A Build-A-Bear Workshop employee in Washington state reportedly declined a teenage customer’s request to name her new bear after the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The outing, which began as a fun trip to the Southcenter Mall near Seattle, took a turn for the worse for 16-year-old Evi McCormick when the store manager rejected her desire to inscribe Kirk’s name on her stuffed animal’s birth certificate, as detailed by King 5 News.
“She just didn’t agree with it, stating she did not support it and told me, ‘We’re not doing this,’” McCormick recounted.
The manager then impolitely crumpled the birth certificate—which is typically given to every customer—and tossed it aside in front of the shocked teenager.
Deeply upset, McCormick handed her debit card to a friend to pay for the bear, which usually costs between $16 and $48, and walked away from the counter.
The encounter left her friend, Kailie Lang, feeling extremely uncomfortable, as she shared with the news outlet.
Update on the Charlie Kirk shooting in Utah
- Authorities identified Tyler Robinson, 22, as the suspected shooter responsible for killing Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10.
- Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder, among other charges.
- Investigators have confirmed that Robinson was residing with a transgender roommate, and their communications were pivotal in the investigation.
- Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while attending an event in his American Comeback Tour.
- Prominent figures, including President Trump, have called for the death penalty for Kirk’s alleged assassin.
- Kirk’s remains were transported to Arizona from Utah on Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.
- The funeral for Kirk, which Trump has indicated he will attend, is set for September 21 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
- Kirk is survived by his wife and two young children.
Build-A-Bear’s company policy advises against naming stuffed animals with “indecent or distasteful” names.
However, McCormick’s intention was merely to pay tribute to Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10 while engaging with an audience at Utah Valley University.
“I was captivated by how eloquently he spoke,” McCormick expressed, adding that the Turning Point USA founder “was a role model for me.”
“It didn’t have to be political until she made it into a political issue,” the teen remarked about the unyielding employee.
Following the incident on September 26, McCormick’s mother, Amber McCormick, was infuriated and reached out to the company’s corporate office for an explanation.
Initially, the company offered a $20 gift card as compensation for the unfortunate interaction, but later called back to sincerely apologize and affirm that they would retrain their staff to ensure a clear separation between politics and the sale of teddy bears.
“Their goal is to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future,” stated the mother.
The McCormicks have been unreachable for further comments.
Attempts to contact Build-A-Bear Workshop’s corporate office yielded no response.
