Toy Maker Brings AHeights Girl's Stuffed Animal Design To Life

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — An 11-year-old Arlington Heights girl who used a toy company's plush dolls for a holiday charity drive last month received a special gift of her own from the manufacturer: a stuffed dog of her own design. Kellytoys, the Los Angeles-based maker of Squishmallows, a popular line of plush animal dolls, created Doug the Dog for Zoe Snell, who sent a sketch of the toy to the company.

"We decided to surprise Zoe and make Doug a reality, creating a prototype product which we’re happy to say she loved!" a Kellytoys press release stated.

Last year, Zoe wrote Kellytoys to say how much she loved the Squishmallow dolls, the toy company said. Her favorite in the stuffed animal line is the hedgehog, according to the Arlington Heights Post.

"She told us how she took her Squishmallow to school and how she gave one to her friend her birthday after finding them at Walgreens," the Kellytoys said in a statement. "But the icing on the cake was the drawing she sent along for a new Squishmallow, Doug, which she designed herself as she saw a need for more neutral colored Squishmallows as requested by the boys in her class."

Zoe was given the Doug prototype in December during a charity drive she started at her school, Classical Consortium Academy in Barrington. She and her classmates filled 75 care bags with Squishmallows provided by Kellytoys for Chicago's Safe Families for Children, a faith-based group that helps families in need, the Post reports.

"It showed me that if you have an idea, then send it in," Zoe said."I don't usually sketch a lot, but now since they loved my idea, I started to sketch more."

In fact, Jeanne Yoon, senior vice president of product development at Kellytoys, told the Post that the company was so impressed by Zoe's design that it plans to sell the Doug the Dog doll as a special edition in the fall.

"I can tell you, this girl can really draw," Yoon said.

WATCH: Students at Barrington's Classical Consortium Academy stuff care bags for Safe Families for Children during a December charity drive:

More via the Arlington Heights Post

Zoe Snell, 11, of Arlington Heights, with Doug the Dog, a special edition Squishmallow doll based on her design. (Photo by Bradley Burns | Kellytoys)