- Build-A-Bear said it would start selling Baby Yoda stuffed animals as demand for the adorable character from the "Star Wars" show "The Mandalorian" booms.
- "I'm excited to share we will be one of the first companies to provide the digital and internet phenomenon who is trending higher than all the presidential candidates combined," Build-A-Bear CEO Sharon Price John said during a presentation on Tuesday at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida.
- High-profile partnerships with companies like Disney and Lucasfilm are crucial to Build-A-Bear's business as customers seek out iconic characters in stuffed-animal form.
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Baby Yoda is coming to Build-A-Bear.
Toys featuring the instantly popular character from "The Mandalorian" have been in high demand since the show debuted on Disney Plus in November. A Baby Yoda toy from Funko quickly became a top-selling action figure on Amazon in early December — even though customers who preordered the toy will not receive it until May.
"I'm excited to share we will be one of the first companies to provide the digital and internet phenomenon who is trending higher than all the presidential candidates combined," Build-A-Bear CEO Sharon Price John said during a presentation on Tuesday at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida.
"We now will have The Child, also known as Baby Yoda," John added.
Holding up a Baby Yoda stuffed animal to show the audience, John said Baby Yoda would be available at Build-A-Bear workshops in the next few months.
"It's great, again, to be in business with best-in-class partners," John said, adding that Build-A-Bear, Disney, and Lucasfilm worked quickly to make the Baby Yoda character a reality.
"We started this process almost with the first episode," John said.
High-profile partnerships are crucial to Build-A-Bear's business. John said on Tuesday that while historically much of Build-A-Bear's business has been geared toward children, almost half of its sales now are items intended for tweens, teens, and adults. John added that the chain has seen significant growth in adults shopping online and seeking out products produced in partnership with companies like Disney, Lucasfilm, and Warner Bros.
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