Many economists have been wondering where America is headed, given the turmoil of 2025.
Slow jobs growth, creeping inflation, lack of government data, deported workers, rejected work visas, fired federal employees, cuts to education budgets and medical care, attacks on the media…
Especially, attacks on the media. Even economists are concerned about that. And me, too, of course.
But it turns out that the media is not a necessary part of the economy. Nor is the government, really.
Because we have Build-a-Bear Workshop.
Sure, there are other companies doing pretty well in the stock market. Nvidia. Palantir. Oracle. But the five-year stock trajectory of these successful tech companies has recently been eclipsed by a stuffed animal brand: Build-a-Bear Workshop.
From an article by journalist Laya Neelakandan on CNBC.com:
For 26-year-old Cammie Craycroft’s friends, the perfect birthday activity this summer was a group trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop…
“Build-A-Bear means a lot to me. I had so many birthday parties at Build-a-Bear,” Craycroft told CNBC. “It really is a nostalgic place, and I have so many happy memories there.”
The company has recently been targeting adults like Craycroft as it diversifies its portfolio and leans into the nostalgia of the brand. Despite macroeconomic headwinds, the company posted record-breaking revenue in the first half of fiscal 2025, reaching $252.6 million…
The stock price for the brand has increased more than 2,000% since 2020 — more than doubling last year, and up 66% year-to-date.
According to Steve Silver, an analyst with Argus Research, this is not a meme stock or a bubble. It’s the market catching up to the company’s “strong fundamentals that have been in place for a couple of years,” he noted.
He didn’t explain what those strong market fundamentals are, exactly. But we can guess. They are 26-year-olds who don’t want to grow up.
It’s incredibly depressing to be a grown-up in 2025. Unless, maybe, you bought stock in Build-a-Bear Workshop in 2020, at $1 a share. The shares are now priced at $73.
But of course, you can’t compare mere financial wealth to the joy of owning a custom-designed stuffed animal that you can dress up.
For even more joy, you can buy tiny Build-a-Bear animals for your American Girl dolls, and deck them out with colorful little outfits.
But it gets even better, for all the supposed adults out there, looking for comfort during difficult times.
Build-a-Bear ‘After Dark’
To find out about the ‘After dark’ collection, the Build-a-Bear Workshop suggests that you be over the age of 18.
Perhaps you’re 26 years old, and you prefer to have your Teddy Bear dressed in a skimpy nightgown?
Drinking beer or wine?
Tripping the light fantastic at the disco?
Build-a-Bear has ideas for you.
Build-a-Bear does face some headwinds, similar to other toy brands. The company sources the majority of its inventory from China, which now has a 30 percent tariff rate.
Looking ahead, the company front-loaded some of its core items, but that inventory is running out, and Build-a-Bear is reportedly projecting an $11 million hit from tariffs this year.
I suppose a glass of wine is appropriate in times like this. ‘Cabearnet’ for example.
No one is claiming that stuffed animals will replace iPhones in the near future. But if you stop to compare you interactions with your so-called “Friends” on social media with the fun you can have with a plush animal late at night…
… the choice is obvious.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.