The latest addition to the popular children’s teddy bear store Build-a-Bear Workshop is causing a stir. The store has teamed up with 62-year-old drag performer RuPaul, who announced the collaboration on Wednesday through an Instagram video where he unveiled a pre-stuffed brown bear dressed in a one-shoulder sequined gown.
The bear is described as follows on the Build-a-Bear Workshop website:
“Cover BEAR! Put the fur in your walk. Head to paw, let your whole body talk.” She done already done had herses—and now you can have yourses with your very own RuPaul Bear! Two iconic pop culture institutions join forces for this one-of-a-kind collector’s item made in tribute to the world’s most famous drag queen. Category is teddy bear realness with RuPaul Bear’s signature wig and gold sequin dress included.
On Wednesday, RuPaul shared an unboxing video of the new Build-a-Bear product on Instagram, expressing his delight at the stuffed animal’s gold dress and curly hair. He couldn’t contain his excitement. “Oh my gosh! Gorgeous! This is so great! I feel like a proud parent!” he said.
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The bear comes complete with gold eye shadow, winged eyeliner, red lipstick, and a voluminous blonde wig. It retails at $56, and matching bear-sized strappy heels can be bought for an extra $8, because, apparently, this is where society is now.
It should be noted that despite the store’s catering to children, the RuPaul bear is an online exclusive and only available on “The Bear Cave” section of the Build-A-Bear website, which is allegedly intended for shoppers aged 18 and above. However, Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire noted last week that it was originally advertised on the home page of Build-a-Bear’s website:
Remember: there’s absolutely no agenda to groom your kids. Don’t be ridiculous. On an unrelated note, @buildabear is selling a drag queen stuffed bear for children. pic.twitter.com/c0uB5Odcfj
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 30, 2023
The RuPaul bear is no longer being promoted on the main page of the website, but some on the left are amused by the collaboration in light of recent events.
According to the New York Post, there were social media users who noticed a “spooky” coincidence of the partnership announcement following Tennessee’s recent enactment of a law that prohibits children from being exposed to “adult cabaret performances.”
“At a time in which drag is being criminalized in the US, Build-A-Bear has released a RuPaul bear and I think that’s just FANTASTIC,” one fan tweeted.
“The Republicans will outlaw this within the next 24 hours while more kids die,” another stated, referencing Monday’s Nashville elementary school shooting.
“Everyone clap for build a bear for making a drag queen into a toy for children while people are screaming drag is harmful to kids,” another supporter wrote on Instagram.
Did Build-a-Bear know what it was doing? Was it a response to Republican efforts to protect children from drag performances?
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