Help and Customer Care: Build-A-Party®

General Build-A-Party® FAQ | 5th Ave at 46th in New York City FAQ

Build-A-Party® Answers (5th Ave at 46th in New York City)

  • I’ve never been to Build-A-Bear® Workshop. What's it like?

    At Build-A-Bear Workshop, Guests of all ages make their very own stuffed animal friend. Build-A-Bear Workshop offers an experience like no other that Guests are sure to remember for years to come.

    Guests will visit these stations to make their new furry friend:

    CHOOSE ME: Guests select the pawfect furry friend to make. We have a large selection of bears and lots more options such as dogs, cats, frogs and monkeys - just to name a few! Furry friends range in price from $10 to $25 each, so there’s something for everyone’s budget.
    HEAR ME: Add a sound to make your furry friend speak, bark, giggle and more. You can even record your own message! Sounds range in price from $3-$8 each.
    STUFF ME: Guests get help stuffing their furry friends just the way they want it. They give it a hug test to make sure it’s just right! This is also where Guests experience the exclusive Build-A-Bear Workshop heart ceremony. They choose a heart, warm it in the palm of their hands and make a wish before placing it inside their furry friend. A Find-A-Bear® ID barcode is also added to their new friend, which allows us to reunite them with their furry friend if it is ever lost and returned to us.
    FLUFF ME: Guests have fun giving their new friend an air bath and making sure it’s brushed and fluffed!
    DRESS ME: Guests can choose from hundreds of outfits and accessories to personalize their new furry friend even more! Build-A-Bear Workshop is on the cutting edge of furry fashion with hot styles from Limited Too® to Hello Kitty® and Harley Davidson®. Plus we have officially licensed sports stuff like MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL! Only in New York City can you dress them in the international Collectiwear™ series! Complete outfits range in price from $8-$16 each. Don’t forget about the Paw Wear™ shoes and pawsome accessories, which range in price from $3 to $10 each.
    NAME ME: Guests make a personalized birth certificate for their furry friend.
    TAKE ME HOME: You’ll walk out hand-in-paw with your new furry friend in a Cub Condo® carrying case to begin your adventures together! Kids will also enjoy the fun activity of coloring their Cub Condo with crayons and markers.

    • We have 2 types of parties at Build-A-Bear Workshop® New York City!

    Choose from a Build-A-Party® or an ultimate Build-A-Party. You choose the party that is just right for you!

  • What happens at a Build-A-Party?

    At a scheduled Build-A-Party, your Guests will have a party leader to guide them through the store experience. Making furry friends with a group of their best friends is the primary activity. Your party will be fun-filled, friendly and unfurgettable! Build-A-Party Guests have their celebration in the store with other non-party Guests.

  • What happens at an ultimate Build-A-Party?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Guests at an ultimate Build-A-Party have all the furry fun of making their own stuffed animal friend, just like a Build-A-Party, but they enjoy a private party room with cake and food options for the ultimate pawsome party!

  • What is included in a scheduled Build-A-Party?

    You only pay for furry friends your Guests make. If you choose to have your Guests dress or accessorize their animals, that is an additional cost. Everything else in the Build-A-Party is FREE!

    • FREE Party Leader to keep your group organized, entertained and on budget. No worries for you – you can relax and enjoy the experience too! Our Party Leaders are great with kids (and grown ups too)!
    • FREE Guest of Honor Gifts:

    • FREE Party Favor for each party Guest
      (Favors available in store may vary from what is shown here)

    • FREE Cele-bear-ate Wristband for each Guest and furry friend

    • FREE printable invitations and thank you cards at www.buildabear.com

  • What is included in an ultimate Build-A-Party?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Here’s what makes the ultimate Build-A-Party the ULTIMATE party experience – and exclusive to our New York City store:

    • A private Party Room for 2½ hours just for you and your Guests!
    • A yummy themed cake and juice drink for up to 20 Guests included in the price of the room!

    • Gifts for all party Guests
      (Favors available in store may vary from what is shown here)

    • Exclusive printed postcard invitations and thank you notes

    And, don’t forget! Your group will have a Party Leader to take your Guests through the fun-filled party experience. The Guest of Honor will also receive the Autograph Bear and 5x7 group photo too! All Guests will have the Cele-bear-ation wristbands – and one for their furry friend.

  • How much is a Build-A-Party?

    You determine the cost of your Build-A-Party celebearation. You only pay for the animals, outfits and accessories your Guests take home with them. Party favors, gifts for the Guest of Honor, printable online invitations and party leader for your group are FREE. Here’s a price guide:
    • Furry friends range in price from $10-$25 each
    • Outfits range in price from $8-$16 each
    • Shoes and accessories range in price from $3-$15 each
    • Here are some examples of what you can do:

      • $10 Bear + $3 sound = $13 per Guest
      • $12 Bear + $6 Tee = $18 per Guest
      • $18 furry friend + $10 outfit = $28 per Guest
      • $22 Bearemy’s Kennel Pals® Friend + $5 pet accessory = $27 per Guest

  • How much is an ultimate Build-A-Party in a private party room?

    The fee for a private party room is $400 and reserves the room for your group for up to 2½ hours. Click here to check out what's included in the $400 fee. The fee does not include other costs, such as animals, clothing, accessories or other party add-ons that you purchase for your Guests.

  • How many Guests can I have at my Build-A-Party?

    To schedule a Build-A-Party, you must have a minimum of 6 Guests. If you would like to schedule a party with more than 19 Guests, please call 1-877-789-BEAR (2327), so that we may make special arrangements.

  • How many Guests can I have at an ultimate Build-A-Party in a private party room?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    You must have a minimum of 10 Guests to schedule an ultimate Build-A-Party in a party room. The Private Party Room holds up to 20 Guests and 2 adults. The room fee includes party stuff for a minimum of 10 and maximum of 20 Guests.

  • I want to have an ultimate Build-A-Party for less than 10 Guests. Is this possible?

    We require a minimum of 10 Guests to schedule an ultimate Build-A-Party. We offer a beary fun Build-A-Party experience for groups with 6 or more Guests. You can also have a meal and cake in Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe. See the details about our Build-A-Party experience.

  • How many private party rooms are available?

    There are 3 private party rooms.

  • Can I reserve more than 1 party room?

    Yes. You may reserve more than one party room for your party. The fee for each room is $400 and must be paid for in full at the time of scheduling.

  • Are there any upgrades I can purchase for my Build-A-Party?

    Yes! The following options are available to you for an added cost:

    • 3 x 5 group photograph for each Guest - $10 (up to 20 Guests)

    • Three favors of their choice from our Build-A-Favor™ cart PLUS a drawstring backpack for each Guest and their furry friend - $10 per Guest
      (Favors available in store may vary from what is shown here)

  • Are there any upgrades I can purchase for the ultimate Build-A-Party in a party room?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Yes. Guests may add a Bearemy® or a Pawlette Coufur® mascot appearance for an additional $100. The appearance is 15 minutes for the mascot of your choice.

  • What are the specific party favors that Guests can select from the Build-A-Favor™ cart?

    Our Build-A-Favor™ cart is stuffed with 12 different party favors that your Guests can choose from. Items range from picture frames, key chains and other beary fun stuff for kids!

  • How is the party room decorated for my ultimate Build-A-Party?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Our beary festive party room is decorated in bright colors and teddy bear-themed decor. Each room will have the Guest of Honor’s name inside on a sign that says: “Make some noise fur (Guest of Honor’s name)” There are 4 tables and 20 chairs. The tables do not have party decorations because so much activity takes place on them.

  • Can I bring in my own decorations to my ultimate Build-A-Party in the party room?

    Our rooms were created to be beary festive and no additional decorations are needed.

  • Can I bring a clown, or a mime, fortune teller, etc. to my ultimate Build-A-Party in the party room?

    Additional entertainment is not allowed because your party time will be super stuffed with pawsome party fun and making your own stuffed animal friends.

  • Is it possible to have a mascot appearance that is longer than 15 minutes?

    Our loveable mascots are beary busy and being so large and furry, need to take frequent breaks, so they are unable to appear for longer than 15 minutes.

  • How long will my Build-A-Party last?

    A Build-A-Party can range from 1 to 1½ hours. This is only an estimate. The length of the party will depend on the number and age of Guests and additional activity in the store at the time of your visit.

  • How long will my ultimate Build-A-Party in a private party room last?

    The private party room will be reserved for your group for 2½ hours.

  • Should supervising adults attend a child's party?

    An adult must be present at every party. We also request that a parent be present for every child 3 years of age and younger. It is not necessary for all parents of party Guests above the age of 3 to be in attendance during the party.

  • What is the purpose of the Party Guest Name Me Planner?

    During your child's Build-A-Party, each Guest will create a certificate at our Name Me computer station. We will gather name and address information to allow Guests to register for our Find-A-Bear® ID tracking system - in case the friend is lost and returned to us we can ensure that it is returned safely home! Because our younger party Guests may not know this address detail, we suggest that this form be used to obtain the information from the parents of your party Guests. Please let the parents know that all information submitted will follow our Privacy Policy Guildelines and that their child can make a certificate with only the child's name and animal name, but without the additional information we are unable to return lost friends. If the party Guests' parents approve, the child may choose to sign up to receive email/mail from us that will let them know about beary special events and offers such as birthday cards and fun promotions. If you would like more information about our Privacy Policy, click here.

  • What security do you provide to your Guests?

    The store is beary secure with on premise security. As to not compromise our security measures, we do not disclose this information to our Guests.

    • FOOD

  • Is there a place to have a meal after a Build-A-Party?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    You may purchase meals for your group to enjoy in the Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe—a NYC exclusive! Click here to see the menu for kids and adults.    Your party leader will ensure that your group will have priority seating in the Cafe

  • Can I bring my own cake to the Eat with Your Bear Hands Cafe for my party Guests?

    We are beary sorry, but we cannot allow Guests to bring outside food into the cafe.    

    • Party room food options

  • Are there Kosher food options for the party room?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Yes, we offer Kosher platters for kids and adults.   Kosher selections must be ordered in advance.     A store manager will call you one week prior to your scheduled party to discuss your Kosher  food options.

  • Are there any party room food options for adults?

    Exclusively at the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop® store in the world at 5th Ave at 46th in New York City
    Yes.   We offer breakfast, snack and dessert platter options for adults.   Price is per selection, per person.   A store manager will call you one week prior to your scheduled party to discuss your food options.

  • When will the store contact me to review my party details and to place my food orders?

    A store manager will call you one week prior to your scheduled party to discuss your party and food options.

    • Scheduling Your Party

  • Do you require a deposit to schedule a Build-A-Party?

    A $75 deposit is required to schedule a Build-A-Party. This is required at the time of scheduling and may be paid with a major credit card. The deposit is applied to the cost of your party and is fully refundable if notice of cancellation is received up to 48 hours prior to the date of your party.

  • Do you require a deposit to schedule an ultimate Build-A-Party in a private party room?

    The $400 party room fee is required at the time of scheduling. This may be paid with a major credit card. The party room fee of $400 is fully refundable if notice of cancellation is received up to 48 hours prior to the date of your party. Included in the $400 fee is cake and juice drink for up to 20 Guests and pawsome FREE Gifts. In lieu of tipping, $50 of the $400 fee will go to the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation. Our foundation is currently donating these funds to the Ronald McDonald House of New York.

  • How do I schedule a party?

    We offer three easy ways to schedule a party:
    • Book online using our Party Scheduler (click here)
    • Visit the store at 5th Ave. at 46th in New York City
    • Call toll free 1-877-789-BEAR (2327) and talk to one of our NYC Party Representatives.

    Information to have ready when scheduling:

    • Choice of party option 1 (Build-A-Party) or party option 2 (ultimate Build-A-Party)
    • Contact name, address & phone number
    • Guest of Honor name and age
    • Preferred party date & time, plus alternate date & time
    • Number of party Guests you are inviting
    • Price per Guest or name of selected animal (click here to see a list of furry friends)
    • Credit Card deposit to reserve party date
    By using your confirmation number, you can make changes to your party with our on-line Party Scheduler up to 2 weeks prior to the date. For additional changes please call a NYC Party Representative toll free at 1-877-789-2327.

  • If the number of Party Guests changes, do I need to let the Store know?

    If the number of Guests increases or decreases by 5, please call and let us know as far in advance of the party as possible.

  • Can I have a friends 2B made® Build-A-Party?

    Your party Guests can have all of the fun of making a fashionable doll friend at a friends 2B made® Build-A-Party. They choose a friend, stuff it and add a heart filled with their favorite friendship qualities. Then they give it gr8 style and a name to match. They receive a friendship certificate and bring their new doll friend home in an exclusive memory box. If you would like information on a fashionable fun party click here.

  • Still have a question?

    Email a NYC Bear Service Representative by (clicking here), call toll free: 1-877-789-BEAR (2327) or visit our New York City store on 5th Ave at 46th.