Kicks Off Giving Season with Campaign to Benefit Toys for Tots
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2009--
In a surprise move that is leaving the retail world breathless and
parents and kids jumping for joy, Santa announced he is merging his
operations with Build-A-Bear Workshop®. On Sunday, Nov.1,
Santa and his helpBEARS magically transformed Build-A-Bear Workshop
stores across the world into Santa’s Workshop just for the holidays.
From Los Angeles to New York, Montreal to Miami, new Santa’s Workshop
signs now cover the popular retailer’s brand name marquee for the entire
holiday season.
The new holiday look heralds a fun, new and interactive experience for
Guests, who will be able to mingle with magical elves and become
honorary elves themselves while making personalized gifts for friends
and family. It also signals the beginning of the season of giving and
giving back. With the help of its Guests, Build-A-Bear Workshop will
donate 100,000 stuffed animals and toys to Toys for Tots through a
two-month campaign:
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On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8, stores in the United States will
serve as Toys for Tots donation drop-off locations. Guests are
encouraged to bring in a new, unwrapped toy or make a furry friend to
donate to a child in need this holiday season.
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On Saturday, Nov. 21, Build-A-Bear Workshop will host screening
parties of its original holiday classic, Holly and Hal Moose™: An
Uplifting Christmas Adventure. The film will premiere Tuesday,
Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CDT on ABC Family, marking the first
time in the retailer’s 12-year history that its plush animals are
brought to life on television. Guests will get to see the movie for
free in a private screening when they donate a new, unwrapped gift to
Toys for Tots.
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Dec. 2-6, a virtual giving quest will be featured at
buildabearville.com®.Each time a
Build-A-Bearville® citizen finishes the online quest,
Build-A-Bear Workshop will donate a “real world” toy to Toys for Tots.
“We are pleased and proud that Santa chose Build-A-Bear Workshop to help
him bring even more joy to the holiday season,” said Maxine Clark,
founder and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Transforming Build-A-Bear Workshop for
the Holidays
When asked how the deal went down, Clark demurred, saying it would be
naughty and not so nice to reveal Santa’s secrets. But sources at the
North Pole provided this account:
As everyone knows, Santa not only delivers gifts; he solicits
suggestions. Increasingly, Santa’s elves were reporting a groundswell
through letters to Santa and social networking sites indicating that
kids want gifts that are only available at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Santa
pondered the situation and sent a team of elves to visit a Build-A-Bear
Workshop store. Impressed by their report, Santa called Maxine Clark to
see how they could work together. Maxine immediately said to send the
elves to Build-A-Bear Workshop to help with the Christmas toy
production, and they quickly made themselves at home. Now the stores are
filled with elves, and the store signs have all been transformed into
Santa’s Workshop for the holidays. The signs will come down after Santa
makes his annual flight.
Employing Elf Tech
The patented T-ink technology is being used to magically bring elves to
life at Santa’s Workshop. From Nov. 1 – Dec. 25, while quantities last,
each Guest will receive an Honorary Elf Access Card with conductive ink
that when touched to one of the cardboard elves in the store makes it
light up and talk. Guests can interact with the elves around the store
to unlock secret messages, reveal their elf names and get free virtual
gifts to use at buildabearville.com.
Build-A-Bear Workshop is the first retailer to feature this technology
in its visual merchandising. Guests will be able to experience even more
elaborate T-ink innovations throughout the stores next year.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the leading and only global company that
offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment
experience. Founded in 1997, the Company and its franchisees currently
operate more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including
company-owned stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the
United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe,
Asia, Australia and Africa. In 2007, the interactive experience was
enhanced - all the way to CyBEAR™ space - with the launch of
buildabearville.com, the company’s virtual world stuffed with fun. The
company was named to the 2009 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®
list. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $468
million in fiscal 2008. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327)
or visit the company’s award-winning Web site at www.buildabear.com.
About Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots, a 62 year national charitable program run by the U.S.
Marine Corps Reserve, provides happiness and hope to disadvantaged
children during each Christmas holiday season. The toys, books and other
gifts collected and distributed by the Marines offer these children
recognition, confidence and a positive memory for a lifetime. It is such
experiences that help children become responsible citizens and caring
members of their community. Last year the Marine Corps fulfilled the
holiday hopes and dreams of 7.6 million less fortunate children. Since
1947 over 188 million children have been assisted. For more information,
visit www.toysfortots.org.
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 Workshopand 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. Note: Parental permission may be
required to buildabearville.com.
Visit buildabearville.com
for details.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6087923&lang=en
Source: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
For Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Wendy Bain, 314-727-5700, x110
wendyb@blickandstaff.com
or
Kris
Brill, 314-780-1332
krbrill@swbell.net