Press Release

St. Louis based Build-A-Bear Workshop to open Make Your Own Fredbird™ store at the new Busch Stadium™

ST. LOUIS (March 14, 2006) – Build-A-Bear Workshop® and the St. Louis Cardinals™ are playing ball and providing fans with an opportunity to support the team in a unique way. Fans from 3 to 103 will be able to make their own Fredbird™ mascot or other Cardinals™ furry friends.

The new interactive, entertainment retail store, Make Your Own Fredbird by Build-A-Bear Workshop is located on the main concourse behind section 153 at the new Busch Stadium™ and will be open during all Cardinals home games. Fans can purchase a Fredbird plush mascot, stuff it, give it a special heart, fluff it and then dress it in unique Cardinals clothing and accessories. The store will also feature a one-of-a-kind Cardinals Ballpark Bear, and a red Cardinals Baseball Bear, the first in a series of bears specific to the St. Louis Cardinals. The stuffed animals range in price from $18 -$22.

The stuffed animals can be dressed in outfits that range in price from $6-$15 and include officially licensed Cardinals uniforms, Tiny Tees® shirts, biker jackets, pajamas and the latest pink baseball fashions – jersey, shorts and warm-up jacket. Adding even more fun are plush versions of game day snacks as well as team pennants, catchers gear, batting helmets and other bear-size accessories, all available for $2-$10. Each new furry friend can be further personalized with the “Take Me Out To The Ballgame™” song and the “Charge” chant. All stuffed animals go home with their own specialized Fredbird birth certificate and Cub Condo® carrying case.

“Baseball is a significant part of the American landscape as are stuffed animals and that is why this partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals is such a great fit. The Cardinals are our hometown team and we have been working with them for many years. Having a store in the new stadium was the logical next step in our relationship,” said Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop®. “Our Make Your Own Fredbird store by Build-A-Bear Workshop includes the same experience and interaction of our mall-based stores and we are excited to provide Cardinals fans with a distinctive way of showing their team spirit. The St. Louis Cardinals promote a family friendly environment and we look forward to being a part of and enhancing that family fun.”

“We are very excited about our partnership with Build-A-Bear Workshop,” said Vicki Bryant, Vice President Event Services and Merchandising for the St. Louis Cardinals. “The new stadium gives the Cardinals a great opportunity to expand the different amenities we are able to offer our fans. Partnering with Build-A-Bear Workshop to offer Fredbird as well as bears tailored to Cardinals fans, combined with the make your own experience was something we couldn't pass up.”

About Fredbird™
Hatched: April 7, 1979
Height: 7 feet
Weight: Varies by game
Interests: Bird watching, playing baseball, dancing with team Fredbird, chasing pennants and
collecting championship rings

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. Founded in St. Louis in 1997, the company currently operates more than 200 stores in the United States and Canada. The addition of franchise stores in Europe, Asia and Australia make Build-A-Bear Workshop the leader in interactive retail. In November 2004, the company expanded the make-your-own concept from stuffed animals to dolls with the opening of its first friends 2B made® store, in which Guests can make their own dolls. Build-A-Bear Workshop® (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $362 million in fiscal 2005. 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.

Photographs of Make Your Own Fredbird™ merchandise are available from Build-A-Bear Workshop and tours of the new store can be arranged.

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 Workshop, 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.

Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc.

Contact:
Shawn Bertani
314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-452-6391 cell
shawnb@buildabear.com

Katy Lachky
314-423-8000 ext. 5402
314-283-3122 cell
katyl@buildabear.com