melissel Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I'm pondering the logistics. Is the Build-a-Bear part the whole party? Should I go ahead and forgo the cake, favors, etc.? Our BaB has no party room, so there wouldn't be any other party element happening there, and I would assume the bear IS the favor, essentially. DH suggested ice cream at the food court beforehand, but I wasn't even sure if we needed to go that route. What do you think? Have you had an experience with this? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 We did this for an 80 yo :) and donated the bears to the police dept. or fire dept. as "first responders". We then went to lunch afterwards. I agree that the bear is the party favor, maybe you could have some food in the mall food court afterwards? That would be easy enough :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Academy of Jedi Arts Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 We did not do BB but dd had her party at Justice for Girls this year. We had no party room either, just a table in the store where the girls gathered, opened gifts, etc. Afterward we went to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream cake that we had ordered before the party. I think ice cream at the food court sounds like a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 My little sister has had 2 build a bear birthday parties. The first time, they did the bears and then all went out to lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The other time, they did the bears then all went home and had BBQ hot dogs, cake & ice cream. That's all a little pricey had I been the one footing the bill, though! I think the bear is definitely a great and adequate favor. If you want to fore go any food, maybe schedule it at an "off" time. I still like to have cake and/or ice cream at a party, though - just me. :) I agree, that maybe going for ice cream afterward would be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I considered a Build-a-Bear party for one of my dc, and asked at the store about the logistics. This is what they told me: You choose a dollar amount per guest. They can select an animal and/or clothes of their choice up to that amount. Then the kids make and dress their animals. You are right, the animal is the party favor. BAB has no party room and is not set up for food, so if you wanted to do ice cream or other treats you'd have to go to the mall food court. I didn't end up doing a BAB party, but if I were to do it I would take the kids for ice cream at the food court afterwards, and open the presents at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 31, 2008 Author Share Posted August 31, 2008 Well, crud! I really didn't think the food part through very carefully, did I? Here's the problem. In trying to arrange it so some important people could make it, I scheduled the last party of the day on a Sunday. The food court will be closed when we're done. Do you think it would create a huge problem to take them for ice cream beforehand--say, at 3:00? Or should I reschedule the party for 3:00 and pizza for 4:30, since it will be close to dinnertime by then? Thank you all for the advice! Honestly, I wanted to have a party at the house, but I'm just horrible at this stuff, and the anxiety was just killing me. I opted for the easy (read: more expensive!) way out *sigh* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinag Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 We did a BB party years ago at the mall. After BB we went into the food court at the mall and ordered pizza for everyone. I think I took cupcakes with us and sang Happy Birthday after pizza. I think if it were me I would move it to an early time to fit the pizza time in also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmeliaBinMO Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Hi, Melissa! We have done a BAB party, which was a lot of fun! Yes, the stuffed animal (and any clothing or accessories) are the "favors." Our BAB does not have a party room, but they do have discounts with some of the food court vendors for those that book parties, so you may want to see if your BAB has a similar deal. I considered getting a giant party-size cookie at one of the vendors, but didn't. We brought our own cake, juice boxes, water bottles, plates and utensils. Looking back, the big cookie idea would have been much easier! One suggestion that I would highly recommend is to send someone (dh or friend) out to the food court a little early (especially if it is a busy day at the mall) and scout out enough empty tables near one another. My dh scouted out some empty tables near a quiet edge of the food court, pushed several together for a kids' table, and then there were a few right next to them for the adults. The kids had a wonderful time eating cake and watching presents being opened. The whole party was very memorable! Whatever you choose to do for the party, I wish you all a wonderful time! :) AmeliaB in MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Academy of Jedi Arts Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Do you think it would create a huge problem to take them for ice cream beforehand--say, at 3:00? Or should I reschedule the party for 3:00 and pizza for 4:30, since it will be close to dinnertime by then? I don't know if I would say one is necessarily better than the other. I've been to plenty of parties that started with sweets first. I will say though, that if you fed my kid at 4:30 that would mean I didn't have to do dinner and could get away with a just healthy snack before bedtime. So I would be doing this: (lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 We did a BB party years ago at the mall. After BB we went into the food court at the mall and ordered pizza for everyone. I think I took cupcakes with us and sang Happy Birthday after pizza.I think if it were me I would move it to an early time to fit the pizza time in also. We did the same thing. It was a great party and we had girls ranging in age from 10-13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 My mom planned one of these for my 5yo last year. You and your guests congregate in the doorway. They hand out the gift certificate cards. You go through the line up. At various points they stop everyone and do some small group thing, like a song. Afterwards we went to California Pizza Kitchen in another part of the mall. We had arranged with the folks at California Pizza Kitchen to hold onto our cake (which we brought from home) and gifts while we were at Build-A-Bear, and they reserved a table for us and let our guests leave their stuff there while we built our bears. It was chaos. It was just a herd of kids shopping together, not fun at all. Other customers packed the place and we could hardly see or talk to each other. All of the kids were negotiating with their parents to go over the amount on the cards (which was $20 each) and the parents were embarrassed for us to see this, adding more pressure on them to just buy the extras the kids wanted. I will never consent to it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy in IL Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 We had an excellent experience there for my dd's 4th birthday. After making the bears we took them for a train ride and a carasol ride in the mall. Then we had teddy grahams, teddy bear shaped sandwiches, gummy bears, and cake. My sister made a bear shaped cake that could sing! She got one of the things you put in the stuffed bears to make them talk and sang a personalized song for my dd. She sealed it in a ziploc and placed it so it would be triggered and begin singing when the cake was sliced. Finally we all went with our bears to Picture People and had photos done as a group. I had a coupon for a free 10X13 and bought a wallet sized picture for each guest. It was a great party! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 The one here in Orlando has a table outside of the store in the mall, so we brought cupcakes from home with plates and stuff and sat outside and ate and opened presents. The bear is the favor. We went for my dd's best friend's party and then later for my ds7's 6yo party. They loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLHCO Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 I took my daughter to one (pictures on my blog, linked bellow) just yesterday. She loved it. The Build-a-Bear people do a great job and the bear is party favor enough. After the party we had cupcakes and a little eating area around the corner but my sister (the one throwing the party) did not provide lunch or anything else. It is a slightly short party since there's only so much to do, so offering some cup cakes at a food court after is reasonable, but I doubt even that is necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted September 1, 2008 Share Posted September 1, 2008 We had one of these for one of my dd's bday parties. We did the party, the children got their bears. Then, we went out to the food court and had cake that I brought from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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