Press Release
Huggable Heroessm Grand Prize Winner Headed to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day ParadeTM
St. Louis, MO (November 22, 2004) - Build-A-Bear Workshop® is honoring kids who make a difference with the Huggable Heroessm program which launched this year. One of the top heroes selected is traveling to New York City Thanksgiving week as a special Build-A-Bear Workshop Guest of honor at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeTM . Brooke Robison, age 16 from Layton, UT, is one of these exceptional young people and was chosen from nearly 400 nominations from across the country.
Brooke earned one of two top Huggable Heroes honors for her "Toys for Teens" program which grew out of her ongoing volunteer work with the United States Marine Corps and their Toys for Tots program. When Brooke learned that the Marine Corps often ran out of gifts for teens she took it upon herself to change that and developed her teen gifting program. As a top honoree, Brooke and her family will travel to New York City where they will enjoy VIP seats at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeTM.
For the third year in a row, Build-A-Bear Workshop® will have a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeTM. The float features Bearemy®, the Build-A-Bear Workshop cuddly mascot, and Pawlette Coufur®, fashion advisor to the Furry Famous, and highlights the century long history of the teddy bear. The Build-A-Bear Workshop® float is 30 ft. long, 18 ft. wide and 20 ft. tall and is a fun way to celebrate America's beloved icon and everyone's favorite childhood friend, the lovable Teddy Bear.
About Huggable Heroessm
Build-A-Bear Workshop launched the Huggable Heroessm program to recognize and
honor young people between the ages of 8-18 who made a difference in the lives
of others in their community. The 2004 Huggable Heroes created distinctive programs
and personally spent hundreds of hours to support causes such as children's
health and wellness, literacy and education, domestic pet programs and endangered
animals and their habitats. Other heroes created programs for the elderly, collected
toys for teens in need and collected school supplies, books, toys and shoes
for children in Iraq. The Huggable Heroes will be featured in the 2005 Huggable
Heroes calendar and receive special recognition during the year.
About Build-A-Bear Workshop
Build-A-Bear Workshop is an interactive, entertainment, mall-based retailer
that invites Guests of all ages to create their own customized stuffed animals
through an exciting bear-making process. The first store opened in St. Louis,
Missouri, in 1997, and the company now operates over 170 locations in the USA
with five stores in Canada. Build-A-Bear Workshop opened its first international
store in Sheffield, England in the fall of 2003, added additional international
stores in Japan, Korea, Denmark and Australia in 2004 and plans to open a store
in Taiwan in 2005 making it the global leader in the teddy bear business. Based
on a survey compiled by Shopping Centers Today, a publication of the International
Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Build-A-Bear Workshop was one of six retailers
chosen and presented with the ICSC "2004 Hot Retailer Award". For
more information on the company and its products call (877) 789-BEAR (2327)
or visit the company's award-winning web site at www.buildabear.com.
About Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade™
With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 2 ½
million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year,
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a
world-famous holiday event. For 77 years, the Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked
the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade
proudly marches down a 2.5-mile route in New York City with over 10,000 participants
including Macy's employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns, and
dance groups in tow, spreading holiday cheer. Featuring fabulous floats and
America's best marching bands, the signature of the Parade continues to be the
giant helium character balloons.
CONTACT: Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.
Investors and Analysts:
Molly Salky, 314-423-8000 x5353
invest@buildabear.com
or
Media:
Jill Saunders, 314-423-8000 x5293
jills@buildabear.com