(Photo Source: Build-A-Bear/comicbook.com)
Build-A-bear business booming thanks to The Avengers
Leave it to Marvel and the Avengers to get a good joke rolling and a trend going. Even though Rocket Racoon may not have liked Iron Man’s snarky insult, Build-A-Bear Workshop is loving every second of it.
As fans will recall from “Avengers: Endgame,” the film poked fun at the toy brand, with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) taking a stab at Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper). After Tony Stark and Nebula were rescued, they were brought back to Earth thanks to Captain Marvel finding The Benatar. Reunited with the Avengers, Rocket startles Iron Man, who responded with, “Honestly, at this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”
Although meant to be an insult to Rocket, Build-A-Bear actually saw a huge boost in sales. During the company’s recent first-quarter earnings call, CEO Sharon Price John said the joke helped drive shoppers to the store. The toy store chain sells many different Marvel hero-themed bears and outfits, but since the joke, total revenues increased by $1.2 million to $84.4 million, Prince John said.
In response to the rising sales and the funny joke, Build-A-Bear tweeted out a photo of an Iron Man bear along with a tweak of the line, “We thought YOU were a Build-A-Bear!”
By: Maytinee Kramer
