When Harry turned 3 in March, we didn't want to spoil him with too many gifts, but we also wanted to get something a little bit special for him. He has 2 Hamley's bears that he has in bed with him every night, and he loves them to bits and they are what gave me the idea for his birthday present. We decided that after taking him to the local soft play, we would go to the Build-a-Bear workshop and let him build his very own bear, completely of his own choosing. We didn't tell him about it, so when we turned up outside the shop, he was shocked and amazed that he was going in, let alone buying his own bear!

I wasn't really aware the Build-a-Bear franchise until recently as I have no need to go into one of their stores! I knew of the idea of making something as when my fiance and I went to New York in 2005, we each went to a doll-making shop (Friends 2 B Made) and had our own dolls made as a rememberance of holiday. Anyway, I had often seen the shop in The Oracle shopping centre in Reading, and Festival Place in Basingstoke. I read a few reviews of it and did some research on their website and saw that it would be something that Harry would probably enjoy and have fun with. We decided to visit the Basingstoke store. It's a large open plan store, with the bears and machinery down one side, and the accessories and till points along the other.

For those not in the know, the idea is to pick an unstuffed bear (carcass, if you will) and then you help with stuffing it. You then add little extras for large amounts of money and then buy it clothes, again for a lot of money and thats about it. It's an easy process, but beware it can be time-consuming if your child is indecisive like Harry, so leave lots of time when you visit a shop. When we entered the store, a lady with a sing-song voice chatted to us and told us about the process. She was very nice and helpful, and Harry seemed to like her too. She left us so we could choose a bear, and Harry chose a Pudsey bear as yellow is his favourite colour. He grabbed the carcass and passed it to the lady who told him he had to help her stuff it.

She basically impaled the bear on this machine, and told Harry to make it go by using the large foot pedal on the floor. He was interested in this for a few minutes, but then lost interest, instead preferring to stare at the stuffing being twirled around in the machine. I had to press his foot down until it was done, but never mind. When it was stuffed, she then started to sell. She told us for £4, we could have a "beating heart" put into the bear so Harry could hear its heartbeat, or a voicebox, or some other expensive gizmo. We said no as its hard enough to get Harry to sleep at the best of times, and she really did seem put out we didn't want any of that which annoyed me. They do also put in an identifying number tag into the bear, so if it gets lost, people can report it online and instore, and that pairs up with the number on your certificate so you can be reunited with your bear. She then tied up Pudsey and told us to give him a "bath". It's basically a plastic work surface with some fake showers and buttons to make water noises, but Harry seemed to enjoy that more than the stuffing of Pudsey.

After that, we had to dress the bear. Harry wasn't too bothered about clothes, and quickly chose a white t-shirt with "I'm a Boy!" written on it. The clothes for their bears are 'One Size Fits All' so you can mix and match the stuff. There are all sorts of things available, from skirts to jeans, to pants, hats, trainers - you name it, they've probably got it. The t shirt was £4, on top of the £15 for the bear so we thought that was enough. Next, I proceeded to sit at a computer to input details about Harry and the bear, which Harry chose to name Patrick (as his birthday is St Patricks Day!). After this, we had to pay for him, and Patrick was boxed up in his little house which thrilled Harry. We were given Patrick's birth certificate, a loyalty card to collect things for the online site, a £5 off voucher and finally managed to escape.

Harry definitely enjoyed the most out of all of us, but to be honest it wasn't as fun as I imagined. Perhaps at 3 he was a little young to be fully excited about creating a bear, but at least he loves Patrick a lot! The bear is very soft, and stuffed to just the right level. The clothes are okay, an added extra and aren't compulsory at all, just as well considering the prices of some of them. The box the bear comes home in is a good gimmick, with windows and a little door too so your children can look after them on their journey home. The box didn't last long as you can imagine, but 2 months later, Patrick is still whole, soft and very loved. He's now got a pair of snazzy trainers courtesy of our £5 voucher, so he's pretty cool.

It's definitely a gimmick franchise, but it seems to be working for the Build a Bear people. I rarely visit Basingstoke without seeing a child carrying one of the boxes home, and a carrier bag as well so they must be making a mint out of this idea. The bears range from £8 for smaller ones, to over £25 for some of the larger ones. Harry's Pudsey was £15 and a good size, plenty big enough for a 3 year old to cuddle in bed. The bear is really nothing special, it is definitely the idea of stuffing and dressing it which makes it special. The clothes and accessories are expensive for what they are, tops starting at £4, shoes at £5 and other items getting more expensive too. There are bear carriers, passports, trainers, sandals, hats, pretty much everthing a bear could ever want.

The Basingstoke store is a nice one. It's always clean, there is always at least 1 salesperson on the floor ready to pounce the second you cross the thresh-hold of the shop. Everything is nicely laid out, and in child eye-line (clever, aren't they?) with stands all around the floor as well. There is always plenty of choice in terms of bears and accessories, so each visit might well end up in your purchasing something new for your child's bear. Harry is often happy just to go in and have a look at everything! The Reading store is smaller, but again well stocked and well situated in the shopping centre for prime child-spotting. There are stores all over the country and details can be found on the website of these. There is also an online element to your bear, as it can come to life on the website in the Build-a-Bearville section of the site, but as Harry is only 3, we haven't bothered with this.

The Build-a-Bear experience is a great one for young children, but a quite expensive one for us parents, especially if you let your child have free rein of what they want to dress their bear in. Harry did enjoy it but again seemed a bit young to appreciate it fully, but he does really love his Patrick and proudly shows him off to anyone who will listen! It is a nice idea, as children will get attached to a bear that they have helped to create. The process of making the bear is okay, if a little boring but again I can imagine older children might love the idea of stuffing their bear. The assistants were very helpful and interacted well with Harry at all times, and I was impressed with the service we received. The prices are quite high, but the quality is good and it is a good time for children in the store, and hopefully a memorable one too. I would recommend it if your little one likes soft, cuddly bears as it is fun and the bears are nice, and I hope that there's a store nearby you to enjoy!

http://www.buildabear.co.uk

Thank you for reading.