When you're a member of the Build A Bear Bonus Club, they have the Count Your Candles offer. This offer gets your child a bear where you pay their age up to $14. It had been years since I stepped in a Build A Bear (actually the Pay Your Age promotion disaster reminded me of its existence) so I figured it was time to give it another shot. We walked in and were greeted almost immediately by one of the staff. I told them why I was there and got us a birthday sticker, birthday hat and an unstuffed "Birthday Treat Bear". BTW, an early shout out to the whole staff here. Everyone here was so friendly and always smiling. I was under the impression they really enjoyed working there. If they don't, I was totally fooled. Anyway, once you get your bear you can pick out some scents, record a voice message or add the vibrating heart. The kiddo opted for the latter and she got to stuffing. Once that was done, they sewed it up and you could choose outfits and get the birth certificate printed out. While the clothes aren't really cheap, I was OK with the prices when you compare it to American Girl (!!!). PSA: If your bear starts feeling a bit flat, you can take it there to get restuffed at no extra charge. My daughter had so much fun looking at everything and getting her bear right, I was real glad I made the choice to stop by Build A Bear. The staff was incredible and made the kiddo feel like a rock star. I'm probably going to get stuck buying clothes for said bear for a while but that's OK. Highly recommended! read more

Staff was helpful, understanding, and friendly. They followed covid restrictions guidelines and did their job well. read more

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I've brought my kids here for their birthdays before and they've always been great, this past week I took my son for his birthday to get his birthday bear. As a veteran that served in the military I always get my military discount here. Well this time the manager Veronica was very rude and did not want to give me the discount. She even took her time to try and ask the other manager that I should not get one. Long story short the other manager told her yes he does get one and she made a face, didn't apologize and was very rude. I hope something is done about this manager because if she's in leadership position and something simple like this will get her mad and make the customer feel bad then I wonder how other customers are treated. Definitely will never come back to this location again. As a veteran I felt humiliated and not appreciated. read more

The staff was very nice and made it a magical experience for our kids! Our son already wants to go back!

I love this location so much! all of the girls were so sweet and we had great conversations. so helpful and appreciative. read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - Ontario, California

While the "pay your age" promotion was a disaster for lines and wait times, I don't fault the company for trying to come up with a unique marketing technique, and the thing is, even for all the people who were upset, I'm sure the company made out, and it got people thinking about them again, which as they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity! The only other thing I want to say about the day of infamy is that if it was worth it to you to wait all day to get a bear for the lowest price ever, then that's the decision you have to make. Anytime a retailer does some promotion like this it results in more demand which means longer wait, so there is always a time cost to get the lower price, I don't care whose promotion you are going for. We didn't wait very long in line before bailing, and got our $15 off coupon through the website. We came back the next day and lines were still crazy and their servers were slow due to the nationwide demand so as I said, no bad advertising! This is usually a once a year treat for our kids on their respective birthdays and there are deals to be had. Sign up for their emails and you will regularly see 2 for 1, special discount days, or specific discounted bears. They also have pay your age for the one specific birthday bear that can be redeemed anytime in your child's birthday month. We also bought $100 pack of gift cards at Costco for $80 that never expire, so it's like an immediate 20% discount. The staff here, even on the pay your age day, were nice and as helpful as they could be given the stressful situation. I think where the price gets most out of control is the accessories so set expectations with your kids ahead of time, like they can pick one extra thing, etc. Even when we're at the Mills for something else, the kids like to go look at the fluff machine spin around! read more

Growing up I never went to Build-A-Bear and couldn't see the hype of it. Well after having my daughter, my husband and I wanted her to pick her own bear! Now I see why people love it. They had a good deal of, buy one get one for $10, so she picked two. The staff was very friendly and kind. We also discovered their warranties which will come in handy if our pup rips destroys one. So happy to see my little girl happy read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - Ontario, California

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I was helped by Refugio & I'm so appreciative! My son made his first Build-a-Bear & didn't want it tot all initially so we opted to not have any sound added when we first built his bear. Come to find soon as we made it home he wanted his bear to talk! Refugio was super sweet & explained I would actually be able to have sound added & helped me to bring my son's bear to life, now we're excited to surprise him when we make it home that his plush now has sound. Thank you so much Refugio, you really made our day! read more

I don't know how this location has any negative reviews. I came here two days in a row. The first day was kind of a disaster but some of that was due to corporate BAB problems with some gift cards I had purchased , one not helpful employee, and some other small things. I called corporate and complained (mainly about their mistake) and basically they fixed their part but didn't really care about all my complaints from that day. Literally told me they would fill out a form and that's all they can do. What happens to that form? Who knows? I called the store back and spoke to Ashley (manager) who went above and beyond to not only listen, come up with solutions, and made the second experience make up for the first one. Originally I was going to say I paid for Disneyland and got knotts berry farm, but at the end I feel like I paid for Nordstrom and got Nordstrom. read more

I was behind Erin Reed V. and that is not what happened. I genuinely feel for the staff and the way they handled the situation. It was better than I could have because she was rude and disrespectful. I witnessed her bad mouth the staff to their faces. She was offered a mask, took one and then threw it on the floor aggressively because it was broken. The reason it was broken because she snatched from the employee. Then complained about the clear cut story policy on face MASKS not SHIELDS. The manager stayed respectful and dealt with the situation accordingly. I was in shock the way Erin acted. Now for Erin, I was behind you today in line and witnessed your disgusting behavior. I am saddened to see you wrote this review. Although everyone is entitled to a bad day I believe the way you acted was wrong. It look almost as you were acting your shoe size not your age. I hope that next time you'll take others safety into consideration before acting out like a child. I'm happy to send you some face masks that are breathable to make any future experiences better than the one you had today. You also owe an apology to the staff for being so disrespectful and outlandish because if it were I you were talking to like that I would've had security drag you out by the ear. My final words don't be a Karen because you were one with all CAPS. Best regards -- The Adult standing behind you :) read more

We had a very sad and eye opening experience at Build a Bear in Ontario Mills. My 6 year old son, who is epileptic, cannot wear a mask. This has not been a problem throughout this pandemic until we went to Build a Bear at Ontario Mills Mall on October 15th, 2020. After waiting in line for half hour it was finally our turn to go in. The Build a Bear employee asked if my son had a mask. I explained he has epilepsy and cannot wear a mask. She said he could not come in without one. I said we have been waiting over 30 minutes, if the masks work why can't he come in? Everyone else is wearing one. She walked away and a 2nd employee came and asked again if my son had a mask. Again I explained why he didn't. She asked if I would like her to ask her supervisor. I said sure. Her and the first employee walked to the back. After about 10 minutes a third employee comes out. Without explaining anything, she says "ok what do want to buy?" I said we would like to look at the Star Wars bears. She said okay which one do you want and I'll get it for you. I asked, are you not going to allow us in, he wants to build his bear. She said no, because he needs to wear a mask (Referring to my son). In disbelief we finally walked away. I did return to ask why they would shame a young child who has no fault or control over his condition. My son was crying. He asked "why do I have to have epilepsy". The real question is why is Build a Bear, discriminating and shaming people with disabilities? What has society come to? Shaming children for not wearing a mask. That is the scary reality we are living in. People with healthy immune systems being denied access over a virus with a 99% recovery rate. I can't help but see the similarities of early Nazi Germany and the shift to communism. The saddest part is people like these Build a Bear employees enforcing tyrancial rules not backed by science but by fear mongering. People like this are who will enable this shift to socialism. read more

I love Build-A-Bear, but this really isn't our favorite location. There are no significant discounts at this store, and the customer service is mediocre at best. I try to avoid this store like the plague. Besides the headache I receive (my free gift) from the screaming of unruly children, the items are fairly expensive here. Since this store is surrounded by "outlet" stores, I find the lack of price discounts a bit of a disappointment. The customer service is fairly poor at this store as well. When I came here with my mom and son, the salesperson was rude to my mom when she asked him a single question. You can be rude to me, but if you're rude to my mama, we're gonna tangle. There are so many wonderful Build-A-Bear locations, and when we're in the need of something special, we'll be heading to one of those. read more

Disappointed. My family was ecstatic to come here, we drove through tons of traffic just to get here, only to find that it's closed! At least update your hours on Yelp! Waste of time. read more

Took my boy here today just because he's awesome. He's really into puppies/dogs because we got a beautiful white lab puppy for Christmas. So he chooses a dog, stuffs it, bathes it and names it Spencer our golden retrievers name that passed thanksgiving. Awe choked me up a bit... but he had a blast. Good time with my little man. read more

Great experience for the first timer or collector. My nephew at 5 1/2 mo old will not remember his first BAB but I will. From beginning to end we were guided by staff on every detail, from the character, digital voice messages, scents, heartbeats, clothing and accessories. There's a BAB for everyone ( bears, rabbits, monkeys, unicorns etc)! We left with a new addition to the family with a birth certificate in hand. Already planning a return trip for another BAB when he's 2yrs old. read more

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We went in the other day to get the bjrthday bear and two other bears for my daughter since they had such a great deal. Buy one get one for $10 Cheyenne was super friendly , she made the experience so enjoyable for my 3 year old and she showed us we can put those smelly things inside to make the bear smell good. I think the guy who helped us was a manager of some sort but he was also really nice and helped picked out a cute sound for Olaf . I would for sure go back here. Great friendly employees! read more

CON-ARTISTS, LIARS, OVERPRICED BEARS. This company is dead to me and as someone who just had their first child they've lost my trust, and my money ;) This was due to the "pay your age" day which was just a flat out lie and didn't happen. My friend called and asked all kinds of questions about how our children would get their bears and the employees just lied to get us to come. Hope you guys go the toys r us route. read more

Went in to use my coupon. Only cus kids had their hopes up since that stupid event. Save a whooping $15 bucks on two $70 bears. Thanks for nothing. read more

We would like to thank the staff at the Build a Bear in the Ontario Mills store. We recently went in to purchase 9 bears. I wanted a recording of my father who recently passed away. I was having trouble recording it. A young lady named Ashley went above and beyond to make our experience happen. If it wasn't for Ashley I wouldn't of been able to get these bears done. I can't say THANK YOU enough to Ashley and her team. Thank you again and Stay Safe. Regards, Theresa Morales read more

We went to build a bear for the first time in my life today for count my candles. It's a program where you pay your age for your child's birthday. The birthday bear is what we got. You can bring your child in anytime during their birthday month, just sign up for the rewards program before or during checkout. You just pay a $1 if your child is one. $2 if your child is two and so on. The bear is worth $14. They ask you if you want your bear soft or firm. They have a special RFID tag that they stuff inside the bear with your info in it, just in case if your bear every gets lost. You also get to choose your bear's heart and stuff it in there. There's a special 25th anniversary silver heart right now. The other two hearts are either solid red or plaid white and red. At the time of the checkout, they ring a bell to let everyone in the store know that it's your birthday--pretty fun and corny. It's definitely a fun event to do with your tiny humans! You also get a special name tag saying that it's your birthday too. The line wasn't so bad. I didn't get any accessories because I honestly think this is like a cult. The clothes are at least $7 each for a top and it's not even human clothes--sadly. The bear is worth it to get up until they're 6 years old. read more

My mom passed away a year ago and I had a voicemail of her voice saved that I wanted to record and place inside a stuffed animal for myself as well as my dad and brother, the girls who helped me were so amazing and patient to make sure everything Came out perfect. Britt and Taylor did an amazing job being sensitive to the circumstance and made the process a super sweet memory read more

Build a Bear is definitely down on its magic and using COVID as an excuse. Even if social distancing is required you can be nice to the kids and talk to them. We came expecting the same thing we had when we brought our older kids but were pretty much treated like we had the plague. The experience was blah. The kids didn't get to do anything and were barely acknowledged. I did see another employee being friendly to other people so that made me feel better. Wish I knew the name of the girl that was "helping" us. read more

Going to place was nice. Lot to pick for. The price was good around $15-25 just for the bear. After that it goes up and up. The people where nice and helpful. My kids had a good time there. Location: it's inside the mall next to rain forest café and Norstrom rack. Not WHAT YELP TELL YOU TO GO! read more

When a company doesn't care about their customers they go out of business and the people closing on 5/1 don't understand that. They closed early and stopped my daughter from getting her birthday wish. And then to lie and tell us that the hours haven't been updated on the website when we questioned them to show the new hours that they "close at 6:30". The "closers" tonight should be ashamed of themselves for ruining a kids birthday. You don't deserve to stay in business. read more

This is my absolute favorite workshop! I have adopted several ponies here, always a fun and unique experience. Always well staffed and friendly to talk to. Sometimes, on the weekends, there is a bit of a queue, but it goes by quickly. They are very good at not rushing you when it's your turn and making your time special. I really like coming in here just to look around or to take home a new friend. I love the little lcd screens and advertisements, very unique. Also, the parking outside is easy and the store is easy to find. (Enter @ Rainforest Cafe, head to your left, look for it on your right) read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - Toy Stores Near Me - Ontario, California

I took my two kids to get the birthday bear and when they were stuffing the bears one of your employees gave my daughter a decked out unicorn full of accessories so all of a sudden she wasn't happy with her bear. She threw a tantrum because she wanted the unicorn. Your employees actions were deliberate and as a parent I don't appreciate being put in that position. You guys don't know our economic situation and I would love to afford all those accessories but I can't and I made my child unhappy. read more

i unfortunately do not remember the name of the two managers that were working but they had awful attitudes. one sounded monotoned like she hated talking to customers and the other was passive aggressive and talked down to customers as if they were children. the employees were lovely it's just the two managers that were awful. i believe their names start with A and V. read more

The girls were super sweet and kind. Made my two-year-old's first experience very memorable! We went for pay your age on the month of my sons birthday and they made him feel super special! read more

This was the store when i got my very first bear at age 7. I usually go to the one at Downtown Disney but they unfortunately closed that location so this is a great store next on the list! I've only had good experiences here, & honestly i just want to bless the employees for keeping positive attitude while dealing with self entitled parents & their children. Also the location of this at the outlet is right next to Disney Store & LEGO store so it's absolute fun for me to window shop through all three stores. read more

Love this place staff was so very nice polite friendly and helpful.. love the heart thing they do it's adorable.. 1st time we had been to a build a bear I was wowed.l so many clothes for the bears.. best experience ever I will be going back again.. keep up great work and making all them happy faces I seen ty again read more

Build-A-Bear Workshop - her and grandpa mike they love their bears.. she cant get enough of hers and song it sings.. grandpa loves and the I love you she recorded - Toy Stores Near Me - Ontario, California

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Walked through the Ontario Mills today and we wanted to do something with our ten month old baby boy and we just so happened to stop by BAB. We were welcomed by all of the employees but one really stood out to us and her name was Cheyanne. Our baby was laughing and smiling the whole time as she made sure to get his attention. She was enthusiastic and made sure we were happy and my son was happy throughout the whole experience . Throughout the experience she made it enjoyable by having our son picking out the hearts and stepping on the stuffing pedal . She was very patient and helped him put the heart in his BAB's. She also mentioned that each bear has a life time warranty which really made us happy. We got our son a Toothless and Pikachu this time but we definitely go back to this store for the great service we had. read more

my daughter's been here a couple of times and she loves it. She loves making her own bear. She treats it like her toys. She leaves its somewhere and when she wants it; she cant find it. This place is rarely busy. I just wish it wasnt in the mall:-) not an indoor mall person;-( read more

I get it's covid restrictions. However, we waited outside the store for over an hour. Only to watch the 6 employees congregate together as they " served" only 9 people in the store. After getting to the front of the line my shield wasn't good enough for the acting manager on staff named Letty. She proceeded to make me put a disposable mask on. I complied but asked for corporates number, she didn't like that. Once she let us in and handed and instructed me to keep it above my nose she continued to hound me as I walk through the store. I had a bit of my nose hanging out so I could breath and she threatened to kick me out of the store. I asked her if she was familiar with the American disability act and she said she didn't care, her policy was what she was sticking with. She walked around making our time there horrible! Treating to kick us out, she was hostile and made this a horrible experience. Everyone, just wait until life gets back to normal, don't bother with this place until it can become a friendly environment again. The employees will not get with in one inch of you or your child. It's lost it's magic . read more

Such a great experience, all the girls were amazing. Though I kind of felt bad for the stuffer girls though, they were stuffing bears so fast while giving customers a great experience and the line just kept growing. Customers were restless but they still had a can do attitude! Couldn't get their names but I went on this Monday. read more

I am still in awe at the way employees handled everything today. Today's event was ill prepared (as anyone with common sense would know) but the employees did their best to accommodate everyone and give his event some organization. I have not one complaint on any employee today. They managed to make me feel welcome. They delt with overwhelming lines and impatient and rude people. Kudos to them. read more

First time shopping here and I was a little overwhelmed by the process of it all. But all employees were nice and friendly. I asked Tandra for assitance and she was sooo helpful. read more

Ryan made our experience sooo amazing!! We came in looking for a bear for a newborn and she was wonderful! She recommended a hypoallergenic bear, and even shared her own experience with us. We had so much fun with the little heart that they put in the bear-- even if we looked a little out of place. We walked out with exactly what we wanted, thanks to Ryan!! read more

For Todays Pay Your Age Day! Was the most horrible experience, and not just for me and for my kids. How the employees handle the situation what's horrible with lies that we were able to come in while the store was open, waited in that long line and the store manager close the store 20mi early. After 11 years earning my business, well today will be the end of our relationship with them. After seeing my kids cry when the gates closed. read more

My daughter had such a great experience today at Build-A-Bear! Rodrigo and the rest of the staff made her experience 100 times more special. Thank you! read more

on 12/13/17 I came here with a couple of my friends to surprise our friend that has cancer. We had her chose 2 bears for both of her kids and record her voice. I have to say, the employee that helped us Johnny was amazing! When he did the heart ceremony with my friend it brought us all to tears. He really made our experience here memorable and went way above and beyond what we ever expected. So Johnny thank you for giving us great customer service, you are awesome!!! read more