Toddler Builds A Bear In A Wheelchair Because It Looks Just Like Her Mom
Her choice shows that disability representation matters, even in ways that seem small.
Pixel-Shot | Shutterstock A kid’s first trip to Build-A-Bear has become something of a childhood milestone. It’s so special to see a child watch their new friend come to life at the enchanting store, where they can customize their new friend in any way they want.
One set of parents took their daughter to Build-A-Bear for the first time and expected a magical experience. However, for the mom, Chelsie Hill, it was more than she ever could have imagined. Hill, who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair, watched in shocked happiness as her daughter decided her bear needed a wheelchair too.
A dad captured the joyful moment after his daughter picked out a wheelchair from the myriad of accessories available at Build-A-Bear.
In a TikTok video that now has over one million views, Hill can be seen wheeling herself into Build-A-Bear alongside her adorable, excited toddler, JJ, who was decked out in her finest pink ruffled skirt and sparkly silver mini-heeled shoes for the occasion. After entering the store, the video cut to JJ choosing accessories for her bear. She went right after one specific item.
There was a line of teddy bear-sized wheelchairs waiting on the wall, and JJ picked one out. Hill helped her get the small wheelchair off the wall and set it up on the ground so she could place her bear in it. JJ then added a pink magic wand for good measure and happily pushed her bear around the store in its wheelchair.
Hill, who was visibly emotional, told her daughter, “Good job! That’s so nice of you!” Meanwhile, her dad, who was filming, instructed her to give him a thumbs up, which she did with her index finger instead of her thumb.
People were moved by the toddler's decision to pick a wheelchair for her bear so it would look like her mother.
In the caption of the video, Hill thanked Build-A-Bear for their commitment to representation and diversity by letting children place their bears in wheelchairs if they wish. Commenters agreed this was an amazing thing.
“She wanted her bear to look exactly like the person she loves most,” one person stated. Another added, “That is so adorable!!! My son has cerebral palsy. I didn’t know they had wheelchairs! Gonna need to make a trip.”
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The video was reposted on Reddit’s r/MadeMeSmile forum, where it received a similar response. “Massive shout out to the shop for them having that option. Representation matters,” one user said. “I wish we never learned to be judgmental and have prejudice,” another commented.
As for Hill, she is well-known to the disabled community. According to her website, she made the choice to ride in the car with a drunk driver when she was 17, which led to the accident that caused her paralysis. Hill was passionate about dance and wanted to find a way to continue doing that despite her injury, so she created the Rollettes, a California-based dance team that consists of women in wheelchairs. She regularly shares her activism on social media.
Although some people may not give it a second thought, disability representation matters.
Writing for the World Institute on Disability, Sarah Kim pointed out that most able-bodied people are “uncomfortable” seeing disabled people because it happens so rarely in pop culture that it has become “an event.” “Without seeing disabled people included in a space, it becomes easy to assume that disabled people do not belong in that space,” she wrote.
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Able-bodied people probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how important inclusion of disabled people is, but those who are disabled know that seeing themselves on screen, in an advertisement or even allowing little kids to pick out wheelchairs for their Build-A-Bears can make a world of difference and work towards creating the more inclusive society we need.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
