American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (www.mattel.com),a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest portfolios of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. American Girl offers an inspiring world of dolls, content, and experiences that nourish a girl’s spirit and help develop her strength of character. Best-selling lines include Truly Me™, Girl of the Year™, Bitty Baby®, WellieWishers™, Create Your Own™, and American Girl’s classic historical characters. The company sells products through its award-winning catalogue, on americangirl.com, in its proprietary U.S. experiential retail stores, as well as at specialty retailers nationwide. By inspiring girls to be their best, American Girl has earned the loyalty of millions and the praise and trust of parents and educators.

MONIQUE DONG loved drawing, imagining and creating as a child. At age 19, she headed off to the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa, where she studied animation at City Varsity and discovered the magic of storytelling! She has worked on animation for the Disney channel, including the project “Florrie’s Dragons.” Today, Monique is a freelance illustrator and her passion is creating images that encompass light, life, warmth and color.