Furry Fun Arrives on Fifth Avenue at the Opening of the Biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) Store in the World

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Build-A-Bear Workshop Signs New York's First-Ever Licensing Agreement

- 2005 Huggable Heroes(TM) Honored

- Young Television and Movie Actor, Marc John Jeffries and Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes To Appear

- One-of-A-Kind Store Features Collectable, Exclusive, Make-Your-Own Stuffed Animals Products

NEW YORK, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Television and movie star, Marc John Jeffries and Olympic Gold Medalist Dominique Dawes are joining the global leader in the teddy bear business, Build-A-Bear Workshop(R), to celebrate the opening of this unique retailer's biggest store ever and to honor this year's Build-A-Bear Workshop Huggable Heroes(TM) - eleven individuals and one group of kids who are being recognized for going to extraordinary lengths to make life better for others.

Lloyd Haymes, Director of Licensing for New York City Marketing, the City's official agency for licensing, marketing and sponsorship announced a licensing agreement between Build-A-Bear Workshop and New York City. The partnership, the first of its kind, enables Build-A-Bear Workshop to offer bear-sized NYPD and FDNY uniforms at the new flagship store with a percentage of the sales going to the Fire and the Police departments. "The City of New York proudly welcomes Build-A-Bear Workshop to Fifth Avenue, one of the most famous and exciting shopping and tourist districts in the world," said Haymes. "We're thrilled that each one sold will not only benefit the City's Fire and Police departments but give children the opportunity to make a bear that represents their heroes."

The festivities begin outside of the 22,000 square-foot store -- more than seven times the size of a typical Build-A-Bear Workshop store -- at 565 Fifth Avenue and 46th Street in Manhattan at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 8. Marc John Jeffries, young television and movie star will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Olympic gymnast, Dominique Dawes, will join Build-A-Bear Workshop Founder and Chief Executive Bear, Maxine Clark, to introduce the 2005 Huggable Heroes.

Their heroic stories range from Hanna Pelican of Colorado Springs, whose fund-raising efforts have helped raise nearly $17 million for Cystic Fibrosis, to Warner Phipps, a Nebraska boy, who has taken his message of grain bin safety to communities as far away as Australia, to nine-year-old Autumn Faucher from Pelham, NH, who has raised thousands to help an ailing giraffe.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is based on the premise that nearly everyone, regardless of age, has a special fondness for stuffed animals. When Guests visit a Build-A-Bear Workshop store, they enter a lighthearted teddy-bear- themed environment consisting of bear-making stations. Guests choose their furry friend to make, stuff it just right, and add personality with hundreds of outfits and accessories. The company is also known for its memorable heart ceremony that takes place during the bear-making process. This station allows Guests to choose a red satin heart, make a special wish and place it inside their stuffed animal.

"Opening the biggest Build-A-Bear Workshop store in the world on Fifth Avenue at 46th Street in New York City is a pawsome day in Build-A-Bear Workshop history!" said Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear who has opened over 200 stores worldwide. "This new store will not only bring the best of Build-A-Bear Workshop to New York City but will also give our fans and collectors from all over the world a new reason to visit this historic and vibrant city -- to find the ultimate Build-A-Bear Workshop experience with two floors of unique and collectable bears, animals, and outfits!"

Guests who visit the New York City Build-A-Bear Workshop store will have a variety of experiences beyond what is available at other locations. Guests will find the first-ever Pawsonalize It station which combines technology with a child's own artistic talent to create unique stuffed bear-sized t-shirts, they'll be able to explore cultures worldwide through a line of international- themed bear-sized Collectiwear(TM) outfits, and indulge their sports fantasies by dressing their stuffed animals in officially licensed uniforms from National Football League(R), Major League Baseball(R), the National Basketball Association teams and the National Hockey League. For dog lovers there is a complete line of Bearemy's Kennel Pals(R) dogs -- including dogs that are not anywhere else in the world - and a canine accessories area for Guests who want to treat their new stuffed pals. In the fall, Eat With Your Bear Hands Cafe will open where Guests and their stuffed animals can enjoy an exciting kid- friendly dining experience.

The 5th Avenue store features expanded versions of product lines Build-A-Bear Workshop fans love. The Fifth Avenue store includes the third- ever friends 2B made(R) store in the Build-A-Bear Workshop family. This award- winning new concept from Build-A-Bear Workshop invites children to create a stuffed doll friend with its own unique personality traits, outfits and accessories. Guests will also find an expanded sports accessories area and a large toy baby gear section with everything from baby-sized layettes to strollers.

Finally, Build-A-Bear Workshop hosted more than one million children party Guests in 2004 alone, inspiring the creation of three private party rooms in the New York City store that can be expanded into one giant party room. Guests can personalize everything from the bear they make to their cupcake.

In addition to Friday's grand opening ceremony, on Saturday, July 9, Build-A-Bear Workshop invites Guests to participate in Stuffed With Hugs(TM), the company's signature charitable program, now in its fifth year. Guests who participate in Stuffed with Hugs will have the opportunity to make a bear for free to donate to NYPD and FDNY. These bears will then be distributed to children in distressed situations.

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW), with fiscal 2004 total revenue of $302 million, is the only national company that offers Guests an interactive make-your-own-stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. The first store opened in St. Louis in 1997; the company currently operates over 180 stores in the United States and Canada. With the opening of its store in Sheffield, England, in the fall of 2003 and the addition of international stores in Japan, Denmark, Australia, South Korea and France, Build-A-Bear Workshop has become the global leader in the teddy bear business. In November 2004, the company opened two friends 2B made(R) stores, the newest concept based on the doll-making experience. For more information about the company and its products, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company's award-winning web site at http://www.buildabear.com/ .

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