Build-A-Bear Apologizes for Refusing 'Charlie Kirk'

Sixteen-year-old Evi McCormick says a Build-A-Bear manager at Southcenter Mall in Tukwila refused to print 'Charlie Kirk' on her bear’s birth certificate and allegedly crumpled and discarded the paper after she sought to honor the slain Turning Point USA founder, who was killed Sept. 10. McCormick walked away from the register and a friend paid for the purchase; she and her family said the encounter left them upset. Build-A-Bear initially offered a $20 gift card, later apologized, said the matter is being handled internally, pledged retraining to keep politics out of stores, and pointed to a policy against 'indecent or distasteful' names. The incident drew attention from supporters who said the refusal was politically motivated and was reported by multiple outlets. Separately, reporting included an unrelated update that Robert Preston Morris, 64, founder of Gateway Church, pleaded guilty in Oklahoma to five counts of lewd and indecent acts against a child, resigned after allegations and was arrested after entering his plea.