Build-a-Bear Workshops have been delivering smiles for over 20 years in the form of customizable teddy bears. Each one can be a wonderful expression of love, or a memory for someone to hold onto for forever. With an array of customization you would never expect customers to take advantage and bring in weird and creepy items to stuff their bear with...
...or that's exactly what people do.
Reddit user mttp1990 wanted to know:
Employees of Build-A-Bear. What is the weirdest thing a customer has requested?
Sing Out.
Giphy
"I was not an employee but I interviewed. It was a group interview and they asked us all questions. Toward the end they asked us individually if we wanted to sing a song but stressed we didn't have to."
"Only employees who sang moved on in the interview process." 099uyx
The Monkey.
"Not an employee but at the one in the mall near me the employees told me that a lady would come in with her pet monkey that she treated as her child. She used it as a clothing story for the monkey. She also tried to sue the local school district into letting the monkey attend but was unsuccessful." GMHGeorge
"Stop telling me to make a wish."
"My mom and I are both adults and we both like stuffed animals. My mom wanted a lion from Build-a-bear a long time ago and the employee wouldn't let her finish making her look until she made a wish on the heart. The strangest request she probably ever got was, "Stop telling me to make a wish."
""EDIT: For those who are wondering, the woman would not let her continue without doing the Heart Ceremony and my mother told her she 'reserved the right to make a wish later' so we were no longer being held captive by a woman with an unsewn lion. Frankly if it were me I would have complained to corporate that being condescending to adults lost them future business."
It's a shame because they do many animals where part of the proceeds go to the WWF, including my mom's lion and a wolf I got later from the person I was dating at the time. Sometimes you just wanna get a stuffed animal and support the wild, you know? " Ivytongue
1 to 5.
"I interviewed for them last year - My hair was a very light blonde but I had dark roots so it was easy to tell it wasn't my natural color - Although it was a very natural color, my interviewer asked me if I could dye it black because it was unnatural and "parents would throw a fit." I told it wouldn't be possible because it took me months to get that blonde."
"She then proceeded to write the number one on a piece of paper. "This is what I have graded your interview on a scale of one to five." I didn't say anything and just walked out..."
"All because I didn't want to dye my hair black - oh and the hours? 10 hours a week while I went to school." lulalethal
PUMBA!!!
"My girlfriend and I were probably the weirdest group of the day at our local Build A Bear."
"We went to Build a bear for her birthday and the promotional live action lion king bears were on sale, so we decided to get the ugly live action Pumba bear. For those who have not seen him before, he is an absolute unit with lazy eyes and an evil smile. He knows the sins he's committed and he is not remorseful."
"Anyways we dressed him in nothing but a cowboy hat and marvel boxers, then named him Charles Entertainment Cheese. Oh and his voice box is also the Super Mario theme."
"I like to imagine that when I die, the only thing that will be there is just his face in an endless void while the Super Mario theme plays ominously in the background for eternity."
"The employees were super helpful but were obviously a little uncomfortable at how hard we were laughing at the creation of our stupid son." SuperOwnah
Since Maxine retired....
"I worked at BABW for 7 years and I don't know that any requests were super weird. We put recordings of deceased relatives, recordings of fetal heartbeats, pacifiers, and squeakers from dog toys in animals - okay, that one might be a bit strange - but the rest were usually very sweet, and touching moments, and sometimes exciting for the kiddo who was "graduating" from their pacifier."
"I did get called a lot of names when the holidays rolled around and we were out of the holiday animals (no longer an issue since Maxine retired and EVERYTHING was produced in ridiculous quantities, instead of limited ones). I was often asked to produce products we didn't have in stock, but that's retail."
"I think the weirdest experiences were helping kids dress their animals - some folks have interesting choices in outfits. I remember one little bear left our store in a tank top, undies, and heels (with bows on the ears, of course) - the owner of said bear was a 6 year old girl, but she stayed within her budget!"
"I actually loved irking (and working) there and if I had any free time or ever needed extra money, I'd probably go back." JDPip
The Pacifiers....
"Back when I worked a few years ago, I had a customer come in holding a bag of what looked like at least 10 pacifiers. She spread the pacifiers throughout the inside of the bear, and told her son that they were a big boy now and didn't need the pacifiers anymore, but he'll always be close to them as they are in the bear now. So I guess it wasn't so weird as it was sweet." chinchingering
Sam.
"Not an employee, but a read a story about someone coming with one of their young relatives while they were doing the eevee thing, and when the relative asked OP what to name the eevee, he responded with "Sam", which got some looks from the employee handling the eevee. afterwords, the employee said to them "i know what you did."
"Sam is the name of the main protagonist in a pornographic comic. Sam is also an eevee. in that comic." orifan1
Grandma ain't having it....
"Customer, not employee...Years ago I made a monkey one for my cousin that I put a noise maker in the crotch that would laugh when you squeezed it. Got some really awkward looks from the employee helping me put it together. My grandma was definitely not amused when my cousin opened it in front of the whole family." KCtraveler25
Honeypunch....
"I have been censored in my bears name twice at a build a bear. One happened when I was five, one when I was six. When I was five I got a bear who I wanted to name Honeypunch (shut up I was five). The attendant told me no punch is a bad word so she forced me to change it to bunch. The same thing happened with the second best next year, albeit different first half of the name."
Bronies Ruin Everything
"I worked there in high school about 10 years ago now. I guess the weirdest thing (but was very common) was putting dead relatives' recorded voices into stuffed animals. One was for a little girl whose father had died in Iraq. I was definitely crying while I sewed that bear up..."
"Other than that there were a few bronies that came in for Rainbow Dash. They were always very awkward but nice."
Showing Love The Only Way You Know How?
Giphy
"Watching a teenage girl make a bear dressed like her boyfriend, for her boyfriend, while he was there. I have never seen someone try so hard to look interested, but failing. Teenage love I guess."
"The weirdest thing is all the middle aged women who come in Everytime somehow new is released. They collect them, but are always super weird people."
Speaking Honest Truth
"My girlfriend and her grad school friends made a bear called Catastrophe Bear and he said "everything is awful"
Which is Worse: The Tooth Or The Man?
"A Native family wanted to put a real bear tooth inside the bear (it was for a newborn). I made sure to check the sharpness of the tooth so it wouldn't puncture the fabric. Nothing weird with that job though."
"Although, there was a time when this old, drunk guy walked by the store and tried to grab a little girl near the entrance. A father intervened and got her back, but people were more bewildered by this guy doing it so obviously rather than get upset."
"I hated the store's music though (kids singing hit songs), i hated the chipper face/voice we had to put on, and I haaaated handling the fluff when refilling it."
SPOILER: Kids Are Gross
"I worked at Build A Bear for 8 years. It honestly was a pretty great job. They weirdest request I ever had was a woman brought in a moose (not our brand). It was a gift from her boyfriend and her children had ripped the head clean off. She wanted to know if we could fix it."
"I was one of the better ones at the sewing so the manager brought it to me. I told the woman I would do my best. I was able to get the head back on. Returned it to the woman and she said it looked as good as new."
"One day we had a kindergarten teacher drag in this huge Eeyore stuffed animal that the kids love. It had gone flat over the years and smelled and looked just gross. We actually opened it up and refilled it. The smell as the air and stuffing went into it was awful. Sewed it back up and sent her on her way."
"We had multiple people come in to put pacifiers in the bear to break there little one of the habit. One particular mom did that. Then came back 3 days later and had us open it up and remove it. The saddest was the woman who put a mini urn of her parents ashes inside."
"Anyway those are the ones that stick out to me."
It's Not What They Put In, It's What They Refuse To.
"I worked at build a bear for about 2ish years. I just recently quit this past April. My does time f-cking fly."
"People put a lot of things in their stuffed animals, voices of deceased relatives was a popular one. I don't think that's weird though, we all grieve in our own ways and hey if a bear with Uncle Ted's voice in it comforts you whatever. The people who REALLY weirded me out were the people who didn't want ANYTHING. Not just no sounds or smells or whatever, I get it that sh-ts expensive and adds up quickly. I worked there and I couldn't afford a decked out teddy bear. I mean no fabric heart for the heart ceremony, no birth certificate, no box, nothing. ALL OF WHICH ARE FREE AND ENCOURAGED!!"
"I want you to remember something, this is build a bear. You are buying a $30 teddy bear for your kid. You can go literally anywhere else for a stuffed animal for half the price. Build a bear is about the experience of making the bear, customizing it, and taking it home for your kid to have it's own custom and personal furry friend (yes that is what we have to call them). Why the f-ck are you paying $30 for a random stuffed animal? Why are you doing this? What the f-ck is wrong with you at least put a fabric heart in dude! It's free! It's literally free to put in a cute little heart with a wish for your child!
"It makes no sense and to this day frustrates me because to me there's no better way to say "I don't give a sh-t about what I'm getting my child for Christmas." Than that.""
"Also as a bonus people who were super weird with gendering their kids stuffed animal weirded me the f-ck out. It's a teddy bear Kyle your daughter can give it a tiara and name it Michael Jackson if she wants."
Been Around The Block A Few Times
"I've worked for the company for almost 4 years. Overall the days follow the same routine of families come in with a budget and kids have fits when they want something outside of that budget. But I have certainly encountered some weirdos and just weird situations."
"Weirdest: mom wanted me to put a sack of her late daughters baby teeth inside the bear with a recording of her voice. I feel like there's a lot of other sentimental items that could be kept with the bear other than teeth, but I guess everyone grieves in different ways."
"Crappy: parents will actually stuff things like the sounds in the bear before bringing them to the machine in hopes of pulling one over on you, like I'm not going to notice the hard plastic sound in your otherwise empty bear eyeroll"
"Heartbreaking (at first, but it gets better): parent booked a birthday party and requested me as the leader (pretty typical, I have usual costumers that come in and we have a bond at this point). I knew the costumer and I was excited because I knew they've been going through the ringer with their middle kid in and out of the hospital, so I was really happy that I'd be able to be part of a happy celebration with them. Well mom came in to talk to me early and it turns out middle kids has cancer and prognosis is not great, so the party is so her siblinggs and cousins can all come and each make her a bear to have in the hospital with her (begin the water works here). So of course I made the party as special as I could and during the wish ceremony some of the kids said their wishes out loud and it was all wishes for the kid to get better. I was in tears by the end of the party and had to leave as soon as it was over because I was a mess. (Last update I got from the family though she's doing better and in remission!!!!!)"
"One I had to encourage against: man came in wanting a bear for his girlfriend for this last Valentine's Day. He wanted to put an engagement ring INSIDE of the bear and give it to her and then after a few months rip it open in front of her to propose. Ultimately he agreed it was not a great idea and he'd just stick with a cute bear and find a different way to propose. They came in last month making a flower girl bear for their flower girl to be!"
"It's an interesting job and totally not for everyone, but I honestly love it. Not my forever job, but it's been great while going to undergrad and grad school! Some days I leave full of bubbly laughter and over days I leave in tears, keeps things interesting!"
Well, At Least His Spirit Has A Forever Place
"Back in the earlier build a bear days, I was asked to put an urn that contained the ashes of their father who had recently passed from cancer into the bear. I didn't know what to say and my manager was on break. They were really sweet and I completed the task for them (reed teddy, if I recall correctly). They also had previously recorded his voice so that also went into the teddy."
"20 minutes later when my manager returned, I informed her of what happened and how I handled it and within the next few months we had a store policy of "no deceased remains".
"Looking back on it, I'm happy I could do that for them. They even dressed it like him, and had planned to have it on the mantle for the family and grandchildren to press the hand and hear him."
Again With The Remains?
"Not weird, but heartbreaking:"
"Had an older woman come in and request 5 bears, each with aa personalized voice box. She was in late stages of cancer and was getting a bear for each of her grandkids, with a different message to each one to remember her by."
"Potentially heartbreaking, ultimately awkward, and traumatising for those involved :"
"A coworker used to work in a different store, and one day a person came in, picked a bear, and sort of faffed about a while before taking it to be stuffed. Coworker puts bear on the machine, hits the pedal, and is covered in a cloud of "dust", along with the guest, and the store. Turns out the person had poured their late partners cremains inside the bear and not said anything. Tip: if you want to put ashes in a build-a-bear, get a little urn and put some ashes into that, and put that in the bear. Loose ash = bad."
Annnnnnnnnnd Gross...
Giphy
"I worked there for almost 5 years back in the early 2000s. Once there was a woman who came in with her son's monkey and asked for a hole to be stitched up. This was common and we all knew how to do a basic ladder stitch so my manager agreed to do it. When she took it in the back, she noticed that there were holes only in the crotch of the monkey and that the fur was matted. That's when she realized that this woman's son was (probably) doing the deed into the doll. I don't remember if my manager put on gloves and stitched it or offered the woman a new doll, but that was by far the craziest request."
"I also once had to get into that bear costume after someone wore it for 2+ hours because a woman complained that her son wanted to meet the bear and we had packed up 10 minutes early. That sucked really bad."
Who knew so much went down in these little bear shops. Do you have a similar retail story to share? Let us know below?
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For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.
Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.
The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.
Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:
"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"
Serious Danger
"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."
"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."
oofboof2020
Waiting for Food
"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."
"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."
nowhereboy1964
Captain Hobo to the Rescue
"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."
"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"
"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."
FartAttack911
Survival
tsunami GIF
Giphy
"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."
faithfulpoo
These Tsunami stories are just tragic.
On the Sand
Scared The Launch GIF by CTV
Giphy
"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."
oyloff
Be Clever
"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."
OstneyPiz
Bad Jokes
"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."
Alegan239
YOU
Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
Giphy
"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"
PrettyLola2004
Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.
No one should talk to others in the dark though.
Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen
Giphy
What Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPost
Giphy
Who Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIF
Giphy
Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official
Giphy
Is That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...