Religion:
In A “Beary” Cute & Cuddly Form
Build-A-Bear Workshop – An American based retail company that allows you to build your own stuffed animal and bring it to life. You can give it a heart, bathe it, dress it up and give it its own personal identity. However, all of these things come with a heavy price tag.
Build-A-Bear Workshop was one of my favorite stores as a child. I was unable to pass by it in the mall without going in and fantasizing over the latest bear they had released. Therefore, I am guilty of having about 7 of these bears sitting upstairs in my bedroom, all equipped with fun outfits and accessories.
However, from the time that I was a child until now, Build-A-Bear Workshop has really stepped their game up. From picking between about 20 different bears as a child, they now have over 150 different kinds of build-a-bears for kids to choose from. The stuffed animals that caught my attention, in particular, were the ones that represented different aspects of religion.
Let me start off by introducing you to the “Cross Bear”. As you can see in the advertisement above, the Cross Bear makes a great religious gift. It can be given to someone as a religious wedding gift or a gift for a First Communion or Baptism. Personally, I actually like the idea of the Cross Bear. I believe it makes a cute and fun gift for a young child who has just undergone a First Communion or Baptism. However, others may argue that this represents the fact that producers use religion in order to gain more power and advantage over their consumers, which causes them to buy their products. This form of desire is argued by Jeremy Carrette and Richard King who state that desire is used to make capitalism more inevitable and a part of everyday life (Carrette & King, 2005). Are highly religious individuals more attracted towards purchasing a teddy bear that portrays a form of religious reference as opposed to a normal teddy bear? I personally believe consumerist culture definitely uses religion as a back-drop to draw the attention of those who place emphasis on religion within their everyday lives.
This is also evident through Build-A-Bear’s enormous Christmas collection. Christmas, as many people tend to forget, is a Christian holy day that signifies the birth of Jesus, who is believed to be the Son of God. As I previously mentioned, Build-A-Bear’s Christmas collection is unlike anything I’ve ever see before. Santa’s Reindeers range from $25 to $62 dollars. Keep in mind, that price is solely for the stuffed animal itself. Build-A-Bear strongly encourages that you purchase your furry friend an outfit, shoes, and some cute little Christmas accessories. How can children resist this? Furthermore, how can parents say no to their children around such a special time of the year? I would believe that Build-A-Bear makes most of their sales around the holidays, especially due to their large selection of Christmas bears. Now lets take a look….
← Santa’s Reindeer: Cupid, one of the less expensive reindeers, at a starting price of $25!
← Holiday Smiles Pawlette, a cute little bunny friend for all the little girls out there… $40
One of Build-A-Bear’s originals, Bananas Monkey, dressed as an elf for the holidays, automatically increasing his value to $40.
← Santa’s 50th Anniversary Reindeer: Rudolph, getting up there, at a price of $50.
Santa’s Reindeer: Comet the Jokester, special edition I guess? $62.
However, you cannot leave Build-A-Bear without getting your new friend some cute Christmas gear! Take a look below at some of the elf accessories you can purchase for Santa’s little helpers. Build-A-Bear is also well known for their Mrs. Claus dresses, Santa Claus costume, and other Christmas related outfits.
Overall, I have to say Build-A-Bear definitely uses the idea of religion to attract customers and increase its sales. It is also often argued that Build-A-Bear creates a family-friendly atmosphere amongst both employees and the consumer public. This atmosphere can form a sense of security and belonging, especially through the use of religious bears. However, one may also argue that Build-A-Bear commercializes the concept of sharing and giving which is a major part of the holiday season. It has been stated that “bears have no ethnicity, no religious preference, and no bias. They are just bears, equal in everyway” (Build-A-Bear Workshop About Us, 1999–2013). Hmm, not too sure I agree with that statement!
Sources:
Build-A-Bear Workshop. (1999). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.buildabear.com
Carrette Jeremy and Richard King. “Spirituality and the Privatisation of Asian Wisdom Traditions.” In Selling Spirituality: The Silent Takeover of Religion, 87–122. London: Routledge, 2005.
