Build-A-Bear Workshop Recalls Heartwarming Hugs Bears Due to Risk of Serious Injury or Death from Choking Hazard to Children
Home product recall 26-457. Announced by CPSC on Apr 30, 2026.
- CPSC: stop using it
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Apr 30, 2026. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
- Stop using it what CPSC tells owners to do now (needs attention)
- Refund or Replace what’s offered
- About 36,000 (In addition 520 were sold in Canada) units, as CPSC gives them
- None injuries, CPSC’s notice says
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The zipper slider on the side pouch can detach, posing a risk of serious injury or death from choking hazard to children.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Heartwarming Hugs Bear and return it to a local Build-A-Bear Workshop store to receive a refund in the form of original payment or a gift card for the original purchase price redeemable toward any available Make-Your-Own furry friend and any other available merchandise. If a consumer is unable to return their Heartwarming Hugs Bear to a local store, they can visit www.buildabear.com/recalls for more information or call Build-A-Bear to receive a free return shipping label to return the recalled bear and to receive a refund check in the form of original payment or in the form of a digital gift card to use on the firm’s website.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- What the company offers to fix a recalled product or vehicle: a repair, a replacement or a refund, as the recall notice says. For a vehicle, dealers make the safety repair free. Follow the notice’s own steps, or contact the company it names. Source: CPSC; NHTSA (49 U.S.C. 30120).: refund or replace.
- How to reach the firm: Build-A-Bear at 844-541-0144 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT on Sunday or by email at ProductHotline@buildabear.com, or online at https://www.buildabear.com/recalls or https://www.buildabear.com and click on “Recall” at the bottom of the page for more information.
Which ones are recalled?
This recall involves the Heartwarming Hugs weighted plush bear with model number 034464. It has a side pouch containing a heart filled with 2.5 pounds of ceramic beads, which can be heated or cooled for comfort. The pouch is secured with a zipper. The product is graded 3 years+ and carries a cautionary statement advising adult supervision due to the heated/cooled element. The model number is located on the label sewn into the back side of one bear leg.
About 36,000 (In addition 520 were sold in Canada) units, as CPSC gives them.
Build-A-Bear Workshop Heartwarming Hugs Bears.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 4 photos on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Imported by Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., St Louis, Missouri.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and online at www.buildabear.com from January 2026 through March 2026 for about $48.
- Made in China, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
There has been one consumer report in the United Kingdom of the zipper slider detaching while in use, and no reports in the United States. No injuries have been reported.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.