Chantel Rodriguez

Staff Writer

cvr5570@psu.edu 

St. Louis toy company Build-A-Bear Workshop announces the ‘After Dark’ line exclusively online for adults with stuffed animals in pajama attire sipping bubbly. 

In the first ads released through their Facebook page, you see a stuffed lion wearing silk boxers with a single rose and a side of multiple glasses of champagne, super Bachelor vibes, with a caption that said: “Wink, wink -our gift shop is full of gifts for adults too! Hot gift ideas!”. 

The first thought that ran through my head was that it wasn’t real and that someone had just made a fake post. But researching, I found that it was real. Not only was it real, but another thing that caught me by surprise was the name. So, I saw the words ‘After Dark’ Bear Cave as the headliner to the link. But then I started to think, who decided to approve the name? Build-A-Bear Workshop, is this even necessary or needed? I just didn’t see the need.

You click yes to being 18 before entering the area to begin with. Upon scrolling all about the website, you see stuffed rabbits, bears, and lions with romance-themed scenes, wine bottles, silk robes, or just a pair of boxer shorts with champagne flutes. 

I didn’t feel that there was anything raunchy or distasteful about the photos seeing as they are stuffed animals. Still, the scenes were definitely set with adults in mind, especially with the alcohol references like ‘Rosé over roses’ of the stuffed rabbit with Rosé. Some images were stuffed bears that had G-rated messages on T-shirts like ‘Not today, Cupid’.  

The only problem would be the perception with the name and how it can suggest negative connotations to consumers. There could have been a better way to create a theme suggestive to adults while keeping the name more appropriate for consumers that are kids and will eventually see this.  

I understand that Build-A-Bear created a brand and marketed it to adults who still purchase teddy bears to give them to significant others, groups of friends, or families on days like Valentine’s Day. I am all for that. Still, the name itself could suggest something different to others. The term ‘After Dark’ just doesn’t seem suitable stemming from a company like Build-A-Bear.

The ‘After Dark’ collection price ranges from $20 to $40, plus shipping — But this collection might not be for everyone. Personally, stuffed bears really aren’t something I’d want as a gift or gift for my friends, mainly due to their preferences. For those special individuals in your life it may be something worth looking into buying.  I have always been a fan of Build-A-Bear because of the unique recordings you can place in the stuffed animals and just the 100 percent personalization aspect, and my kids enjoy it.  

The company mentioned that they started selling adults-only toys a few years back and have always marketed with the name ‘After Dark’ collection for Valentine’s since, so I don’t think a name change will happen any time soon.