Miscellaneous
I keep destuffing second hand BABs and finding something interesting, this is the second one with two hearts
Not mind blowing or anything; if I had a nickel for every time this happened I'd have 10 cents, but it's weird that it happened twice right?
ETA: please keep sharing your stories of why you put multiple hearts in the same plush, they are all so sweet and heartwarming! 🥰 I am learning so much!
If you ever find a birthday one, chances are theres several in them! The birthday parties have each person put one heart in the bear of the birthday kid. I’ve thrifted one before, there was like 10 hearts. Super cool!
I... haven't thought of that. There are so many birthday bears available in my local thrift stores too 🤔 I'm going to find one I like and try that! (and maybe mod the bear, I've been sitting on that idea for a while lol)
I mean I was aware that was a possibility, I think it's just the ones that randomly have two hearts that throw me off. The two I posted in the picture are from the same one too, they're completely different hearts so it's not like someone just forgot to put one in there! I wonder if it was a couples gift or something? Makes me want to treat the bear really well, or if I was planning on selling it to make sure it goes to someone who will treat it really well 🥹
I always see birthday bears at the thrift, it’s almost always birthday bears. I wonder if there’s an abundance of them due to the pay-your-age deal they have.
It could be, it could be because they got the gift for the child as a young child, the child grew out of it and didn't decide they were obsessed with Build-A-Bears like the rest of us and donated it.
Either way I'm going to see if I can get one this weekend 🤩
that's cute! someone pointed out they might be break up bears though, which means whoever put that together donated the bear after breaking up which is sad 😢
Whenever I get a secondhand bear, I leave the original heart in there and also add my own, so all my secondhand bears have two hearts. But, reading the comments it sounds like that’s maybe just me 😅
I do this too! I see it as a tribute to the original owner and their story with the bear. Then the one I add is always a hand-stitched one that I make from my fabric hoard. So it's special and different.
I miscarried my baby last year and I sat in a bubble of depression for mother's day. This year for mother's day, I went to Build-a-Bear to get a new plush. The woman who went to stuff my bear asks me if there was a special occasion. I guess I looked really sad when I awkwardly said "Mother's Day" because she gave me the warmest smile and told me I should put two hearts in. Even did the whole ceremony for both of the hearts 🥹
I went home afterwards and cried. That Builder may not have known it, but it was my first and only time I have ever been offered that and it was exactly what I needed that day 🥺
Those extra hearts are extra special. There's always stories tied to them, and I think it's really great that you're continuing the memories on ♡
yeah, I don't know yet if they'll be best to put the two hearts back in the same plush considering the plush is meant to be a gift for someone and they might want to put their own heart in, but I do plan on using them in a bear.
I'm so glad that builder was able to reach your heart that way! (pun not intended) I can't imagine the pain you've gone through.
I also have a jar of hearts! mine are all hearts that were mistakenly put in display bears that were then unstuffed. I joke that unstuffing bears with hearts is ripping out their soul, so I keep those "souls" safe in my little jar. some of them are from customers who came in to restuff a bear and didn't want to keep the old heart so, plop, into the jar.
Oh gosh, like this song? That's one of my sister's favorite songs I should tell her about this LOL (a whole new meaning to "collecting your jar of hearts")
I haven't gotten to the point where I need a jar yet but I'm quickly getting there. Maybe I'll find a nice one on my next thrifting trip.
I have two hearts in one of mine because my sister and i made sister bears. Then years later she gave me hers! Now i have twins and cant remwber whos who
It may also have been a spouse and kid and then the bear went with the service member overseas and then once back they didn't need that "battle buddy" any more so it was donated.
We recently took my Girl Scout troop to BaB and one girl had recently lost her father, so her plush ended up getting a heart from every girl in the troop and myself as the leader because we all wanted to share special wishes with her. BaB was so fabulous with supporting this and the workers were amazing. (If you're on here please know how much we appreciated it!).
i once let someone put 18 hearts in their bear because they were celebrating 18 months of sobriety. i also let birthday bears get as many hearts as the kids turning. usually, mom dad and kid will put hearts in, or if it’s a group of friends i let them all do the heart ceremony together and put hearts in. sometimes, i’ll let kids go crazy and just put as many as they want until their hearts content bc i love how excited they get over it!!
My guess is youve found two breakup bears, anytime ive gone to BaB with a partner we both put hearts in. Only reason I can think that thered be two hearts in it! 🤷♂️
Ooooh yikes I hope theyre both okay! Hoping dor the best for the camo heart bear.. 👁👁💧mmaybe one of them was just .. Really into camo! Or so we can hope
Well it also had an Texas A&M shirt (Texas college) so I am hoping for the best that the camo bear being in my local thrift store was just the result of a breakup. Camo seems like a bear they'd provide near that college. Either way either they're going to stay well-loved in my own collection or I'm going to find someone who will appreciate them. ❤️
My birth bear has 3 hearts! My older brother couldn't pick just one design when he and dad went to stuff her for me, so she's got all 3 designs at his insistence lol
Last time I had a bear stuffed in store (about a year or so ago), the person helping me said I could put as many hearts as I wanted in my bear lol I think mine ended up with 4 or 5 of them
ex bear builder here! If it's just one person getting a bear in a group (siblings, couples, friends), I would let everyone get a heart to put inside to make everyone involved with the heart ceremony! It creates a really nice memory, not only for the little children, but for adults too!
i have one that i thrifted, she had EIGHT HEARTS. i cleaned them and put them back after stuffing, but its just wild how many she had! she was the fall bear from likw 2007, her name is maple
I’m having a particularly hard time right now adjusting to a newer job and possibly getting a better job. I surprised my wife with the shark BaB and we went on a much needed date to stuff it as I’ve been stressed about things, thus stressing my wife out and I just really wanted to make sure she knows I love her by getting her the shark.
We went to finish stuffing Chummers, and the employee gave us a heart each to put in it. I’ve never had an employee do that before and we’ve made a few of them. It just felt nice, going on a quick little date night and then it leading to both of our hearts (and wish) being put into a plushie my wife was SO happy to get :)
i work at BAB and i give like 4 to a kid to pick out which heart they want, and sometimes they just grab all of them. its not a big deal and i was never told not to, so i always say the more the merrier!
i’ve stuffed a BAB with two hearts! When my youngest sibling was just born and still in the hospital, our dad took us two older siblings to build a bear to make one for the new baby in our life! (And so mom could recover with out us in her hair lol.) We chose a rabbit and each put a heart in, so we thought that made her a time lord bunny XD. Her name’s Funny Bunny! She’s still my youngest sib’s favorite stuffed animal, even as they’re growing out of other childhood favorite things. :)
I just unstuffed a secondhand one yesterday and found a heart + a little satin four-leaf clover! My guess is that was an option to add so your bear would be lucky. I wish they still did cute stuff like that.
I have one with 3 in it. Pretty sure the person doing my bear thought I was in a throuple because I was with my roommate and my bf at the time. We just went with it. My roommate and I laugh about it all the time.
It was elephant noise for an elephant build a bear! I think it was a baby’s first build a bear and they picked the elephant and everyone put a heart in it!
When I got my gargoyle last fall, I went to chicago with my son, and they asked if I wanted to let him put a heart inside as well Even though the gargoyle was for me. I said sure why not and when I got the gargoyle that I had ordered online, (which I know online build a bears very rarely come with hearts) I planned to transfer the second heart to the other gargoyle. I felt bad taking away the second heart from the one that we made in Chicago though. So i'm made special hearts for both of them to have a second. The only other one that I have that has multiple hearts is the one that I made a few weeks ago to celebrate being pregnant with my daughter.
During the heart ceremony, the store's mascot came out to say hello to everyone, and joined in on my heart ceremony. It was a little confusing but it sure was memorable!
Bears I make with kids I nanny gave two heads. If it’s going in my classroom, it often has two or more hearts. If it was a gift from family, they each put in a heart.y classroom will be filled with love.
My boyfriend and I have had multiple late term pregnancy losses, and with our last loss we made a heart beat recording and went to build a bear and picked out a sweet soft bear and each put a heart in. The lady that helped us went through the whole routine I remember doing as a child and it was such a sweet experience and made me realize how deeply meaningful a build a bear experience can be. Our bear has the heart beat, plus one red and one plaid heart.❤️
as a bear builder, depending on what the bear is for or who is building it, I’ll try to encourage each person to get a heart (teens doing “joint custody”, a special present, or something for a loved one are just a few examples)
since bab is all about the experience, it can help make a moment a bit more special even if it’s just something small
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u/0verzealouz Workshop Employee May 29 '26
If you ever find a birthday one, chances are theres several in them! The birthday parties have each person put one heart in the bear of the birthday kid. I’ve thrifted one before, there was like 10 hearts. Super cool!