Six children from the UAE and Bahrain were selected as the new brand ambassadors of Build-A-Bear Workshop, the interactive retailer of customized stuffed animals, in the Gulf region after they won a contest held by the company.

BAB Workshop opened their first store at Dubai Festival City in September 2009, followed by Dubai Marina Mall in November. Then they opened their store at Bahrain City Centre in April 2010 followed by The Avenues Mall Kuwait in June this year.

The beary exciting search ended after a four weeks’ long contemplation as the judges went through 520 number of entries, said a top official.

"The six cute kids from UAE and Bahrain - Sara Eid, Shyana Mendis, Essey Arcega, Kaessey Sambilay, Matty Norris and Andre D’Souza - emerged winners in the competition," remarked Zeyad Al Jaidah, managing director and CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop Gulf states.

According to him, these new brand ambassadors represent the cultural diversity of this region.

"The new super stars with their cute smiles and twinkling eyes will enjoy fame as they are featured in the advertisements, brochures, party booklets and signage across the stores," Al Jaidah said.

"The kiddos enjoyed their exclusive photo shoot and they got to meet the Build-A-Bear Workshop huggable mascot, Bearemy, and make their own furry friends," he noted.

"The first ever search for brand ambassadors by Build-A-Bear Workshop in Gulf States started a month back and received an incredible response from UAE and Bahrain, said Al Jaidah.

The children aged four through 15 years were encouraged to tell their favourite activity and submit their photos to win the competition.

Commenting on the results, Al Jaidah said, "We are excited with the overwhelming response that we have received for this search of brand ambassadors. The liveliness and passion of these six new Build-A-Bear Workshop Ambassadors embodies the spirit and attitude of our brand."

"We are grateful to the parents who encouraged their kids to participate in this competition and make it a huge success," he added.-TradeArabia News Service