Stuffed with child’s love

Marisa O’Neil

Saturday morning, they were a heap of vanilla-white faux fur and

plastic amber-hued eyes.

By the end of the day, 200 freshly-stuffed teddy bears filled a

box at Fashion Island’s Build-A-Bear workshop, ready to be shipped to

young tsunami victims.

The first 200 bear-makers at each of the chain’s stores worldwide

got a free chance to participate in Project Bearlift, part of the

company’s annual Stuffed With Hugs event. This year’s project will

send 40,000 bears to displaced and needy children in Maldives, Sri

Lanka, Myanmar and India.

Kylie Nishisaka, 9, and her sister Morgan, 6, were the first in

line to make their bears.

“We decided it was a nice thing to do for the children over

there,” said their mother, Huntington Beach resident Aileen

Nishisaka.

As Kylie and Morgan carefully signed their names in crayon on the

giant donation box, 10-year-old Francesca Trane and sister Natalie,

5, both of Newport Beach, deposited their bears.

“We love stuffed animals,” Francesca said. “And we knew people

actually needed them. This will give them something to do.”

Francesca and Natalie each helped stuff a specially-designed

“Stuffed With Hugs” bear, which is not for sale. They tucked a

red-satin heart inside and fluffed it at a “bathing” station. Then

each signed her name to a tag on the bears’ ears and dropped them in

the box.

But even with all the care and effort put into it, they didn’t

mind that their new bears wouldn’t be going home with them.

“I already have three at my house,” Francesca confided.

“We’re not allowed to get any more,” Natalie added.

Parents usually prepare their children ahead of time during bear

donations so they don’t suffer separation anxiety when they leave the

animals behind, store manager Julie Nakashima said.

“They realize that this is a special animal and it’s going to

someone who’s lost their toys and maybe their home,” she said.