Last year, Build-a-Bear Workshop hosted a Pay-Your-Age Day where kids could build a stuffed animal priced for their age (for example, a 5-year-old could make a bear for $5). While this was a great alternative to Build-a-Bear’s sometimes-pricey stuffed animals, parents and kids wound up waiting in lines that stretched out the door and around the corner. Many people were frustrated and angry when Build-a-Bear shut down some lines and sent kids home with nothing but a coupon because the shops couldn’t keep up with the demand. This year, Build-a-Bear is doing Pay-Your-Age in a different way.
Every kid has a chance to win a Pay-Your-Age ticket online. First, parents will need to become Bonus Club members for free and fill out their child’s birthday profiles. They can then enter the ticket offer. Build-a-Bear is expected to distribute about 200,000 Pay-Your-Age tickets for stuffed animals, so some kids who enter the contest will be disappointed. But Build-a-Bear thinks this alternative will be preferable to being disappointed while in line to make a bear.
Kids can enter the contest until 11:59pm Eastern time on July 16. Kids can only enter once, and they will find out if they win a Pay-Your-Age ticket by June 21 via email. Winners are assigned a time to make their stuffed animal at Build-a-Bear stores within two redemption periods between June 24-28. Families can make one toy per child present, with a limit of two toys per ticket.
Even if they don’t win, joining the Bonus Club qualifies kids to make a Pay-Your-Age stuffed animal on their birthday every year. 10 contest entrants will win the Count Your Candles grand prize birthday party experience, to use anytime in the next year, valued up to $250. Enter the Build-a-Bear contest by June 16!
