BUILD-A-GEEK

Last year for Ann's birthday, we took her to Build-A-Bear where Marina, Ann and I built bears. Christi opted out because of jealousy issues with her existing stuffed animals, which we all completely understood.

My first Build-A-Bear was Teddy Pringles, a black bear dressed in a Mountie uniform, who is supposed to represent the adorable black bear we met in the wild in Canada. I love Teddy Pringles so much!



In November, for Marina's birthday, we returned to Build-A-Bear with a healthy addiction well under way, and this time it was just Marina and me making bears. Ann had her precious sheep and no need or room for a sibling, and Christi cited the stuffed animal jealousy again, to which we nodded again in total understanding. Given that I'd just gone on my South Dakota trip, I REALLY wanted to make a buffalo, but alas, they had no buffalo. Instead, I made Nanuq, my polar bear (because I was a polar bear in my last life), and I dressed him as an Eskimo. Nanuq is the shit, yo! It doesn't get much cuter. Or softer.



So, in the meantime, I've been pining for my Build-A-Bear buffalo. I had already decided she was going to be named Dakota and I'd put her in traditional Indian dress. Finally, I just bit the bullet and ordered her, and folks, this is the cutest little buffalo in the history of cute little buffalo.



She's soft like Nanuq, has the biggest brown eyes, and a cute pink mouth like she's grazing.



I never meant to fall in love with Build-A-Bears. They're so commercial and silly, and so what if you can help put them together? They're just stuffed animals, right?

Au contraire! They are fuzzy little love beasts and I want more.