Creating magic memories with Build-a-Bear at Hamleys
Kate Freud and her two children take a trip to Build-a-Bear at Hamleys
I might be a little late to the Build-a-Bear party, but having heard such brilliant things about it from friends, I felt duty bound to take Jago and Georgia along to see what all the fuss was about. Having safely navigated our way through the Hamley’s crowds on a Sunday, we found ourselves on the third floor of the store for what turns out to be a rather magical experience. Cheery, youthful staff guide you through the whole Build-a-Bear concept from start to finish and their enthusiasm is infectious. My two choose which bear they want – though in fact, neither of mine go for the bear option, preferring a bunny for Jago and Skye from Paw Patrol for Georgia – and the adventure begins.
We take our new friends to be stuffed (which is quite something to see!) not before they choose which sound to put in each – bunny noises and Skye’s catch phrases, and which scent (strawberry for both). Then they pick a little heart for their newly stuffed toys and make a very sweet wish for it, rubbing it on their hearts, ears and cheeks so it will be kind, good at listening and a little bit cheeky. The children make a big wish for their new toys before their hearts are put inside them and they are finally stitched up and ready to dress. Jago chooses a fairly extraordinary onesie / Converse boots / briefcase combo for his rabbit and Georgia goes full Paw Patrol crazy for hers. The whole process finishes when each child is presented a birth certificate for their new ‘babies’ and a backpack in which to carry them around. All in all, I have to say this was an experience the whole family enjoyed but the children might just say it was up there with their BEST DAYS EVER. For a birthday or treat, I would highly recommend.
