THERE have been chaotic scenes at Build-a-Bear stores across the globe, as parents scrambled to buy cut-price toys at its ‘Pay Your Age Day’ promotion.

Long queues and altercations between parents have been reported in the UK and US as families queued for up to nine hours, waiting to get their hands on the popular kids toy that usually costs up to $A90.

As part of the deal, shoppers could snap up a furry friend for as little as $A1 ... or equivalent to their children’s ages.

But the stores had to shut down after unprecedented queues and “complete madness”, according to witnesses.

According to The Sun, families outside some UK stores were told there was a nine-hour wait to enter.

There were six-hour delays in Chester, Cheshire, and long lines outside the branches in Colchester, Essex, Bluewater, Kent and Cardiff.

Stores in Meadowhill, Telford and Basingstoke were closed for the rest of the day, while anyone who was hoping to join the queues was turned away.

Fiona O’Reilly, 31, arrived at Newcastle’s Metro Centre at 8.15am this morning in order to purchase bears for each of her four children.

She was shocked by the hundreds of parents already queuing before the shop opened at 10am and feared there could be fights as parents argued in the queues.

“It was complete madness. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few riots over this today,” she said, according to The Sun.

“I managed to get there early and it took just over an hour for me to get all four bears.

“There’s already people fighting in the queues!”

One parent posted on Facebook: “Build-A-Bear queue is insane...They’ve capped it at a predicted 9 hour wait”.

Amy Whittaker was hoping to get a special bear for her 14-month-old daughter.

“The queues are beyond ridiculous. People have stood there for three hours. I would rather pay full price than queue all that time,” she said.

To qualify for the promotion, parents had to join the free Build-A-Bear bonus reward scheme.

The retailer has opened more than 400 stores across the world, since its launch in 1997.

A Build-A-Bear spokeswoman told The Sun: “The response to our Pay Your Age Day event at all of our UK locations has been overwhelming and unprecedented in our 21-year history, and the safety of our guests and associates is our top priority”.

“The crowds have greatly exceeded our expectations and, per local authorities, queues are at capacity and we cannot accept additional guests due to extreme crowds and safety concerns.

“We understand our guests are disappointed, and we are working to address the situation. We will reach out directly to our valued guests as soon as possible.”