Press Release
Holly & Hal Moose™ and Chilly Cheeks Penguin™ Sure to Warm Hearts This Holiday
ST. LOUIS (updated Dec. 12, 2008) – There is something for everyone on your gift list at Build-A-Bear Workshop® this holiday season. From a pair of antlered siblings who have active imaginations and a love for adventure, to the Beary Limited® edition Collectifriend® Chilly Cheeks Penguin, who is sure to warm your heart, there are personalized presents galore.
An Uplifting New Holiday Story
Leading the holiday line-up are brother and sister duo Holly and Hal Moose. Both can be dressed in the latest furbulous seasonal fashions and Hal Moose™ has light-up antlers that will brighten any holiday setting. This year, families can also create new memories and traditions by sharing the pair’s adventures which are chronicled in their debut book, “Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure.”
Will this sibling duo be able to work together to save Christmas and their friendship in time for Santa to make his famous flight? Find out in the first Build-A-Bear Workshop furry friend-inspired story. The storybook is FREE when you buy both Holly and Hal Moose which are $12 each. The book is also sold separately for $15.99. Fans can also extend the fun and enjoy Holly and Hal’s adventures exclusively online at buildabearville.com™ – the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world stuffed with fun (parental permission may be required, see store or the website for details).
“I know families will fall in love with Hal Moose, the free-spirited dreamer determined to fly with Santa’s reindeer, and Holly Moose, the level-headed inventor, who is always there helping her brother on his latest adventure,” says Maxine Clark, Build A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. “I hope these adorable characters inspire kids of all ages to believe in their dreams for many holidays to come, just as our Guests inspire us every day.”
Add One – Holly and Hal Moose at Build-A-Bear Workshop®
One-Of-A-Kind Gifts
In addition to Holly and Hal Moose and the new Chilly Cheeks Penguin, there are more than 30 furry friends to make at Build-A-Bear Workshop® this holiday season. From bears, turtles, monkeys, bunnies, dogs and cats, there is the perfect animal for everyone on your gift list. Personalize it even more with hundreds of furbulous fashions that reflect hobbies and interests, as well as authentic sports team gear.
Also sure to appeal to any pop culture fan is Disney’s Hannah Montana and High School Musical couture and special furry friends. For the sports fans on your list, dress a furry friend in authentic team uniforms representing a variety of sports ranging from football and baseball to soccer and fishing.
Gifts can be pawsonalized even further by adding a Build-A-Sound® message — meaning that special memories will be created each time the animal is hugged and the message plays!
So many furry friends to choose from and you don’t know what to pick? A Bear Bucks® gift card makes the perfect gift. What can make these cards even more special is that recipients can bring along grandma or grandpa, uncle or aunt to make a new friend and everyone can share a special experience together.
The fun doesn’t end when Guests leave the store. All furry friends come with a special code that lets them bring their furry friend to life online for FREE in buildabearville.com™, the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world.
Citizens at buildabearville.com earn Bear Bills™, the community’s online currency, by playing games. Bear Bills can be spent on virtual clothing, accessories and even décor for their buildabearville.com Cub Condo® house.
For the gamer on your list, this holiday season several national retailers, including Build-A-Bear Workshop stores, will be selling Bear Bills game cards. Not only do players get 10,000 Bear Bills to spend at buildabearville.com, the cards are the only place players can get really cool virtual rides for their online characters. Priced at $10 each, Bear Bills game cards make a perfect stocking stuffer or gift-add on.
And what’s even more special about the Bear Bills game cards is that players can use a code provided on the card to direct a $10 donation to DonorChoose.org. Build-A-Bear Workshop is partnering with DonorsChoose.org to provide students in need with resources to learn and thrive. Players that go to DonorsChoose.org can select the project of their choice to receive the $10 donation -- one dollar of which is donated by Build-A-Bear Workshop, and the remainder is provided by other corporate donors.
Add Two – Holly and Hal Moose at Build-A-Bear Workshop®
About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., is the only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. The company currently operates more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop is the leader in interactive retail. Brands include make-your-own Major League Baseball® mascot in-stadium locations, Build-A-Dino® stores and friends 2B made® doll locations. In December 2007, Build-A-Bear Workshop® extended its in-store interactive experience online with the launch of its virtual world at www.buildabearville.com. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $474 million in fiscal 2007. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company’s award-winning Web sites at www.buildabear.com and www.friends2Bmade.com.
About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000 by a young teacher at a Bronx high school, DonorsChoose.org has been recognized as “America’s most innovative charity” by the Stanford Business School and Amazon.com. DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to fulfill needs and foster innovation in our public schools. At www.DonorsChoose.org, teachers submit project requests for the materials and experiences that their students need to learn, from “My Books Don’t Dance Like They Do On TV!” to “School Supplies=Successful Students!” Individuals can search projects by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project they find most compelling. Donors receive thank-you packages from the classroom they chose to support, including student notes and photos. To date, DonorsChoose.org has channeled more than $24.8 million in classroom resources to 1,477,434 students, from donors in 50 states.
TRADEMARKS We would like to thank you for your interest in covering our business. As you write your story, we would ask that you use our full name: Build-A-Bear Workshop® and that when referencing the process of making stuffed animals you use the word “make” not “build.”
Build-A-Bear Workshop is our well-known trade name and our registered trademark of Build-A-Bear Retail Management, Inc. Build-A-Bear Workshop® should only be used in capital letters to refer to our products and services and should not be used as a verb.
Wendy Bain
314.727.5700, x110
314.323.5835 (cell)
wendyb@blickandstaff.com
Margaret Welch
314.727.5700, x106
314.703.1215 (cell)
margaretw@blickandstaff.com