When was Build A Bear founded?

Build A Bear was founded in 1997.

Where is Build A Bear located?

Build A Bear is headquartered in Saint Louis, United States.

Who is the current CEO of Build A Bear?

Maxine Clark of Build A Bear. They are also an angel investors in 1 startup.

How many employees does Build A Bear have?

As of Mar 31, 2026, the latest employee count at Build A Bear is 3451.

What is the annual revenue of Build A Bear?

Annual revenue of Build A Bear is between $500M and $1B as on Jan 31, 2026

Where does Build A Bear rank among its competitors?

Build A Bear ranks 2nd amongst 196 active competitors, of which 8 are funded. It stands 3rd in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Guardian Bikes, which secured $19M in Apr, 2025.

Who are the top competitors of Build A Bear?

Build A Bear's top competitors include Hasbro, Mattel and Toys"R"Us. Among them, Guardian Bikes secured the most recent funding round in April, 2025.

Build A Bear - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding, Competitors & Financials

Company Details

Build A Bear is a retail chain store that lets anyone build their soft toys. Started by Maxine Clark who got the idea when she went shopping for soft toy. BBW was named as one of the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” for seven consecutive years. In 2013, its global revenues reached around $400M. Its first store opened in 1997 at the Saint Louis Galleria in St. Louis, Missouri. As of Jan 2016, there are over 400 stores worldwide and it has sold over 125 million products.

Website: www.buildabear.com/
Social

Key Metrics

Founded Year

1997

Location

Saint Louis, United States

Stage

Public

Investors

Point72 & 1 more

Ranked

2^nd among 196 active competitors

Annual Revenue

$500M - $1B as on Jan 31, 2026

Employee Count

3,451 as on Mar 31, 2026

Investment & Acquisitions

Ridemakerz & 3 more

Similar Companies

Rainbow Designs & 115 more

Exit Details

Public

View Build A Bear's full profile

Build A Bear is associated with 1 legal entity given below:

Legal Entity Name	Date of Incorporation	Revenue	Latest Employee Count	Documents
BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP INC CIN: 1113809 , United States, Active	Mar 30, 2000	$500M - $1B (As on Jan 31, 2026)	1000 (As on Jan 31, 2023)	-

Build A Bear got listed on Oct 29, 2004.

Click here to take a look at Build A Bear's IPO in detail

Build A Bear is a funded company. Build A Bear has 2 institutional investors.

View details of Build A Bear's funding rounds and investors

The founders of Build A Bear is Maxine Clark.

Here are the details of Build A Bear's key team members:

Maxine Clark: Former Founder & CEO of Build A Bear. They are also an angel investor in 1 startup.
Contact Info: 1 email address

View details of Build A Bear's Founder profiles and Board Members

Build A Bear's employee count trend

Build A Bear has 3,451 employees as of Mar 26. Here is Build A Bear's employee count trend over the years:

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Top competitors of Build A Bear include Hasbro, Mattel and Toys"R"Us. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of Build A Bear, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	Hasbro 1923, Pawtucket (United States), Public	Provider of toys and board games for kids	-	Nexon, Alta Fox Capital & 1 others	64/100
2nd	Build A Bear 1997, Saint Louis (United States), Public	Internet first brand offering offering soft toys	-	Point72, L Catterton	63/100
3rd	Mattel 1945, El Segundo (United States), Public	Designer, manufacturer and seller of toys and games	-	Bank of America, Bain Capital Private Equity	62/100
4th	Toys"R"Us 1948, Parsippany (United States), Acquired	Internet first brand of baby toys, learning kits, and kids arts & crafts items	-	Bessemer Venture Partners, J P Morgan & 4 others	61/100
5th	Jakks Pacific 1995, Los Angeles (United States), Public	Develops, produces, and markets a range of toys and leisure products	-	West Coast Capital	55/100
6th	MGA Entertainment 1979, Chatsworth (United States), Unfunded	Distributor of children's toys and entertainment products with a focus on fashion dolls and collectibles	-	-	52/100
7th	LINE FRIENDS 2017, New York City (United States), Unfunded	Internet first brand of toys, stickers, and bags for kids	-	-	50/100
8th	Backyard Discovery 1968, Pittsburg (United States), Acquired	Manufacturer of outdoor playsets	-	Baird Capital	48/100
9th	Guardian Bikes 2015, Austin (United States), Series B	Internet first brand of bikes and accessories for kids	$22M	JPMorgan Chase, Elevate Ventures & 2 others	48/100
10th	Ravensburger 1883, Seattle (United States), Funding Raised	Online retailer of puzzles, games, arts and crafts, and toys	-	Gov.cz	47/100

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Build A Bear has made 3 investments in companies including Ridemakerz and Ridemakerz. Build A Bear has also acquired 1 companies including The Bear Factory.

Here is the list of investments & acquisitions:

Date of Investment/Acquisition	Type	Company Name	Founded Year	Location
Mar 2008	Investments	Ridemakerz	2006	Santa Ana (United States)
Jun 2007	Investments	Ridemakerz	2006	Santa Ana (United States)
Jun 2006	Investments	Ridemakerz	2006	Santa Ana (United States)