Press Release

ST. LOUIS, Mar 30, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Build-A-Bear Workshop^®, the interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals, announced today that it's celebrating the launch of its entertainment destination, Bearville.com(TM), by giving kids a chance to appear on an upcoming show on the site. In response to a popular request from Guests, the company is offering fans the opportunity to enter the "Be A Star" Sweepstakes from April 1-25 to win a chance to be a Guest Host on one of the shows on Bearville(TM). On March 1, the company launched the latest version of Bearville.com which featuresunique programming, celebrity interviews, a craft show, its own blog, an arcade of games to play, and continued access to its virtual world.

"Lots of young people dream of being famous, and I know it will be a dream come true for one lucky winner to get the V.I.P. treatment as a Guest Host on a Bearville.com show," said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. "Involving our Guests is one of the best ways I can think of to celebrate the launch of the new Bearville interactive site."

One grand prize winner will receive a four day, three night trip for the winner and one guest (a parent or legal guardian) to either New York City or Los Angeles, where the winner will record a segment as a co-host of one of the new Bearville shows. The trip includes airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations for three nights and transportation to and from the studio to record the segment. The approximate retail value of the trip is $5,000 USD.

Five first prize winners will each receive a Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Buck$^® gift card valued at $100 USD. All Guests who enter will receive a code to redeem a special virtual news desk for their Cub Condo^® house at Bearville.com. This code is provided on a tear off section of the entry forms.

Guests can enter the "Be A Star" Sweepstakes in Build-A-Bear Workshop store locations, online at www.bearville.com/beastar, or by mail. Visit Bearville.com for details.

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 United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, 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 website at Bearville.com. The company was named to the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list for the third year in a row in 2011. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $401.5 million in fiscal 2010. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning website at buildabear.com.

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

TRADEMARKS

We would like to thank you for your interest in covering our business. As you write your story, we wouldask that you use our full Name: Build-A-Bear Workshop^®and that when referencing the processof 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.

SOURCE: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Jill Saunders, 314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-422-4523 (cell)
jills@buildabear.com
or
Shannon Lammert, 314-423-8000 ext. 5379
314-556-8841 (cell)
shannonl@buildabear.com