Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 16:23
It’s not just about buying a stuffed animal cuddly toy. It is all about creating it from scratch, allowing the child to take the lead in a complete shopping experience that begins with choosing the form, the density of its filling, its scent and then it ends with an adoption certificate. It is a very appealing ritual for the little ones at home that has been a triumphant success for almost three decades in the United States, Canada and Europe. Every year, thousands of families make the pilgrimage to London’s legendary Hamleys toy store so their children can take home a custom-made toy as a souvenir of their trip. Curiously – and to the surprise of anyone with even a modicum of business acumen – the successful recipe of the US company Build-A-Bear Workshop has not yet caught on in Spain. As the father of five children – aged between three and 11 – Carlos Mira Hafner (a 46-year-old graduate in business management and marketing) had been mulling over the idea for some time: why not bring that concept to Spain? And why not do it from Malaga? No sooner said than done.
After just one year in development, ‘My Soul Mate’ is about to become a reality. The store – the first personalised plush toy store on the Iberian Peninsula – is expected to open its doors next week. The exact date, likely to be 25 or 26 November, is still to be confirmed pending completion of the shop refit). It will occupy an 80-square-metre space on the ground floor of the Miramar shopping centre in Fuengirola and is expected to create seven jobs.
The new store will occupy an 80-square-metre space on the ground floor of the Miramar shopping centre in Fuengirola and is expected to create seven jobs
“Ever since I got to know this toy store in the USA, the concept really caught my attention. Besides, what my children play and entertain themselves the most with is soft toys. In the end, they’re the toys they get most attached to, the ones that accompany them around the house, the ones they sleep with …. They become companions… soulmates, hence the name of the store”, says Carlos Mira. He is from Malaga city, specifically from Pedregalejo, with more than 20 years of experience in the business world. He also currently owns two stores specialising in artificial turf in Malaga and Marbella under the SuperGrass brand.
As Mira explains, every detail at My Soul Mate has been carefully considered to make the store appealing to children. A team of experts from multinational corporations has overseen this. One of its main attractions will be the fact that young customers can participate from scratch in the whole process of creating their own cuddly toy, assembling it themselves to their own tastes and specifications. Initially, the store will offer around 40 models – all animals, with a strong focus on bears, as well as rabbits, lions, tigers and elephants, among others. The store will also provide around 100 items of clothing, from headgear to glasses and shoes. The base price for a plush toy with hand-stitched filling and no extras will be 28 euros.
The store will feature some 40 models – all animals, with a heavy emphasis on bears – and around 100 items of clothing and accessories
The process at the Fuengirola store, step by step, will be as follows – very similar to the ritual at the legendary Build-A-Bear Workshop in places like London. First, the customer chooses the body of the toy – the empty, plush fabric – and selects their preferred filling. The idea is for the customer to participate in this step by helping to press the pedal of the machine, which will allow them to choose between three different densities: soft, medium or firm. After that – and as an extra if they wish – they can add a mini heart to place inside, choose a scent – “there will be ten different ones, from brownie to cheesecake, cookie, caramel or fruity scents like peach” – and they can even insert a small audio device that can play anything from the animal’s own sound to a loving message. Once all possible extras have been selected, an employee hand-sews the plush toy after attaching a safety closure. Finally, an adoption certificate can be printed or a photo can be taken of the customer together with their new soulmate.
“We think it’s a wonderful experience for children and this stuffed toy is a very special gift, one they’ll keep for life,” says Mira, while also pointing out that Malaga will be the birthplace of a project they hope to expand to more locations across Spain.