Parents' Guide to

Bearville

By Susan Yudt, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Safe virtual world promotes positivity -- and products.

Bearville Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

age 6+

Based on 14 parent reviews

age 2+

So mad

Okay so this was my childhood game and decided to look it up today and play it. I could not find the game anywhere so I gave up. Later, I called build a bear and they told me it was discontinued. I am very sad because this game is utter perfection and now it doesn't exist. I have and my account since 2005 and it makes me so sad to see it is not a website anymore. I have spent actual money on this website . I bought the bearbucks or whatever at the store and stuff like that multiple times. I am so sad to see this game is gone . This game had amazing activities everyone can join it. In the summer, there was a camp and during the winter there was Santa's house. It breaks my hear that this game is forever gone. 3 childhood is officially gone. I am heartbroken that children now will not be able to play this game. I started playing this game right when it cam out. There was Chloe Rocks in her original outfit, everyone didn't have a number or their number was below 100, and the game was perfect. I will miss spending my summers at the bear camp, going down the waterfall to get there. I will miss the condos and how you can change the design of your house with only a little bit of cash. I wish i was there when this game ended because I had so much money that I was never able to spend. I will miss my pets, Carol, Sunshine, and Holly. I love those ladies so much. Thank you for making my childhood great. ~IsabelaFriendly4
age 6+

Four stars because vacant

Love the world; wish it didn't become vacant.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (113 ):

Kids who've bought a Build-A-Bear stuffed animal will get the most out of BEARVILLE. The site's centerpiece is a virtual world that allows visitors to bring their furry friends along for games and other activities. Any kid who registers can visit the virtual world, but without a toy, they won't have access to the full range of activities. Still, there's a lot to do on this colorful site. One highlight is the Friendship Forest Photo Safari -- point and click to capture photos of animals as they fly or scurry across the lush landscape, and check out the resulting photo album. In addition to a slew of games, there's video content, such as the web series "Craftshop," which teaches kids how to make fun fashions on the cheap. Despite the ever-present prompts to buy Bearville gear, this bustling world does a good job keeping kids engaged -- and safe.

Online interaction: Kids can "friend" other users and trade items. There are two chat options: safe chat, which limits users to a pre-approved list of common phrases, and open filtered chat, which checks chat against a dictionary of approved words. (Parents can also turn chat off entirely.)

Website Details

  • Genre: Virtual Worlds
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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