It’s one thing when you are bombarded daily by news articles, it’s quite another when you want to buy a custom teddy bear and are treated to a video lecture on global warming. That’s why I’ll never buy anything from this company and advise my family and friends with children to avoid them also.
www.buildabear.com – their main page below looks just like any normal toy page with a Christmas theme, but visit the games section and you enter a whole new winter wonderland.
Apparently “build-a-bear” is quite the fad, now in 17 countries. But they had a dirty little secret, they were pushing an agenda under the guise of a cartoon designed to entertain the kids.
Maura Flynn writes at biggovernment.com
Attention Santas:
This missive is directed at the guardians of, and donors to, tiny humans. If you fall into that category you likely are already familiar with Build-A-Bear, a world-wide corporation that provides the most innocent of services. They sell customizable stuffed animals. Make your own bear, dog…penguin. Cute concept.
So cute, in fact, that the Build-A-Bear empire sweeps across nearly every state and into 17 other countries. You’ll find their outlets in shopping malls everywhere and even some ballparks. The company also has a website called Build-A-Bearville.com where children can play an interactive video game that, on it’s surface, is unlikely to raise suspicion or sound alarms.
But when your unsuspecting tot logs on and hops a virtual train to the North Pole…you should know that he or she will be informed — by Santa Claus — that Christmas may be canceled this year due to Global Warming. Below is part two of the 3-part video.
Here’s an excerpt (1:07-2:22):
Girl Elf: Santa, it’s gone!
Papa Elf: It’s gone, It’s gone!
Santa: What’s gone?
Girl Elf: Tell ‘em, Dad!
Papa Elf: The North Peak.
Santa: A mountain? A mountain’s gone? How is that possible?
Ella the polar bear: Santa, sir, that’s why I’m here. That’s why we’re here. The ice is melting!
Santa: Yes, my dear, we know, the climate is changing. There’s bound to be a little melting.
Ella: It’s worse than that, Santa, a lot worse! At the rate it’s melting, the North Pole will be gone by Christmas!”
Santa: My, my…all of this gone by next Christmas? I don’t think so.
Ella: No sir, not next Christmas, this Christmas! The day after tomorrow!
And this is merely the tip of the dialogue iceberg, if you’ll forgive me for putting it that way. You can view parts one and three here and here. Children of the world can look forward to priceless exchanges such as, “Oh my! Where will the polar bears live?” and my personal fave: “Where will the elves live?”
I suspect you’d like to think it can’t get any worse than that. Thus, it pains me to tell you that animated characters actually break into a discussion of satellite photos and that Mrs. Claus conducts a rather unscientific experiment involving ice cubes.
Needless-to-say, this constitutes brainwashing on the sleaziest and most sinister level. The good news is that this nonsense isn’t coming from our government this time and the rocky economy is our friend here. People, we have the means, if we have the will, to topple these charlatans who shamelessly prey on little children. So boycott Build-A-Bear. And, more importantly, tell the world why.
They apparently have been getting overwhelmed with letters, because today they posted this:
December 22, 2009
We have received inquiries regarding our online webisodes and would like to provide you with the following information.
Our goal is to entertain and engage the imagination of children with our stuffed animals, our store environment, and online. Our intention with the Polar Bear story was to inspire children, through the voices of our animal characters, to make a difference in their own individual ways. We did not intend to politicize the topic of global climate change or offend anyone in any way. The webisodes concluded this week with Santa successfully leaving on his journey to deliver gifts around the world. The webisodes will no longer be available on the site.
I started Build-A-Bear Workshop as a place for families and children to come for a fun experience combining imagination, creativity and empowerment. I have always placed great value in the trust that our Guests have in our brand.
At Build-A-Bear Workshop we also strive to encourage kids to help others by participating in their communities. We listen to parents and kids about topics that they are interested in and care about. We especially value the input of parents. We are listening and taking all points of view into consideration for the future.
If you have questions, please contact us:
Guests with questions should contact:
Guest services
314-423-8000
866-232-7269
Media with questions should contact:
Jill Saunders
314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-422-4523 (cell)
Investors with Questions should contact:
Investor Relations
314-423-8000 ext.5353
Sincerely,
Maxine Clark
Founder and Chief Executive Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop
There’s an important word missing from that letter, that word is “apology”. Global Warming and Christmas have no business being together, and hopefully this will be a lesson for other companies that try to put an agenda into children’s stories. Sadly, I suspect we’ll see more of this though.
If you already bought one of these, my advice is to call their customer service and ask for a full refund.
(toll free) 1-877-789-BEAR (2327)
Climate is now the religion, and this is its teaching. Isn’t this a postmodern (progressive/neo-marxist?) view where truth is relative, and we can shape truth/future by acting? The importance of constantly be aware and act should also makes this quite similar to pietism (and as a state religion even islamism?).
A good read is an article by Brendan O’Neill about Johnny Ball, who was booed off stage in an event for (supposedly) atheists:
http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7841
Johnny interviewed on BBC Radio Ulster, 25 March:
Merry Christmas!
There was more: when I was in school, the big deal was Nuclear weapons (we were all going to get blown up, the few survivors would die in the nuclear winter). Also, we were going to be out of oil before I was even old enough to drive, the rainforest is ALWAYS going to be completely destroyed in just a few years, we’re destroying and polluting everything. After school it was the Ozone layer, monoculture crops, global warming, and the latest overhypes of Pandemic (AIDS, SARS, Bird Flu, Swine Flu, etc.)
Funny, these scares all just fade away. 10 years ago the area I live in was in drought. We were being told that the water table was so low, it would never recover. It only took two seasons of normal/above normal precip to completely eliminate the worry… but did anyone apologize or correct the record? Of course not.
Guess what? We still have rainforests. We still have oil. Nobody managed to nuke the world. The numbers of people killed by “pandemics” doesn’t ever exceed the mortality from seasonal flu.
IMO, these deliberate campaigns to frighten children and undermine their hopes of a future are a form of child abuse. Many kids DO give up, and end up coasting through life because they never felt the need to get a proper education.
OT but i’m feeling funny. So i visited http://www.greenpeace.com just to see what’s going down. To my joy, they run an e-mailing campaign with a pre fab text that is mailed to Barack, Kevin Rudd and Jose Manuel Barroso.
Even better, you can edit the body of this message. Here’s what i had to say:
Dear Sirs,
I’m pretty satisfied that COP15 has not managed to cripple the economic development of the world.
It is of the utmost importance that we don’t prohibit economic growth around the globe. Too many people still live in poverty, and only economic growth can lift them out of this poverty. This is the only rational way to combat hunger.
Don’t be ashamed because you’ve been humiliated by China. China stopped you all from making a fatal mistake. And don’t listen too much to the Greenpeace-WWF-FoE Coalition.
Sincerely,
…weeelll. I don’t think it goes through the filter but it might just annoy them a little. Why don’t you send them your wishes as well?
Merry Christmas!
My belief in Santa disappeared when I caught my Pop assembling a kiddie car
back in ’58 when I was 4. This was never forgotten by me- also the language Pop
was using during the assembly.Though it was usually reserved for reluctant tractor
and combine parts.
NEW FROM ‘MENTELL’
A range of toys made of Ice.
Watch your kids face drop and then burst into an explosion of tears as it melts.
Over the noise of your blubbing child you can explain it was all their fault it melted because they breathed Co2 onto it.
Hurry before stocks melt.
If you are worried aboout the indoctrination of the next generation you are way too late. Just Google K12 educational materials and you get:
http://www.google.ad/#hl=ca&source=hp&q=global+warming+k12+educational+material&btnG=Cerca+amb+Google&lr=&aq=f&oq=global+warming+k12+educational+material&fp=fcd4be264531cbe6
A couple picks I found with a few seconds research… such as the WWF suggested high school curriculum:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/Climate%20Change/Climate%20Cirriculum/item5944.html
or the global warming for kids web site:
http://globalwarmingkids.net/
I don’t think your typical kid hangs out at WUWT unfortunately. I came across this at work when questioning a couple Gen Y’s what they thought about global warming, and they were both convinced it was quite an issue. They didn’t have the foggiest about any of the science of course. I try to joke around with them about the issues in a humourous way to get a more balanced message across, but you have to realise that the typical school teacher is quite happy to parrot the WWF type stuff to their kids. The results are self-evident.
I am not sue what you can do about it to be honest… I also notice that science education (especially maths) is woeful in Australia these days. Critical thinking is also lacking as a consequence. As a former university educator I find this quite distressing.
I appreciate your work but IMO you really need to stop grabbing the entire content of posts you reference. It goes far beyond fair use. Most everyone merely uses excerpts when they reference the work of others.
Well why not, why not let Santa drown, NASA friggin melted the Venusians?
For those who would propagandize children:
“… but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
She is not evil just wrong, give her a break.
Ours went broke but the kids loved it
Let ’em. I was force-fed soviet propaganda since kindergarten. By my early teens I was thoroughly anti-communist. Luckily, those people never learn (I hope).
Tallbloke I definetly agree with you I’m sick of the BBC it’s become nothing more than a propoganda outlet for alarmist nonsense
This reminds me of NASA’s fascination with the mistaken discovery of krypton production in lunar samples from the 1969 Apollo Mission to the Moon.
NASA’s PR (public relations) guys seemed fascinated with the idea of linking NASA and Apollo with stories that only Kryptonite could kill Superman.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/23/unbearable-global-warming-threatens-the-north-pole-christmas/#more-14441
We repeated a similar study in 1972 and found that excess Kr-78 (the lightest Kr isotope) was implanted in lunar soils from the solar wind. This experiment shows that lightweight elements – like H (element#1) and He (element #2) – and the lightweight isotopes of each element – like Kr-78 and Xe-124 – are enriched at the solar surface by simple mass fractionation inside the Sun.
Here are the data that NASA did not want to see: http://www.omatumr.com/Data/1972Data1.htm
With kind regards,
Oliver K. Manuel
With kind regards,
OLiver K. Manuel
Galen Haugh,
“I suggest we change the word “Denialist” or “Skeptic” (words assigned to us by the AGWers) to “Realist”. That puts the monkey back on the AGWers as being outside the realm of reality, which is truly the case.”
But we don’t get too choose which word the other side uses to insult us with.
Usually just lurking around WUWT, but I wanted to thank you for informing consumers of this. My kids love Build-A-Bear, but money talks and we won’t be shopping there anymore.
Also wanted to inform your readers I’ve started a boycott of Costco as well. They published a sinister picture of Al Gore on the cover of their November Costco Connections magazine with an article enclosed promoting his book and his ideas about “alternative” energy. I support Costco selling Gore’s book, I just don’t want my membership dues paying for promotion of his destructive and fictitious claims. The letter I snail-mailed to Sam’s Club and Costco is also published at my blog if you’re interested.
Make them suffer where it hurts – in the pocketbook.
These build-a-bear people are no worse than nearly every other business – perhaps a bit more zealous. Ok, a bit worse perhaps.
However, you can’t go anywhere today without seeing claim after claim about “carbon footprints being reduced” and “environments saved.” Our supermarket chain has signs up everywhere telling any shopper that cares how the hand dryers in their loo’s have the lowest carbon footprints, and their light bulbs are all energy efficient. It’s a win-win strategy. They reduce their costs, advertise their virtue to those that care, and if you don’t care – well, so what?
These bear people, have, I think, crossed the line between advertising a supposed virtue and prosletyzing. But that is surely because whereas the supermarket is cynically deploying a marketing strategy, the bear people see themselves as crusaders for the planet. I imagine them holding all night sessions thrashing out ways to use their position to “get the message across.” Having done so, it is perfectly right that they receive the approbrium of their customers, and they may well be shocked at the response.
They thought the whole world shared their views. Sure, some folk may be less passionate than themselves, some even indifferent, but nobody could possibly be opposed, could they? How wrong they were.
Cynical, I agree. My kids were fed the re-use/reduce/recycle mantra all through school and now they are the worst at sorting trash for recycling. I guess the message is tuned out after a while.
I am so glad that I taught my daughter the fundamental principles of science at a very early age. Scepticism being the principle philosophy and the idea that almost nothing is correct or right. most of the “accepted theories” are just not wrong yet.
She is now studying zoology at university and is broadly sceptical of human induced climate change being caused by CO2.
Bulldust (08:42:02) :
“I am not sure what you can do about it to be honest… I also notice that science education (especially maths) is woeful in Australia these days. Critical thinking is also lacking as a consequence. As a former university educator I find this quite distressing.”
Bulldust, I just keep asking ‘why?’. They get bored quite quickly but it makes them think. Their answers generally refer to pollution or sustainability (whatever that is, exactly) rather than AWG, so it sorts out the distinction between AWG theory and the others.
sorry, AGW, tired typo.
I just fired this off to them:
To all responsible,
After viewing your No More North Pole cartoon, I am speechless. Your actions are reprehensible, regardless of the fact or fiction of climate change. To foist scare tactics into the spirit of Christmas, Santa, the family, and giving upon small, impressionable children is without moral conviction. You should be ashamed to the fullest extent.
I would excuse your naivete for not being aware of the actual science surrounding climate, whether changing or not, and for not being aware of recent revelations of scientific fraud as a result of ‘Climategate’ emails and programs. Even if you still were of the belief that the “science is settled”, your actions in producing this series of cartoons is tantamount to scaring little kids into sending you money, because if they don’t, the Easter Bunny will die.
Have you no scruples?
Even Al Gore, the most dire predictor of impending doom, says that the polar ice cap COULD be gone in 5 YEARS, not 2 days. 5 years is meant to scare adults, 2 days is meant to scare children. Young, impressionable, uneducated in real science, innocent children.
Would you care for me to produce a series of similar cartoons showing that Santa won’t be able to deliver Teddy bears (or Build A Bears, for that matter) on Christmas because all the materials they’re made from come from a Lao Gai prison factory in China and the inmates are rioting?? There would be far more truth to that than your cartoons.
You owe an apology, not a disclaimer.
Respectfully,
A former customer
Santa is a big fat idiot to believe those doom-sayers animals. He should have seen it was an hoax the minute he saw the glass of water… ice-cubes don’t sink to the bottom of a glass full of water.
Makes you wonder the level if basic science understanding from those producers and artists that made this piece of propaganda.
I think Santa should make nice rugs with those kinds of animals.
Here is the clip with the the ice sinking in water…
“These bear people, have, I think, crossed the line between advertising a supposed virtue and prosletyzing. ”
Agreed. They are telling outright extreme lies. I am sure that if the North Pole was to melt at Christmas, then where the elves live will be the very very least of our concerns.
In fact, if the North pole were to melt at Christmas, we would not be here to have any concerns.
We are nowhere near a complete melt in summer, yet. A total melt in the depths of winter? Rubbish.
Icarus (03:11:12) :
Of course we can’t read the minds of the Build-A-Bear employees who came up with this theme, so it could be a purely commercial attempt to exploit a current topic, but equally we could give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was a genuine attempt to help educate kids about just how serious global warming is. After all, today’s kids are the ones who are going to have to be dealing with it when they’re adults.
I guess you are afraid your wings will melt?
Have you studied this well documented sequence of the temperature changes the last 400.000 years in Greenland and the antarctic?
Can you honestly say that the danger comes from overheating? The current temperatures are a blip in the climate scheme, where one sees oscillating temperatures. 400.000 years says “what goes up will come down”.
Build-A-ManBearPig, they mean…