Build A Bear is Bringing it Back

Last year Build-a-Bear Workshop ran a special sale where kids could get a bear for the price of their age  But SO MANY people showed up at their locations around the country that things started descending into, quote, "madness" . . . and they had to shut down the promotion before the afternoon. They thought this worked so well that they're bringing it back. 

Build-A-Bear is bringing back its popular “pay your age” promotion. But after the chaos it created last time, they’ve got a plan to help control crowd size.

This year, shoppers will need to need to sign up on the company’s website for a chance to get a limited ticket. If you are one of the 200,000 lucky shoppers, you’ll be able to cash in your ticket and pay your age on select days from June 24-28.

If you want a chance to win, you’d better hurry, because you only have until June 16. Winners will be notified by June 21, according to the website. Among those who sign up for tickets, ten will be chosen to win a Build-A-Bear birthday party experience.

Last year massive crowds showed up at Build-a-Bear stores all around the country.  We're talking hundreds or thousands of people at each location.

The stores started running out of inventory FAST and, according to reports, things were descending into, quote, "madness" . . . so they pulled the plug.

At around 11:30 A.M. Eastern they posted messages on their social media saying they were shutting down the promotion for, quote, "safety concerns."

So naturally, the people who'd been waiting in lines for hours weren't happy at all . . . and now Build-a-Bear is getting trashed on Facebook and Twitter.  Never underestimate the passion you can inspire with a $4 teddy bear.

Check out some of the reactions from people who waited in line...

here is audio from some upset mothers...