Bear-building

On Sunday we headed to the Build-A-Bear factory at the Express Bus Terminal in Seoul. Inspired by the multitude of outfits available we went with the purpose of creating some cute new companions since, after all, it is Where Best Friends Are Made.

We chose our unstuffed animals, handed them over to the bear stuffing girl, and watched as our furry friends shaped into being. They were given little fabric hearts which undertook the ritual of blowing (for luck), rubbing on head (for intelligence), rubbing on face (for beauty) and jumping (to get the heart pumping). Lauren's first bear unfortunately had seriously wonky eyes, so her replacement bear was given special eye rubbing for good sight. Cute.

The bears were sewn up, brushed and "showered", given birth certificates and ribbons for the ears. Our bears are yet to be dressed, but hanbok and taekwondo outfits seem very apt for their current location.