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Build-A-Bear Workshop vs Merlin

On overall TruNorth grade, Merlin scores higher (Build-A-Bear Workshop: D, Merlin: C). Both graded from public records across nine values categories.

D
Build-A-Bear Workshop
37.5/100
C
Merlin
46.7/100

Political donations

Build-A-Bear Workshop

FEC: $304K in executive political donations; partisan lean split across 16 executive donors.

Merlin

FEC: $330K in executive political donations; partisan lean split across 12 executive donors.

Environment

Build-A-Bear Workshop

No public record found.

Merlin

No public record found.

Labor

Build-A-Bear Workshop

6 federal penalties totaling $643K since 2000 (Violation Tracker).

Merlin

1 federal penalties totaling $7K since 2000 (Violation Tracker).

DEI

Build-A-Bear Workshop

No public record found.

Merlin

No public record found.

Charity

Build-A-Bear Workshop

$1M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.19% of revenue) via Build-A-Bear Foundation.

Merlin

No public record found.

Animal testing

Build-A-Bear Workshop

No public record found.

Merlin

No public record found.

Firearms

Build-A-Bear Workshop

No public record found.

Merlin

No federal firearms license on record for this company in the ATF FFL registry — no licensed firearms dealing or manufacturing.

Privacy

Build-A-Bear Workshop

No public record found.

Merlin

No public record found.

Executive pay

Build-A-Bear Workshop

CEO-to-median-worker pay ratio 983:1 (median employee pay $3,454) — SEC proxy statement (DEF 14A, 2026).

Merlin

No public record found.

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