Build-a-Bear Timeless Teddy Bear Review 🧸 Meet Augustus!

Hi there, Folk of the Hollow!

I have always wanted one of those vintage teddy bears—one of the ones that you might find in your grandmother’s (or great-grandmother’s?) attic from her childhood in the Victorian era. One of those toys that you can see the absolute outpouring of love it received in the shabbiness of its fur and the looseness of its eyes. A real Velveteen Rabbit situation. I thought that maybe, because I was born so late for that kind of thing, I might have to just resign myself to not getting quite the doll I was looking for. Like—I would get a teddy bear, but it wouldn’t be the Winnie-the-Pooh, Velveteen Rabbit kind of teddy bear that I would have wanted.

Way back when I was in . . . I want to say 7th grade, maybe sooner, when Build-a-Bear first became a thing I remember my mom taking me to get one made. That bear was long lost to the years because I was a kid and didn’t appreciate the value of holding onto something like that. A little part of me regrets that I didn’t treat that bear with more reverence and love—it could’ve been with me for my entire life, through all my ups and downs and growing pains—but I didn’t, and that bear is long gone. I like to think that maybe it made its way into the hands of someone who really needed it 💚

But several weeks ago, I was thinking about how much I wished I had a vintage teddy bear. I took to the internet and realized that Build-a-Bear had the exact kind of teddy bear I was looking for, and it was called the Timeless Teddy Bear!

Friday was my birthday, and on Saturday night I decided to finally buy myself a Timeless Teddy Bear! Thanks to both my inability to forget about him and encouragement from my friend Caroline Hardaker, I had a new friend on the way!

Build-a-Bear offers same day delivery (I imagine he was made and shipped from the mall nearby) and likely would’ve come yesterday if I hadn’t placed my order like an hour before the store closed. But he was here by lunchtime today! I named him Augustus, but his friends call him Gus—so from here on out, I’m going to refer to him as Gus!

Here is my full review of Gus, my Timeless Teddy Bear, because I couldn’t not do one.

I didn’t opt for the big cardboard house that they can come in, but I was still pleasantly surprised at the paper bag they did deliver him in. I had expected just some normal cardboard box with every piece of tape known to man, and to find out that they still took a little effort to make his delivery special was a fun surprised! I don’t feel like I missed out on any magic by not opting for the box, which is a great touch on the part of Build-a-Bear. All I had to do was open the mouth of the bag, where they had stapled it shut, and find my new friend inside!

From the moment I pulled Gus out of the bag, I knew I had made a new best friend for life. I was so worried that he wouldn’t be very big, or that the texture of his fur would be unbearable to my neuro-atypical brain, but I was pleasantly surprised on both counts! His fur is so soft, and he’s big enough to properly hug. Some stuffed animals lose a bit of their charm because their too small, or they’re made in a way that makes them feel too rigid, but Gus is absolutely perfect for holding close and squeezing when you don’t feel good. As it is, I’ve been sitting with him in my lap all day while I play games on my computer and he’s a very good co-pilot!

One of my favorite things about how he looks is how the fur covers his eyes a little bit. He really does remind me of some vintage toy that would come to life to teach an adult beaten down by the realities of life how to nurture their inner child and see the magic in the world again. Plus, I showed a friend of mine and he pointed out how the fur around his mouth looks like he’s got a mustache! He just gets more and more dapper the more you look at him!

From the outset I knew I wanted to pick some clothes that enhanced the vintage cottagecore aesthetic. I was fully prepared to not bother with any of the clothes from the store itself and just try to find patterns and make something for him myself (which I’m not at all confident I could do) but as I was getting ready to add him to my cart I decided to take one last look at their clothing options to see what jumped out—and I found this perfect shirt / vest / bow-tie combo that really gives the vibe I was looking for with this bear! And the best part?

The vest velcros on and off, so if I ever end up buying him new clothes or making him some myself, I can just take the vest off no problem. I know the ability to change out clothes for the bears is one of the things Build-a-Bear is known for, so I shouldn’t be all that surprised, but it’s still really nice and sometimes it’s nice to praise a company for something we just really appreciate even if its something we expect.

All-in-all I love Gus with all my heart and soul. I’m so happy I finally just took the leap and bought him for myself instead of hemming and hawing into infinity. Literally I kept almost crying when I was looking at him (thanks PMS for making me overly emotional) and I can’t wait to bring Gus with me into the rest of my life. He’s the absolute perfect cottagecore / Victorian teddy bear 💚 10/10 no notes.

Have you ever bought a Timeless Teddy Bear from Build-a-Bear? Have you ever gotten any bear from Build-a-Bear? I want to hear all about them in the comments!

Until next time!

Bye-Bye! 💚

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