This is a sponsored blog post and I was compensated by Build-A-
Bear Workshop. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
There are so many quirky and fun mini holidays each month, but this month is one of the more exciting (yet lesser known) holidays! September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day!
This is a holiday that is very exciting to my kids! They LOVE their stuffed animals, in fact both kids sleep with about 20 stuffed animals every single night. Having a special day to celebrate Teddy Bears just makes sense!!!
There are SO MANY fun ways to celebrate your beloved Teddy Bears, here are just a few!
Host a bear party – We always have so much fun throwing parties for our stuffed animals. My daughter takes her favorite bear with her everywhere she goes, it’s even made it’s way into our family photos for the last several years. It just makes sense to have a birthday party for her stuffed animal! We’ve thrown a few through the years and it always totally makes her day. Yes, I absolutely feel ridiculous singing happy birthday to a stuffed animal, but seeing how much it means to my little girl for us to acknowledge something she loves so much, makes it all worth it!
Make bear sandwiches – Bears LOVE honey, so whip up some special “bear friendly” sandwiches for lunchtime. At our house, peanut butter and honey is always a special treat!
Have a bear movie night – Find a movie about bears (there are so many cute ones to choose from!) and have a movie night in the living room. Be sure to give the kids lots of extra time to set up all their little furry friends on the couch to “watch” the movie too. They’ll love it!
Make a new bear – Head over to Build-A-Bear Workshop and make a brand new bear as the ultimate way to celebrate national teddy bear day! They on Friday September 8th and Saturday September 9th they are celebrating with a special, limited edition Teddy Bear. For just $5.50 you can get this new bear. Just look at that adorable little face!
Their Traditional Cocoa Bear is also available online for $10.50!
If you have a chance to go in store though, I highly recommend it! We went this week and the kids had SUCH an amazing time picking new animals and selecting new clothes and accessories for their bears!
The National Teddy Bear Day celebration doesn’t have to stop there though! You can purchase up to five of the limited edition bear which brings us to our next (and favorite) way to celebrate…
Make a new bear for some one else – Take the time to make a bear for a friend, or family member that could use an extra hug. Remember, this doesn’t have to just be kids. Adults love teddy bears too. You can really NEVER be too old for a Teddy Bear!
In fact, they did a study that said more than 40% of people of all ages sleep with stuffed animals still! I totally believe it! I don’t see my daughter letting go of hers anytime soon.
These make such fun gifts too because you can customize them so perfectly. They now have scents you can put inside your bear, with a huge variety to choose from. My daughter was very excited to see bubble gum flavor, so that’s what we went with!
Then, you can record a message to put in the bear’s paw as well. I definitely recommend this if you are gifting the bear. You can leave a message for grandma or grandpa in the bear and they will be sure to cherish it forever. In fact, this is something I did for my oldest son when his baby sister was born. I made him a brand new bear, and recorded my voice saying “I love you” and put it in the paw. My hospital stay having his sister was the first time we’d ever really been apart, so this little bear with my voice in it brought him a lot of comfort while we were apart. In fact, my mother in law said he spent most of the evening hugging it and squeezing the paw to hear my voice. So cute!!!
This time, the kids got to do the recording and the made a special message for their grandma.
Then, it was time for the bear’s heart.
Since there are two grand kiddos the sweet Build-A-Bear employee let us take two hearts so they could each kiss one and make a wish for grandma before putting them in her bear. They were thrilled!
We also made room for both of the kids to take a turn using the pedal that helps stuff the bear. They felt very grown up and important getting to do this super important job.
After the bear was all made it was time to choose clothes and give her a little bit of pampering before we paid and left the store. This was by far my daughter’s favorite part.
There are blow dryers and brushes for you to use to get your new bear looking PERFECT!
When you are done, your bear will be ready to go home and celebrate National Teddy Bear Day with all of it’s new teddy bear friends! We had a lot of “introducing” to do when we got home from the store, so no furry friend felt left out!
There were hugs and giggles all around. I know my kids won’t be forgetting this day any time soon!
There’s still time for you to run in to the store and make your own fun teddy bear memories with your own kiddos too!
In fact, to help you celebrate National Teddy Bear Day Build-A-Bear Workshop is offering one lucky reader a $100 gift card to Build-A-Bear! Simply comment below and tell us your favorite teddy bear memory for one entry. You can earn a second entry by commenting with your first Teddy Bear’s name! I will be using a random number generator to choose a winner after National Teddy Bear day. Build-A-Bear is responsible for prize delivery.
Good luck and happy National Teddy Bear Day!
mami2jcn says
I remember getting one of those Cabbage Patch pets as a kid after getting a good report card.
mami2jcn says
I simply called him Koosa.
Ellie Wright says
I have 2 memorable stuffed animals from when I was a kid. A well loved Snoopy and an actual bear. His name was Chester and he had an alpine outfit on. I had him for years until he finally got lost during a move across Texas.
Destiny says
My favorite teddy bear memory was building my little Icelily for my 13th birthday. She’s a strawberry scented polar bear and her hugs make everything a little easier!
Destiny says
My first “teddy bear” was actually a duck named Mr. Ducky! He was waiting for me in my crib when I got home from the hospital, and we’ve been inseparable since!
Laurajj says
I think my favorite teddy bear moment was when I was little and after my grandfather passed away, my brother had won two matching bears out of a crane game. He wanted to leave one with my grandpa when he was buried and kept the other. My family still has the matching bear…and grandpa has the other! Miss him so much!
Laurajj says
My first bear was a Winnie The Pooh bear….so I always called him Pooh! :)
Kelly D says
My favorite teddy bear memory is when my mom gave me my first Care Bear for Christmas.
Kelly D says
My bear’s name was Grumpy Bear!
Stephanie Phelps says
My favorite Teddy Bear memory is of Jake he was my all time favorite and I sleep with him every night for years. Still had Jake when I had my first son and now he sleeps with him as well!
loriag says
The teddy bear memory that is most vibrant for me is the last teddy bear I got from my parents for Christmas.
loriag says
My first Teddy bear’s name was Mr. Teddy.
Anna Pry says
A boy I had a crush on in middle school gave me a teddy bear for my birthday and I kept it for many years :)
Anna Pry says
my bear’s name was “Steakhead” because the nickname of the boy who gave it to me was Tbone, haha!
Nancy Loring says
When I was little I always carried a stuff cat on my shoulder. He went every where with me. His name was fudge. I have know idea why I named him that. We went on a trip to Disney and I brought fudge and he made most of the day with me but then I lost him. I made my family spend hours looking for him but I left Disney empty handed. Shortly after we got home from vacation fudge arrived in the mail. A family found him and saw his name and address on his collar and they were king enough to send him back to me. I still have fudge but he now sits on my mantle and not my shoulder.
Nancy Loring says
My first Teddy Bear was Paddington. My gram bought him and his book when I was born.
Kathryn Sneed says
My kids have 3 build-a-bear buddies. We usually go build one for their birthday. It’s so much fun and a great memory
Kathryn Sneed says
I have no clue what my first Teddy Bear’s Name was. My son calls his “Bat Bear” and “Hulk Bear”
Tosha says
My little girls love build a bear. Those bears can brighten the day! I need to take my girls we have never actually gone before.
Lesli says
My favorite bear memory was taking my two and a half year old to Build-a-Bear and helping her create a new bear for her baby sister on the way. I’ll never forget my tiny girl carrying the big box out of the store to take it home for her “sisser!”
Lesli says
We had the pink bear covered in white hearts and it was named “Lovey Bear.”
Sarah says
We bought Build A Bears for each of our children when a new sibling was born and have a sound bite in the paw with our voices… an idea from YOU Paula! They were so special our kids surprised Daddy with a bear with THEIR voices for Christmas. Precious ❤️
Liz De La Nuez says
The kids love that place, but I haven’t taken my little one to actually build one yet! She’s all about her stuffed animals. My favorite memory is when I have her a chocolate scented teddy bear for Valentine’s and she squealed with delight once she smelled it, because hello….. chocolate!
Liz De La Nuez says
Teddy-original I know.
Tabathia B says
The first bear I received was from my boyfriend now husband for Valentines days
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
Tabathia B says
My kids named the bear I think my daughter named her Rosie
Jillian Too says
I loved having a Teddy Bear that wore the same soccer uniform as I did when I was a child.