Love is the Stuff Inside at Build-A-Bear Workshop

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Build-A-Bear Workshop^®, the interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals, is continuing its support for The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) this Valentine’s Day. For the third year in a row, Guests can donate $1 to congenital heart defect research when they check out at any Build-A-Bear Workshop retail location in the United States, online at buildabear.com^® or by purchasing purple satin hearts in Canada throughout the month of February.

“We are pleased to provide our Guests the opportunity to support The Children’s Heart Foundation again this year while sharing their love with someone special.”

Last year, Build-A-Bear Workshop Guests raised over $187,000 for The Children’s Heart Foundation, bringing the two year total to over $420,000. This donation funds research into the most common and deadly birth defect in the United States.

Guests can also give the gift of a hug or kiss this Valentine’s Day with new lovable furry friends. Kisses For You Puppy ($18) and Kisses For You Kitty ($18) can hold hands and blow kisses. Make-your-own Red Hello Kitty^® ($23) is super cute in red and ready to be loved. Personalize any of these fabulous finds with clothing and accessories to make the perfect unique gift for your Valentine.

“Be it the gift of a donation to a special cause or the gift of a teddy bear, Valentine’s Day is all about giving from the heart,” said Maxine Clark, Build-A-Bear Workshop founder and chief executive bear. “We are pleased to provide our Guests the opportunity to support The Children’s Heart Foundation again this year while sharing their love with someone special.”

Guests can also give back at Bearville.com^™ - the company’s virtual world and entertainment destination. Through March 31, Guests can choose to donate a portion of the proceeds from the purchase of Bearville Outfitters^® Virtual Stuff Game Cards to The Children’s Heart Foundation when activating their cards.

Build-A-Bear Workshop believes in the teddy bear philosophy of being good people and good bears. Since its inception in 1997, the company has shared the hug of a teddy bear wherever needed in local communities and abroad. Build-A-Bear Workshop has given Guests a voice in supporting the causes that are important to them and through its corporate donations and foundation grant programs, has given more than $30 million to children’s health and wellness, animals, literacy and other important causes.

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. There are more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, Mexico and South America. 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 Web site at bearville.com^™. The company was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For^®” list for the fourth year in a row in 2012. 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 Web site at buildabear.com^®.

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

About The Children’s Heart Foundation

Established by Betsy Peterson in 1996, The Children’s Heart Foundation (CHF) is the country’s leading organization solely committed to fund congenital heart research. Since 1996, CHF has funded 48 research projects with more than $4.7 million. CHF is a national 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that does not receive any government funding. The goal of the foundation is to bring health, hope and happiness to children and families impacted by congenital heart defects, the most common birth defect in the United States. This objective is accomplished by funding the most promising research to advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital heart defects. For more information, please visit: www.childrensheartfoundation.org.

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 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.