Press Release

U.S. Bank of Bearville to Open Sept. 24

ST. LOUIS (Sept. 22, 2010) –Build-A-Bear Workshop®, the interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals, announced today that it is partnering with U.S. Bank to increase children’s financial literacy. The companies are teaming up to introduce the virtual U.S. Bank of Build-A-Bearville™, in the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world, beginning Sept. 24. The bank will engage citizens of buildabearville.com® in the process of saving and budgeting through interactive games and online activities.

“We are excited to partner with U.S. Bank to provide opportunities for kids to learn about finances in a fun environment,” said Maxine Clark, founder and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. “Our goal is to teach our young Guests the importance of budgeting, saving, and spending money wisely starting at an early age.”

The vision for this program was inspired by Clark’s childhood experiences at her local bank. She regularly visited the bank in Coral Gables, FL and participated in programs there that encouraged good habits relating to savings and investing. By partnering with U.S. Bank, Build-A-Bear Workshop is offering kids similar teachings in a fun and interactive way at buildabearville.com.

“The advice offered by my bank when I was a child put me on the path to financial freedom, which ultimately lead to the opportunity for me to become an entrepreneur,” said Clark, “ With U.S. Bank of Build-A-Bearville, we are providing this education and encouraging healthy financial habits for the youth of today.”

The bank will be located in the virtual train station and will have similar features to some real life banks -ATM machines, a vault, a welcome desk, and teller counter. Additional ATMs will be located around town and when used, citizens will be teleported directly to the new bank area. Banners will appear in Build-A-Bearville beginning Sept. 22 to alert citizens of this new financial feature.

Useful financial and savings tips will be provided to citizens when they visit U.S. Bank of Build-A-Bearville. At the bank, citizens can deposit money to make profitable investments and play banking themed games that encourage the responsible management of money as they “work” as a banker.

“The earlier in life people establish good financial habits and learn the importance of budgeting and saving, the more likely they are to make saving a permanent part of their lifestyle, and that’s a big part of why we’re so proud of this partnership with Build-A-Bear Workshop,” said Rick Hartnack, vice chairman at U.S. Bancorp and head of consumer banking. “By visiting U.S. Bank of Build-A-Bearville, kids can benefit from a unique, interactive way to learn the basics of managing money, and they’ll learn important lessons that will give them a great foundation to build upon as they get older.”

About US Bank
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $283 billion in assets as of June 30, 2010, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,002 banking offices in 24 states and 5,309 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
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, Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico. 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, and Build-A-Dino® stores. Build-A-Bear Workshop extends its in-store interactive experience online with its award winning virtual world Web site at buildabearville.com®. The company was named to the 2009 and 2010 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® lists. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $394.4 million in fiscal 2009. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning Web site at buildabear.com®.

Parental permission may be required to access buildabearville.com. Visit buildabearville.com for details.

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.

Contact:
Jill Saunders
314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-422-4523 (cell)
jills@buildabear.com

Shannon Lammert
314-423-8000 ext. 5379
314-566-8841 (cell)
shannonl@buildabear.com