Children want to be entertained, but they’re not going to fall for just anything. Children’s retailtainment understands that in order to have children deeply interact with a brand, they need to combine shopping with entertainment through fun, immersive experiences like play zones, themed adventures, brand worlds, and interactive digital builds. As a result, these brands bring families in droves while also encouraging them to buy things. Simply put, they make the venues a destination, not just a store. However, plenty of shopping can be done there, which creates a great financial incentive.

While online shopping is a valuable offering that is often necessary, it isn’t meant for everything. Retailtainment isn’t about speed and accessibility. Instead, it’s about experience and engagement. Rather than eschewing technology altogether, it wisely integrates digital media into its usage with deep, meaningful experiences.

Retailtainment is also a great boost for the commercial real estate industry, which is struggling a bit, depending on its location. 

 “Leaning into experience per square foot is a driver for unlocking fandom and customer lifetime value,” Melissa Gonzalez, Founder of The Lionesque Group and Partner at MG2, told Retail TouchPoints. “Seeing a physical location as a point of loyalty opens the possibilities for how we design and think about the customer experience. When you think of the store as a way to strengthen loyalty, leaning into retailtainment makes sense.” 

Here is a look at three brands that are revolutionizing the world of children’s retailtainment.

Build-A-Bear Workshop is Back and Better Than Ever

The Build-A-Bear Workshop skyrocketed to success with its interactive process that allowed children to customize each teddy bear, stuffed animal, and character in every store. But the company has recently undergone an overhaul, becoming a children’s retailtainment powerhouse that’s leveling up for 2026 to stay at the forefront of children’s retailtainment. 

The company is planning on expanding its nearly 600-store footprint, particularly in tourist and hospitality destinations. Build-A-Bear will open a multi-level retailtainment experience in the first half of 2026 at the Icon Park entertainment complex in Orlando, Florida. The result will be “the largest combination of experiential retail and entertainment at Icon Park,” Retail TouchPoints reported. 

Build-A-Bear’s in-store options have expanded as well. The company has also partnered with highly popular brands like Hello Kitty, which has a significant following with Millennials and Gen Z, in addition to a younger generation. As a result of all this expansion, Build-A-Bear is one of the best performers in the stock market this year, NBC News reported. 

Everyone Wants To Go To CAMP

There’s a good reason why CAMP calls itself a “family experience” company. A unique shop and play hybrid experience, CAMP hits on what’s hot for children, such as shows like Bluey, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Gabby’s Dollhouse, and creates immersive experiences around it. This past summer, Gabby’s Dollhouse x CAMP opened to coincide with the movie. Customers buy tickets to attend, and the more tickets you buy, the more of a discount you get on in-store purchases, which makes attendees more likely to purchase memorabilia and goods. 

CAMP is often housed in shopping malls where vacant stores can be transformed into exciting venues that are customized to look straight out of the TV show or movie they’re based on. They serve as blank canvases that are transformed into unique, colorful spaces that boost large-scale, dwindling retail spaces, therefore helping the commercial real estate industry.

For Melissa Gonzalez, Founder of The Lionesque Group and Partner at MG2, retailtainment is “the Willy Wonka-fication of the retail experience. It opens up the imagination, hits an emotional connection and entertains while educating,” she explained in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.

Chuck E. Cheese’s Reinvention 

The old days of Chuck E. Cheese are gone. The entertainment restaurant chain, known for its iconic oversized mouse, just launched a new family entertainment center concept with its first Adventure World attraction in Arlington, Texas. The 12,000-square-foot space will be followed by more locations in the coming months.

Unlike the typical Chuck E. Cheese that had arcade games, pizza, and prizes, Adventure World offers an active play experience for young children. It builds on Chuck E. Cheese’s existing active play features, such as trampoline zones and superhero playgrounds, to encourage movement, imagination, and connection. 

Earlier this year, Chuck E. Cheese announced Chuck’s Arcade, another new concept blending classic and modern games with iconic animatronic characters. This also taps into the nostalgia that trends with Millennials, who are eager to recapture the fun of their youth. The brand is also expanding to the UK through a new multi-venue agreement. 

There are plenty of opportunities to buy things within children’s retailtainment. However, it’s deeply woven into immersive experiences like play zones, themed adventures, brand worlds, and interactive digital builds. Yes, people are paying money, but it’s not just about that. As it’s wisely written here, “shopping today is much more than buying stuff.” It’s about connecting with an audience and building a relationship that lasts a lifetime. 

As Build-A-Bear Workshop, Chuck E. Cheese, and CAMP demonstrate, children’s retailtainment can be an exciting way to get children moving while also stimulating the lagging commercial retail market. As we continue in 2026, it will be important for brands to understand that retailtainment is only going to grow stronger.