taken to one of the local BABW stores and were treated to our own Build A Bear party, where we had a blast Choosing, Stuffing, Bathing, Dressing and Name our own bears to take home with us. Just to put whipped cream, a cherry, sprinkles and nuts on top, to my great surprise we were each given a thank you gift for coming. Maxine teared up at our being completely overwhelmed and excited when we were given $100 gift certificates to take our families to Build A Bear.

iWeasel

Once again, Maxine is touching our lives in Weaselville more than she knows. This Friday is the launch of a special limited edition line of ice cream bears for the summer of 2010 (That I fell head over heels for). This Friday is also the 8th Anniversary of the death of our daughter Claire. Thanks to this generous gift, Mr. Weasel and I are taking the Weasels to Build A Bear on Friday and taking what is usually a long and lousy day in Weaselville and folding in some sunshine and smiles.

I am proud, awed and honored to now be, in Maxine's own words, "a member of the Build A Bear Workshop family", because I know from my experience there that this is more than just words.

Don't believe me? Check out this video summation from MyMommyManual.com




*Photos to come. My phone is being all wonky.