After 9.5 Hours In Line, Babs The Bear Is Born

DOUGLASVILLE, GA – Build a bear for the price of your kid's age. Sounds like a great promotion, right? But maybe too good of a promotion.

DJ, his wife, Contessa Burston, and their 16-month-old daughter, Sophia, were excited to head to Arbor Place Mall, in Douglasville, Thursday and build a bear, taking advantage of the big Build-A-Bear Workshop nationwide promotion. But when the small family got to the mall, at about 8:45 a.m., the line was already wrapped around the building.

"There were already about 300 to 400 people in line," he said. "The amazing thing was that the line stayed that long all-day, right up until the time they closed it."

How did young Sophia handle the wait? DJ said she did pretty well until they actually entered the store, where she had a mini-meltdown.

"The line really wasn't that bad," Watson said. "The other kids and people in line made it fun. When we left, they were our peeps. We sweat together; we ate with them; and really became buddies with them."

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Watson said he and his wife took turns going to the bathroom and buying food at mall locations like Chick-fil-A, while the other held the family's place in line.

Arbor Place Mall spokesperson, Molly Mitchell, said the event was almost like an unexpected Black Friday event.

"[The people waiting in line] were really a happy group," she said. "Most people knew they were going to wait because it was such an extraordinary deal. It was not just about saving money, it was an experience. People got to enjoy the time with their kids."

Mitchell said people were already waiting at the doors of the mall at 6 a.m.

"We added security and monitored the situation all day," she said. "The mall opened at 7 a.m. for the mall walkers and we let everyone in. People knew there would be a wait. It takes time for four or five year olds to build a bear. The ones who didn't expect it, bailed. But most people stuck it out and were happy with it"

At 11 a.m., Build A Bear Douglasville posted on their Facebook page that lines had to be closed.

"Urgent Alert: Lines closed for Pay Your Age Day event per local authorities, we cannot accept additional guests at our locations due to crowds and safety concerns," reads the post. "We have closed lines in our U.S. and Canada stores. We understand some guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible."

Mitchell said guests who were in line at the time of the announcement would receive a $15 voucher to be used anytime from Friday to Aug. 31.

After Sophia's mini-meltdown, her father said it was all smooth sailing from there.

"We let her run around the store," he said. "She ran up and picked up a bear and started kissing it and we knew that was the one. She stuffed it and the three of us kissed a heart and added it in with the stuffing."

Was it all worth it?

"I paid $1 and I would have probably paid about $20, so I saved about $19," he said. "But it was a nice experience. It was a lot of fun hanging out in line. Personally, I think the mall and security did a good job. They were maintaining the fire lanes and keeping things safe and really acted very politely.

"Next year, maybe they could have a will call or send you an email with your appointment time or something," he said.

And so, a bear was born, named Babs. Watson admits the name was influenced by the Build-A-Bear (BAB) name printed on the bear's paw.

Was Sophia satisfied?

Her father said she slept with the bear all night and "was squeezing all over it."

Photos courtesy DJ Watson