Build-A-Bear Workshop Announces Ongoing Investment In PBS Kids As A Corporate Sponsor

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Build-A-Bear Workshop today announced official details of a new partnership with PBS KIDS. In April, Build-A-Bear kicked off a corporate sponsorship of two PBS KIDS programs, Curious George and Wild Kratts. This is the first time Build-A-Bear Workshop has underwritten national programming on PBS. The ongoing 2017 partnership is being communicated during "Curious George" and "Wild Kratts" airings through custom, 15-second video underwriting messages, developed to convey the brand benefits of Build-A-Bear and its alignment with PBS KIDS. 

"Like Build-A-Bear Workshop, PBS KIDS values the advancement of creativity and imagination," said Sharon Price John, president and chief executive officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop. "Build-A-Bear encourages children of all ages to use their inventiveness as they experience our unique process to make their own special furry friend. And now, as we approach our 20^th birthday, many of our Guests who were introduced to Build-A-Bear as kids have little ones of their own—not unlike PBS."

Suzanne Zellner, Vice President, Sponsorship Group for Public Television, added, "PBS KIDS sponsors set themselves apart from competitors by showing support of public television and aligning with its values: love of learning, STEM education, social and emotional learning, appreciation of the arts and self-expression, and more. Research shows that parents overwhelmingly view PBS KIDS as the number one educational media brand, and we are proud to partner with a trusted family brand like Build-A-Bear Workshop."

The underwriting messages from Build-A-Bear Workshop include videos that air during episodes of "Curious George" and "Wild Kratts," as well as digital advertising on pbskids.org and pbs.org/parents. The on-air and digital messages, which encourage creativity and imagination, will run through the end of 2017 as part of an extended sponsorship.

Build-A-Bear also plans to integrate summer- and friendship-themed content from PBS KIDS into select events at U.S. Build-A-Bear Workshop stores, including a friendship celebration weekend August 4-6 in honor of National Friendship Day. The PBS KIDS content includes activity sheets and booklets for kids as well as resources for parents to use in educating their children about friendship and empathy.

As it relates to the company's continued commitment to television advertising as an effective communication channel, Build-A-Bear also recently unveiled a new TV commercial that features an original jingle and highlights the iconic, Make-Your-Own experience Guests can only find at Build-A-Bear Workshop. The spot is currently airing on a variety of networks that reach moms and kids; it also offers the brand an opportunity to develop inserts around seasonally relevant product stories.

For more information about Build-A-Bear Workshop, visit buildabear.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

About Build-A-Bear
Celebrating 20 years of business in 2017, Build-A-Bear is a global brand kids love and parents trust that seeks to add a little more heart to life. Build-A-Bear Workshop has approximately 400 stores worldwide where Guests can create customizable furry friends, including company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and China, and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East. The company was named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list for the ninth year in a row in 2017. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) posted a total revenue of $364.2 million in fiscal 2016. For more information, visit buildabear.com.

About the Sponsorship Group for Public Television
The Sponsorship Group for Public Television represents the best sponsorships on PBS, with national program inventory from WGBH Boston and other producers of quality public television programs, across all genres. For more information on PBS sponsorship opportunities, contact the Sponsorship Group for Public Television at 800.886.9364, e-mail sgptv@wgbh.org or visit sgptv.org.

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SOURCE Build-A-Bear Workshop