In a piece of news we did not have on our bingo card for 2022, Build-A-Bear has released a new “After Dark” collection of plushies aimed at adults.
The company teased the new line on Facebook with a photo of a stuffed toy lion lounging on a bed next to two glasses of Champagne and a single rose. The lion, which has a heart-shaped head, sports silky, black-and-red pajamas and a coordinating robe.
“Wink, wink — our Giftshop is full of gifts for adults too!” the company wrote in the caption. “Shop Build-A-Bear After Dark for unique gift ideas that are sure to get you hugged.”
The Build-A-Bear adult collection has its own website, the Bear Cave, which requires users to confirm they are 18 or over before entering.
“Who said stuffed animals were just for the kids? Why should they get to have all the fun?” reads a message on the site. “The Build-A-Bear stuffed animal gift collection has something for everyone—including stuffed animals for adults who are just kids at heart.”
In one funny detail, when you hover over the costumed stuffed animals featured on the Bear Cave site, the photo switches to an image of the toy without its costume.
Some of the toys are intended for adults because they include alcohol references — including Pawlette, a rabbit holding a bottle and glass of rosé and wearing a T-shirt that reads, “Rosé over roses.”
Another costume includes a cute bear sporting a heart costume and satin, heart-printed boxers.
Yet another costume includes a teddy bear looking “devilishly adorable” in a red cape and horns.
Some of the bears also sport T-shirts with more adult (but still G-rated) messages, like a T-shirt that reads, “Not today, Cupid.”
The lion from Build-A-Bear’s earlier Facebook ad also appears on the Bear Cave site, though wearing a different outfit that includes an “I love you” T-shirt and a plush Champagne bottle and glass.
The adult collection, whose overall vibe is cute and silly rather than raunchy, also includes stuffed animals with costumes from franchises including "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," "Lord of the Rings" and the Marvel universe.