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Review: Build-A-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons (Wii)

Posted by on Apr 8, 2009 in Games, Past Giveaways, Product Reviews, Products, Tech | 69 comments

I have something to confess about Build-A-Bear Workshop: we’ve never been to one! I admit I sometimes feel I’ve deprived my kids of a modern childhood “must-do:” picking a special stuffed friend, giving it a name and a heart, and then dressing it to the nines.

My kids haven’t gone down quietly, though, and they’ve frequently reminded me over the years that they are the only one they know without a treasure from Build-A-Bear. I was thrilled, then, when Game Factory gave our family the chance to review the Build-A-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons game for the Nintendo Wii. Finally, a chance to experience some of the magic for ourselves!

The game mirrors the in-store experience by giving you the chance to choose your own Build-A-Bear animal, give it a “heartbeat” (its own special sound effect), and tons of cute clothes and accessories (which you unlock more of as you play through the game). You then take your unique creation on an adventure aboard the Friendship (get it?…Friendship), where you sail to different islands and play games and complete tasks, all in an effort to get to a huge friendship party at the end.

My two kids who played obsessively for hours on tested this out for me were my 10yo daughter and 7yo son. To be clear, the game is intended for children 3 and older, and my feeling is that the “older” end of that spectrum is ideally somewhere around 5 or 6. There are careful, clear instructions given frequently throughout the game, and though my two kids speedily clicked through all of it, I’m positive that the preschool and early elementary crowd will prefer the consistent guidance of this game. Also, most of the tasks require only gross motor skills with the Wii remote, which means your preschool/early elementary child can wag that Wii remote all over the place and still have some success.

Though, as I say, my kids are older than the targeted audience for A Friend Fur All Seasons, they still really enjoyed playing. The graphics are great, the music is catchy, and they both had fun creating their own characters, traveling through all the islands, and playing each of the 20 mini-games. To get an idea of their gaming experience, here’s the video trailer for the game:

*original post included a giveaway of the Wii game

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

  1. Review and Giveaway: Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear Workshop
  2. Holly and Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear Workshop: A New Christmas Tradition
  3. Review: Build-A-Bear Owl and Bearville Scavenger Hunt

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  • mkdeal

    I had many stuffed friends. I especially loved the ‘homemade’ CareBear my Aunt made for me. He shows all the years of love! My kids would love this game!

    Kim D.
    mkdeal(at)q(dot)com

  • Pam

    I had a green bear naned Minty.

    melacan at hotmail dot com

  • Shannon

    My favorite childhood stuffed animal was an elephant… I think I was 5 when I got him. His name was Elmer… and I still have him!

    nuthouseshannon(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Ellen C.

    I had a stuffed gorilla doll named Mrs. boon. I loved her. i don’t where she came from but she went with me everywhere. Thanks for the chance.

    sweetascandy579 at yahoo dot com

  • Viv

    My stuffy story is very special to me. I was put up for adoption at age 2 and the one thing I got to keep was a stuffed kitty I named Strawberry shortcake. I still to this day at age 32 have that kitty put away!! It looks “dead” but will always hold a special place in my heart.

    a_moonlit_rose(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Viv

    I have your button up on my site! THANKS FOR THE AWESOME GIVE AWAY!

    a_moonlit_rose(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Viv

    I’m sure my daughter would enjoy this!
    Lauch Buttons up on my site. Visit me :)

    a_moonlit_rose(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Viv

    A little bird tweeted about this awesome game!

    http://twitter.com/tadderedrose

    a_moonlit_rose(at)yahoo(dot)com

  • Jenn

    I had a stuffed polar bear named mr. beary. He went everywhere with me! Even the operating room when I had my tonsils taken out!

    My 4 year old would love this game!

    jennifernew81 at hotmail dot com

  • Stacey

    I used to have care bears that I really liked!
    ~Stacey
    csfish@roadrunner.com

  • Arin

    I had a stuffed bunny growing up that I loved. I don’t believe it had a name other than “bunny”. arianiah@hotmail.com

  • Arin

    Button entry #1

  • Marianna

    Hmmm. I had lots of stuffed animals, but i can’t remember any of their names! lol. I know I had a Paddington Bear doll, so lets go with that! My oldest son (who would love this) has a dog from Build-A-Bear that he calls “dog”. lol

    greenmamaspad(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Marianna

    I have your site launch button on my blog (under blog events)
    http://www.greenmamaspad.com
    greenmamaspad(at)gmail(dot)com

  • Marianna

    I have your site launch button on my blog (under blog events)
    http://www.greenmamaspad.com
    greenmamaspad(at)gmail(dot)com
    #2

  • LuAnn

    I’ve not been to a build-a-bear shop, either. I know my grandkids would love this!

  • ~~~KnM’s Mom~~~

    My favorite stuffed animal was a brown teddy bear named Beanie. I don’t know how I named him but I loved him! ;)
    correaohana at gmail dot com

  • Anonymous

    Teddy Ruxpin–is that how you spell it?–was my favorite talking teddy bear pal until my mom knocked him off the bed and broke his mouth off!
    renee
    yeloechikee@hotmail.com

  • rdefnet

    My lovey was a Cabbage Patch Kid doll, but my boys both have animal loveys: a tiger and a hippo.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win the giveaway!
    r_defnet at verizon dot net

  • Heather

    I had this adorable jointed limbed lamb that I’ve had since I was born, and it definitely was my favorite and still is!

    heatheranne99 at hotmail dot com

  • moushka

    I had Grover. I was tall and thin and everyone said I looked just like him…..LOL!

    We don’t have Build-A-Bear anywhere near where we live so my daughters would be thrilled with the game.

  • texaswaitress

    My favorite child hood stuffed animal was a turtle that was green, black eyes, yellow spots. He was filled with these clear bean pellets. I know this because my mom had to sew him up so many times cause he went everywhere i did. After time Mr Slow Poke started getting thin. My mom tried stuffing him with dried peas but he never felt the same or smelled the same after that.

    texaswaitress (at) hotmail.com

  • April

    I remember a sweet little giraffe but not having a name. By the end of its time I think the neck no longer could support its head. I wonder where that giraffe ended up?

    aprilwatkins@hotmail.com

  • Anonymous

    I didn’t have a favorite stuffed animal, but I did have a stuffed clown that I treasured. I don’t believe it had a name. It was given to me by my step-dad.
    -Terra H.
    partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com

  • Shelley

    I had a teddy bear named Christopher Michael. I loved him!

    saz AT chainreader DOT com

  • Colleen

    I’m an oddball I think. No favorite stuffed animals. : (

  • Shelley
  • Shelley

    Have the button on this blog: http://sazfreelunch.blogspot.com/

  • Colleen

    I posted your button… under my buttons section.
    : )

  • Shelley
  • Colleen
  • Andreah

    My favorite stuffed friend was a doll named Lucy that my grandmother had made just for me. She is a treasured memory.

  • Andreah
  • Marie

    I had a stuff goofy doll that I use to carry everywhere with me.

    mccataquet(at)comcast(dot)net

  • independentmami

    I had a lion..his name was leo…super_alba_star@yahoo.com

  • independentmami
  • independentmami
  • Anonymous

    Hi, I saw a tiger stuffed toy with a crooked head when I was in 2nd grade in the dime store. I loved it for a long time. My mom surprised me with it for my birthday. I slept with it and took Tigy with me everywhere. My kids have it now. Thanks and many blessings, Stefanie Hartman fhartman@frontiernet.net

  • Chelsey

    My favourite stuffed animal was a polar bear in a red velvet dress named Polly. I received it anonymously while I was at sleep away camp and feeling lonely. I found out eventually it was from my Grandparents. Thanks for the giveaway! mybabyappleseed(at)yahoo(dot)ca

  • Deb – Mom of 3 Girls

    I had a lot of stuffed animals as a child – although nowhere near as many as my own kids do. My favorites were a teddy bear that I named ‘Niva’ and a white stuffed cat that I called ‘Fluffy’. I think they’re still packed away somewhere in my mom’s garage. We just got a Wii a few days ago, so I’d love to win this game for it! :)

  • Whimsical Creations

    My favorite stuffed animal was a pink stuffed rabbit I named Jimmy. I received him for easter one year.

    =) melanie
    http://melaniescrafts.blogspot.com
    melanieadey at hotmail dot com

  • Melissa O.

    My favorite stuffed animal was a wrinkles dog. Anyone of the 80′s might remember they were stuffed dogs with puppet heads and wrinkly faces in adorable outfits. Well, I could not sleep without my wrinkles until I was like 15 and I still have her and 3 of my other wrinkles in my closet.

  • Mama Zen

    My favorite stuffed animal was a big, white bunny. He was a gift from the Easter bunny, and I adored “Fluffy!”

  • momsteroc

    I had a white bear as a child and I loved that bear very much. My mom has a picture of me holding it and my younger brother standing very close as if he loved the bear more than I. I’m sorry but I cannot remember the name of him.

  • Tamara B.

    My favorite stuffed doll was my Raggedy Ann doll she went everywhere I did and I still have her today.
    tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com

  • Lady Christie

    My favorite stuffed animal was a kitty I named booboo which didn’t have a name till much later when it became filled with booboo’s.

    imchristiedammit[at]yahoo[dot]com

  • mom2gabnnat

    I had a stuffed parrot named Perry that I won as a door prize when I was little that I loved.

  • noreen

    I had a brown bear named fozzy (like the muppet since it had a ribbon that looked just like the scarf of the muppet Fozzy). My dad bought him in the hospital gift shop when I was born

  • Miss Manda

    I had a doll named Lucy.. and one of my cats ended up scratchin her mouth off but I still kept her.. she had brown yarn hair and I randomly had a seat cushion named Seaty hahahaha loved to sleep with it.

    ahellen@gmail.com

  • Brian aka RRV

    I had two stuffed animals that were my favs growing up. Both were teddy bears and both had personality! One was named Teddy (how appropriate!) and he used to talk to me (thanks to mom) every night before bed and say my prayers with me and read me stories. I took him everywhere with me!

    The other bear was his gal pal, Graham, who could only mumble because she could not talk (she had suffered an unfortunate incident involving a bucket of water and a clumsy moment). Regardless of her mumbles, I always seemed to understand what she had to say (thanks to mom).

    I still have these bears up in the attic and they bring back warm memories of growing up and of my wonderful mother who brought them to life every night before I ventured off to dreamland.

    ridyrosevintage(at)yahoo(dot)com

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