By
Liza Corsillo,
a senior writer at the Strategist covering kids’ toys and men’s style.
She joined the Strategist in 2019. She is a former writer for GQ and an accomplished illustrator.
I never went to Build-a-Bear as a kid. But on a recent visit to the custom stuffed-animal giant’s FAO Schwarz location, I immediately started to understand the decades of hype — and fell in love with the maximalist experience. During my outing, I built a plucky green frog for my 3-year-old son that ribbits when you press its hand. And just for today, that frog and all other Build-a-Bear stuffed animals, including licensed characters like Snoopy, Hello Kitty, and Charizard, are on sale for as little as $15 for the standard size — more than a 50 percent discount — with many larger sizes discounted too.
