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Build-A-Bear's 'Pay Your Age Day' Draws Such Huge Crowds, Promotion Is Called Off

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA/CBS News) – Build-A-Bear's first-ever Pay Your Age Day was such a massive success that the retailer was forced to shut down lines across the country Thursday.

The company announced Thursday it had to close off lines at all its stores due to the huge crowds.

"Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional Guests at our U.S. Build-A-Bear Workshop locations due to crowd and safety concerns," the company said in a statement. "We have closed lines in our U.S. stores. We understand some of our Guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible."

The promotion allows customers to make a furry friend of their choice for the price of their current age, in dollars. That means a one-year-old can get what typically retails for around $25, for a single buck.

The promotion, which includes stores in the U.S. and Canada, also involves popular licensed characters like those from Star Wars and Marvel. Build-A-Bear, which caters mostly to children, also said no one who acts on the company's offer will be viewed as older than 30, capping the potential cost of one of its critters at $29.

The company had previously said that if there was a line on Thursday, stores will let customers buy a stuffed animal and come back another time to "build" it when the workshop is less hectic.

Build-A-Bear has more than 400 stores worldwide, including seven in the Los Angeles metro area. It was unclear how many customers would be allowed into each store for the promotion before the line was cut off.

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