Build a Bear 5th Avenue New York City

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Build a Bear fan?  You haven’t seen anything if you have yet to visit Build a Bear’s 5th Avenue store.  I’m not exaggerating!  We had the opportunity to drop by for a visit to the Build a Bear on 5th Avenue while we were in New York City for a Mother-Daughter trip.  It might have been a rainy and lackluster day outside, but once we walked inside, our experience was anything but dreary.

The master Bear Builder who assisted us made our experience the absolute best Build a Bear visit we’ve ever had… and we’ve had a lot of them.  My daughter loves Build a Bear, so we’ve been to the store for a new bear at least once a year since she was just a couple years old.    We’ve even been to the store on 5th Avenue before, but both of those times it was in the middle of the day and busy.  My advice: if you’re planning a visit to Build a Bear on 5th Avenue while in New York City on vacation, try to plan your outing for as close to opening as you can.  Trust me, this store can get really packed… just like any other toy store in NYC.

Not only was our master Bear Builder an expert in all things Build a Bear (what accessories would be perfect to go along with Tropicolor Teddy, aka Peter Parker, aka Spiderman Bear), he was comical, entertaining, and engaging.    He truly made our experience so much fun.

One of the things I adore about the 5th Avenue location of Build a Bear is that it is huge.  HUGE.  See below:

Yeah, that was street-level.  I would say a bit bigger than your run of the mill Build a Bear.  BUT… go downstairs.  Yep, there is more than one level to the Build a Bear on 5th Avenue.  And the 5th Avenue location has these cute dinosaurs that are called Friendosaurs!  If I had a little boy I would totally take him there just to build him a dinosaur.  So cute!

We walked all around the downstairs area while trying to decide what sort of furry friend my daughter was going to get.  It was a toss up between the Technicolor bear, Spongebob and Patrick.  Yeah, I know.  Thankfully the bear won out, but you know what?  My daughter is pretty much obsessed with Spiderman (and Annie) lately, so we ended up with a Spiderman outfit and Spiderman slippers, as well as a couple of other accessories.  You know what though?  I think if they would have had an Annie outfit that Technicolor Peter Parker Bear would  have totally been Technicolor Annie on Broadway Bear.

The downstairs of Build a Bear’s 5th Avenue location is huge. There seem to be even more bears and outfit possibilities down stairs than there are upstairs, although some of the choices are available on both levels.

If you’ve been to Build a Bear, you’re familiar with the whole ritual of making a furry friend.  There is the choosing of a sound, heart, and now even heart beats and scents at select locations, rubbing the heart on the child’s heart, doing a little dance and the whole shebang.  The master Bear Builder made this a lot of fun for my daughter, who is always kind of hesitant doing all the cutesy, silly stuff at the old age of 10.  Yes, he even got up and taught her a couple moves of Gangnam Style.  Way to make Build a Bear stylish for a tween!  Loved it.

You know a shopping trip is a success when it is one of the highlights of a vacation, ranking only just below seeing Annie on Broadway and eating at at fancy-smancy restaurant with waiters fussing over you. I heard so many giggles and saw so many smiles during our stop to Build a Bear 5th Avenue that I’m sincerely hoping that she hasn’t outgrown the fun by the next time we get back to NYC.

I’d hate to miss out on more of this:

(Disclaimer: All opinions and content are my own.  Build a Bear provided a furry friend and accessories for my daughter to keep for this review. She was beyond excited and had so much fun while at the store and has hardly let Peter Parker out of her sight since she made him.)

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