.jpg)
A pengiun's computer determines that the North Pole will be
gone in 48 hours thus threatening Christmas. (buildabearville.com)
Under the guise of a children’s game on its website, it was revealed yesterday that Build-A-Bear Workshop was pushing the manmade climate change theory to children. The videos portrayed the dire scenario of the North Pole melting and Christmas potentially having to be canceled all due to the evils of global warming. Apparently the company has begun to feel the heat themselves as they have responded publicly and removed the videos from their site.
In the videos, Santa Claus is informed that the “North Peak” is gone due to warming. An animated bear delivers even worse news to Kris Kringle saying, It’s worse than that, Santa, a lot worse! At the rate it’s melting, the North Pole will be gone by Christmas!”
Many parents were quick to respond when they discovered the videos saying they did not feel it was appropriate for a company catering to young children to address a polarizing issue and that it constituted indoctrination into an unsettled theory. Critics did not approve of the ‘alarmist’ approach and the way the discussion was framed in such a way to frighten children.
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The global warming movie that was on the online gaming site
for Build-A-Bear has been removed. (buildabearville.com)
Yesterday the company responded with a canned email response to inquiries about the issue but later in the day they posted a statement on their website addressing the controversy.
Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear said, “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.”
While lacking an apology, the statement said that the videos would no longer be available on the site. The complete statement follows:
Letter from Maxine Clark Regarding Online Webisodes
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
Guestcomments@buildabear.comMedia with questions should contact:
Jill Saunders
314-423-8000 ext. 5293
314-422-4523 (cell)
JillS@buildabear.comInvestors with Questions should contact:
Investor Relations
314-423-8000 ext.5353
Invest@buildabear.comSincerely,
Maxine Clark
Founder and Chief Executive Bear
Build-A-Bear Workshop
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Comments
Time to start dismantling EVERY avenue of the psychological terror imposed on all of us, especially our children. I would hope teachers, after the break, start taking down their propaganda posters and stop teaching nonsense... or, they will be held accountable.
People need to prosecute and take up charges on fraudulent and alarmist scams like which what was pulled by this build a bear racket. Letting a company like this get away with just removing the damaging content and not even an apology is just weak and not good enough.
Truthbetold: Gore, obama, clinton, pachauri, are all behind the scientists and they absolutely KNEW, and KNOW that they have been promoting a lie; however, as long as their profits rolled in, they have little concern. They will NOT get off either. They absolutely knew. The fact that the MF gore got into schools and called parents of the children many names, is outrageous in itself.
School was designed, originally, for education and since has turned into indoctrination to a socially engineered platform that does nothing but create little mini me's, consumers and non-critical thinkers. It is absolutely true. SEX ED should be in the home as well.
The UN must go and the people better start dusting off their brains. What will be found when people start tuning out the idiot box will be the AGW, 10 fold, in most areas our gov is involved in. MSM is a tool and SOMEONE decides what will be aired (it is censored, and created, no matter if it is FOX or MSNBC... they play the game)
"We did not intend to politicize the topic of global climate change or offend anyone in any way.”
Yes, because who could possibly be out to politicize a wholly political issue?
Perhaps this will sound familiar:
"'Up with your hands!' yelled a savage voice.
A...boy of nine had popped up from behind the table and was menacing him with a toy automatic pistol... Both of them were dressed in the blue shorts, grey shirts, and red neckerchiefs which were the uniform of the Spies. Winston raised his hands above his head, but with an uneasy feeling, so vicious was the boy’s demeanour, that it was not altogether a game.
'You’re a traitor!' yelled the boy. 'You’re a thought-criminal! You’re a Eurasian spy! I’ll shoot you, I’ll vaporize you, I’ll send you to the salt mines!'"
It is frightful that such lengths have been taken to turn children upon their parents, however common it may be. Such shall always be the tactics of greed and naïveté. Let us hope such distasteful gambits ar
I did two articles on the video and contacted Maxine Clark personally. I got the same canned email response, but with an apology as well for "disappointing" me. The overwhelming negative response the video received forced Clark to remove the video. Her claims that the intent of the video was not to politicize the issue rings hollow. How so? She says the video was meant to "inspire" children. Inspire them to what? Believe in and fight agaionst global warming. If that's not politicizing the issue then I'd like to know what is.
Truthbetold: Gore, obama, clinton, pachauri, are all behind the scientists and they absolutely KNEW, and KNOW that they have been promoting a lie; however, as long as their profits rolled in, they have little concern. They will NOT get off either. They absolutely knew. The fact that the MF gore got into schools and called parents of the children many names, is outrageous in itself.
School was designed, originally, for education and since has turned into indoctrination to a socially engineered platform that does nothing but create little mini me's, consumers and non-critical thinkers. It is absolutely true. SEX ED should be in the home as well.
The UN must go and the people better start dusting off their brains. What will be found when people start tuning out the idiot box will be the AGW, 10 fold, in most areas our gov is involved in. MSM is a tool and SOMEONE decides what will be aired (it is censored, and created, no matter if it is FOX or MSNBC... they play the game)
You're all idiots. There is no credible scientific opposition to theories related to global climate change. TEACHING science is NOT doctrination. The ones who are profiting are the ones who have you guys so brainwashed that you think we can go on burning fossil fuels without limit without damaging the earth. It is you drones that need to get your heads out of the sand.
J Edwards,
This is not science. Anthropogenic global warming is no longer even pseudo-science. Science is about proving a theory and giving realistic grounds to the world. AGW, however, is not proven to the degree at which it is touted. It is theory, not law.
I shall entertain your notion that it is law and ask you thusly: what solution do you propose? Do all industrialized nations cease using carbon-based fuels immediately? Should all nations henceforth use wind and photovoltaic power which produce so little? Or do you use reason and propose the world switch its energy source to nuclear-mechanical energy? Or perhaps nuclear fusion? Doubtful.
I must inquire, what is your definition of "credible"? Is credibility determined from a scientist's ideological stance? Or is credibility found from his or her peer-reviewed findings? If the argument is any indication, it is certainly not the latter which affects credibility in your eyes.
"You're all idiots" says UN ambassador and gore/bho lover, J EDWARDS.
I guess that settles it then.
Climate change is real. You are all idiots. The BAB people are cowards. Try burning a piece of paper under a glass... That's C02 (maybe you ought to look it up). What about that don't you understand? Oh, yeah; you guys don't believe in science.
Everyone is free to express their opinion in the comments section. However, those comments that resort to name calling or are rude and disrespectful will be deleted. Please play nice. :-)
Anyone who believes in anthropogenic global warming has never really done any serious research on the matter. These people are usually easy to pick out as they're nearly hysterical in their comments, and seemingly can't help but call people "idiots" and the such.
The religion of global warming seems very intoxicating.
"to make a difference in their own individual ways."
The entirety of humanity makes no difference whatsoever to this planet. We simply don't matter. Teaching children that they have 'divine' power to change the world around them is indoctrination. There is not one piece of evidence that humanity influences global climate in any way.
J Edwards raises a crudely written, although important point: "The ones who are profiting are the ones who have you guys so brainwashed..."
So, just who profited from donations by Build-A-Bear President/Founder Maxine Clark?
In the only two contributions documented at FundRace 2008 -
3rd Qrt 2007 - $2300 to Hillary Clinton
2nd Qrt 2008 - $4600 to Barack Obama
Hmmm. Both Democrats whose Party is currently pushing a Cap & Trade Bill through Congress. Now this is either a festivus miracle or it appears Ms. Clark's "webisodes" and the politicians to whom Ms. Clark funnels money support the same alarmist eco agenda.
Yes J Edwards, following the money can be quite educational.
I am tired of all of the Political Correctness Conservarives espouse.
It is just a story. Calm down.
Conservatives would have banned Bambi for being unfait to hunters.
"I am tired of all of the Political Correctness Conservarives espouse."
And most Americans are even more weary of the political correctness libs concoct. 2010 elections will confirm.
"It is just a story. Calm down."
"Just a story?" Like the Nigeria to Detroit bomber was just a story? Are you suggesting we should ignore the real-world record cold and thousands of resulting deaths in favor of a politically correct warming fantasy tale? Wouldn't that be akin to ignoring the fact that every attack on a commercial airliner since Lockerbie in 1988 has been committed by foreign born muslim men? Yet under the lib utopian dream of political correctness we dare not profile. Just stories? When are you going to get it together and realize the enemy isn't conservatism but political correctness.
"Conservatives would have banned Bambi for being unfait to hunters."
"Calm down." Bambi was brought to the big screen in 1942 - 67 years ago....still no ban. Enough of the politically correct lies.
Yes, because we should all be taught the truth. God will take care of us, and the world around us doesn't tell us the truth. Every child out there should know that you can't really make a difference, so why even bother? This fairy tale isn't like the true stories where God is sending us messages, like Noah and the Ark, where he sends floods to cleanse the earth, or the story of those two people who bit into the apple and then magically realized what sin was. I'm sure God doesn't want us to believe that one person can be the difference in the world. And God forbid, our kids learn how to work together to make a difference. We all know what a disaster that would be. We should all be this closed-minded, because of course a simple children's story couldn't be just that, just a children's story. I can't think of a single other children's story that isn't could even be considered remotely scary. That's just ridiculous. There are no true villians in the world just like there are no true heroes
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