BITTY BEAR’S MATINEE DEBUTS AT AMERICAN GIRL PLACE® CHICAGO

Live Interactive Musical Brings the Popular Bitty Bunch Characters and Stories to Life

Middleton, WI – September 10, 2004 – Beginning September 17, American Girl’s littlest fans can enjoy a live, interactive theater performance designed just for them at American Girl Place Chicago. Bitty Bear’s Matinee: The Family Tree™ is a new audience participation family theater production for children ages 3 and up that celebrates the virtues of family and friendship while teaching age-appropriate skills such as sharing and working together. Based on the Bitty Bear books in American Girl’s popular Bitty Baby® doll line, the live musical performance is done in story-theater style, featuring three of the lovable Bitty Bunch characters—Bitty Bear, Bitty Puppy, and Bitty Kitty.

The 40-minute performance begins with Bitty Bear telling the audience and her friends, Bitty Kitty and Bitty Puppy, that her family loves taking pictures but no one ever sees or admires them because they sit in boxes. Bitty Bear decides, as an anniversary present to her parents, to organize and place the photos in an album for everyone to enjoy. But with so many photos, Bitty Bear wonders where to begin. Bitty Puppy suggests organizing them into a family tree, thinking about where her family started—the “roots” of the tree. As Bitty Bear goes through the pictures, she tells the story of her family members and invites the audience to participate along the way while finishing the album. As they sing the theme song at the end, “A Family is Like a Tree,” the audience learns that there is a little bit of our family members’ qualities in each of us.

“In addition to giving our youngest fans an enjoyable new way to interact with Bitty Bear, a favorite character since she debuted in 1995, Bitty Bear’s Matinee introduces young audiences to theater, while providing a fun, memorable experience for them to share with their parents,” says Scott Davidson, American Girl Theater director and the show’s executive producer. “And because the content of the show is based on the Bitty Bear books and encourages participation, children will be engaged while learning important real-life skills like problem-solving and patience.”

Bitty Bear’s Matinee: The Family Tree is performed on the following days and times:

• Fridays—Two performances: 10:00 & 11:30 a.m.
• Saturdays—One performance: 10:00 a.m.

Tickets for Bitty Bear’s Matinee are $15 and can be ordered by calling toll free 1-877-AG PLACE. The performance schedule is subject to change in response to demand and during holidays. American Girl Theater is located inside Chicago’s premiere retail and entertainment site, American Girl Place, located at 111 E. Chicago Avenue, across from the historic Water Tower on Michigan Avenue.

ABOUT AMERICAN GIRL
American Girl, Inc. opened American Girl Place Chicago, its flagship retail and entertainment site, in November 1998. To date, the Chicago store has welcomed more than 7 million visitors. American Girl Place Chicago has received numerous awards, including the Themed Entertainment Award (THEA) for best overall themed retail entertainment destination in the world.

American Girl, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT, www.mattel.com), was acquired by the world’s leading toy company in 1998. For nearly 20 years, American Girl has provided beautifully made products for each stage of a girl’s development, from her preschool days of fantasy play through her tween years of self-expression and individuality. Deeply committed to its mission to celebrate girls, the American Girl brand has earned the loyal following of millions of young fans and the praise and trust of parents and educators. To date, American Girl has sold more than 10 million dolls and 100 million books.