↑ Top

Privacy Policy

Comprehensive Business Policies: Privacy, Terms of Service, Sales, Intellectual Property, Community, and Sponsorships

Effective Date: October 24, 2026

Last Updated: October 24, 2026

Welcome to Stretchyelephant.com (the "Site"), owned, administered, and operated by Agency Couture, LLC ("Publisher," "Company," "we," "us," or "our"), publishing, distributing, and representing the literary, illustrative, and educational works of author Desarae Veit ("Author").

These comprehensive Website & Business Policies ("Terms," "Policies," or "Agreement") establish the binding terms and legal conditions that govern your access to, browsing of, and interaction with Stretchyelephant.com, our internal management platform infrastructure hosted at app.aCo.digital (the "aCo App"), our linked communications, official social media pages, interactive reader channels, and community groups (including Facebook Groups managed by Agency Couture, LLC or Desarae Veit). Furthermore, this Agreement governs all transactions, complimentary digital resources, video media streams, direct merchandise and physical book sales, and creative sponsorship or patronage pledges.

By browsing the Site, accessing or downloading free educational resources, streaming embedded or linked videos, requesting access to our private community groups, submitting personal data, purchasing physical or digital items, or contributing a sponsorship pledge, you explicitly acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be legally bound by this Agreement. If you do not agree with each term and condition established herein, you must immediately discontinue use of this Site and its associated platforms.

1. Privacy Policy, Data Storage & Children's Online Privacy

1.1 Compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

Stretchyelephant.com features children's literature, character-driven storytelling, social-emotional learning assets, downloadable activity sheets, and educational videos intended for families, early learners, parents, homeschoolers, and educators.

  • Adult-Directed E-Commerce and Registration: The online storefront, direct checkout links, membership intake forms, community group join requests, contact forms, and sponsorship mechanisms are directed exclusively to adults, parents, guardians, educators, and institutional buyers aged 18 years or older.
  • No Direct Collection from Children: We do not knowingly solicit, collect, process, or maintain personal identifying information (PII) directly from children under 13 years of age.
  • Supervised Family and Classroom Interaction: Minors may enjoy the stories, watch published videos, and print educational activity sheets solely under the direct guidance, presence, and supervision of an adult parent, legal guardian, or licensed educator.
  • Notice and Immediate Erasure: If a parent, guardian, or teacher discovers that a child under 13 has submitted their name, email address, physical location, or any other identifying data through any form on our Site or within the aCo App without verified parental consent, please immediately notify us at hello@stretchyelephant.com. We will promptly locate, purge, and permanently erase that information from our active databases and infrastructure.

1.2 Data Infrastructure & Storage in the aCo App (app.aCo.digital)

When you submit personal details through Stretchyelephant.com, interact with our order forms, or establish an account, your data is securely stored, cataloged, and processed within our centralized business platform infrastructure located at app.aCo.digital (the "aCo App").

  • Commitment to Confidentiality: We treat your information with high care. Your personal details are protected by commercially acceptable physical, electronic, and administrative security safeguards designed to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure.
  • No Public Selling or Renting: We do not sell, rent, license, or exchange your personal information, email addresses, or transaction histories to third-party public list brokers, independent telemarketers, or unauthorized data exchanges.
  • Payment Security via Stripe: All direct financial transactions and checkout flows are processed using secure, third-party payment infrastructure provided by Stripe. We do not retain, store, view, or process complete credit card, debit card, or underlying banking numbers on our internal web servers or inside the aCo App. Stripe handles and secures all transactional data under its own privacy policies and PCI-DSS compliance frameworks.

1.3 Permitted Uses of Collected Information

By submitting your details via this Site, our payment links, or the aCo App, you acknowledge and agree that Agency Couture, LLC may utilize your information for reasonable business purposes, including:

  • Order Processing and Logistics: Fulfilling and shipping physical books, workbooks, activity packages, and merchandise; generating and delivering digital files; issuing receipts; providing tracking updates; and managing customer support.
  • Market Research, Audience Analytics & Sales Improvement: Reviewing reader demographics, customer purchase trends, and classroom preferences to better develop our literary catalog, activity curriculums, and author outreach programs.
  • Marketing Communications: Distributing newsletters, book release notices, educational freebies, seasonal promotions, and updates regarding the literary works of Desarae Veit and publications from Agency Couture, LLC. You may opt out of promotional emails at any time via the unsubscribe mechanism included in each email.
  • Community and Facebook Group Management: Reviewing, approving, verifying, and moderating membership requests for our official social media groups, discussion boards, and interactive communities (such as our Facebook Groups for parents, teachers, and book fans).
  • Fraud Detection and Platform Security: Authenticating transaction legitimacy, monitoring and combating credit card chargeback fraud, validating authentic sponsorship contributions, enforcing our community standards, and safeguarding the overall technical and administrative integrity of our systems.
  • Vetted Third-Party Operational Disclosures: We may disclose your information to trusted third-party service providers and corporate affiliates who assist us in operational activities (e.g., postal carriers including USPS, UPS, and FedEx; server and cloud hosting providers powering app.aCo.digital; email automation platforms; and legal or financial advisors). All such third parties are granted access solely to perform their contracted duties and are prohibited from utilizing your personal information for their own independent marketing purposes.

2. Educational Freebies, Activity Materials & Media Usage

2.1 Printable Activity Sheets, Worksheets & Educational Freebies

To support literacy, classroom education, and creative learning, Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit may offer complimentary downloadable coloring sheets, lesson prompts, activity workbooks, and character printables.

  • Limited Educational License: Parents, legal guardians, homeschool instructors, librarians, and licensed schoolteachers are granted a non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable license to download and print these complimentary materials for personal home enrichment or single-classroom educational purposes only.
  • Strict Prohibition on Commercial Exploitation: You may not repackage, re-license, sell, modify, bundle, or distribute these digital materials for monetary gain. You are expressly forbidden from uploading our free activity files or derivative printables to commercial teacher exchanges, digital asset shops (such as Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy, or eBay), or open file-sharing databases without the prior signed written permission of Agency Couture, LLC.

2.2 Video Streaming, Media & Classroom Read-Alouds

All video and audio recordings published, linked, or embedded on Stretchyelephant.com—including animated shorts, author read-alouds, character drawing tutorials, and classroom presentations—remain the sole intellectual property of the Author and Publisher.

  • You may stream and display these videos directly through our authorized players for children, families, and classroom students.
  • You may not capture, rip, download, duplicate, re-upload, re-broadcast, or place our video assets behind a paywall, subscription platform, or unauthorized third-party media channel.

2.3 Prohibition on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scraping and Machine Learning Ingestion

Express Reservation of Rights: All creative works, character designs, illustrations, character names (including Stretchy Elephant), storylines, book text, audio assets, worksheets, and videos are protected under international copyright conventions and United States federal law.

  • Under no circumstances may any text, visual artwork, character likeness, or multimedia from this Site or our apps be scraped, harvested, crawled, ingested, or used as training data, testing sets, or fine-tuning inputs for artificial intelligence models, machine learning algorithms, large language models (LLMs), or text-to-image/video generators.
  • Any automated data harvesting or systematic extraction without express, signed, written contractual consent from Agency Couture, LLC constitutes copyright infringement and will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law.

3. Intellectual Property, Trademarks & Creative Rights (HarperCollins / Publisher Standard)

3.1 Ownership of Literary and Visual Assets

All content made available across Stretchyelephant.com, the aCo App, and in printed or digital books—including characters, storylines, dialogues, fictional universes, illustrations, layout styling, book covers, graphic assets, logos, and taglines—is owned exclusively by Desarae Veit and Agency Couture, LLC. This intellectual property is protected by the United States Copyright Office, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and applicable international copyright and trademark treaties.

3.2 Derivative Works and Unauthorized Merchandise

You may not create, manufacture, distribute, market, or sell any unauthorized derivative works based on Stretchy Elephant or any characters, books, or illustrations created by Desarae Veit. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Fan fiction sold or distributed publicly;
  • Handmade or mass-produced merchandise, plush dolls, apparel, stickers, toys, or crafts featuring our character likenesses;
  • Theatrical plays, audio adaptations, animations, or digital games.

Any unauthorized commercialization will be met with immediate cease-and-desist action, statutory damage claims, and trademark enforcement.

3.3 Unsolicited Creative Submissions Policy

In order to avoid future misunderstandings, disputes, or similarities regarding creative works, Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit maintain a strict policy against reviewing or accepting unsolicited creative materials.

  • Non-Confidential Submissions: Please do not send unsolicited story concepts, manuscripts, book proposals, character drawings, plot twists, lesson ideas, or merchandise concepts to our email, physical address, or social media accounts.
  • Complete Waiver: If you disregard this policy and send unsolicited ideas, concepts, or artistic materials, you agree that your submission is completely non-confidential, non-proprietary, and unencumbered. Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit owe you no compensation, review, acknowledgment, return of materials, or fiduciary consideration. You irrevocably waive any and all claims that any subsequent book, storyline, character, or merchandise developed by the Author or Publisher infringes upon or resembles your unsolicited submission.

4. Product Sales, Payments, Returns & Manufacturing Variations

4.1 All Direct Sales Are Strictly Final

Except as explicitly outlined in Section 4.3 below:

  • No Cash or Card Refunds: We do not offer or issue monetary refunds under any circumstances for direct orders.
  • No Returns: We do not accept returns on any physical or digital goods purchased through Stretchyelephant.com, Stripe payment links, or direct invoices.
  • No Exchanges: We do not process exchanges for different book titles, cover types, merchandise sizes, or alternative formats.
  • Scope of Final Sale: This policy applies uniformly to printed books, hardcovers, paperbacks, activity workbooks, signed or personalized copies, bundled collections, apparel, plush items, stickers, direct digital downloads, ebooks, printables, and creative sponsorship tiers.

4.2 Purchases on Third-Party Marketplaces (Amazon, External Retailers)

  • Governed Exclusively by Marketplace Terms: Books, workbooks, and merchandise purchased through external retailers—such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or other third-party websites linked from our Site—are governed solely by the terms, condition standards, shipping terms, and customer return policies of that specific retailer.
  • No Direct Intervention: Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit do not process, accept returns for, replace, or refund purchases executed on Amazon or other third-party platforms. If you experience delivery delays, receiving errors, damaged packaging, or seek a return for an Amazon purchase, you must manage your claim directly through your Amazon customer account.

4.3 Manufacturing Variations, Flaws & Seller's Sole Discretion

  • Inherent Production Variations: You acknowledge that physical books, paper stocks, ink pigmentation, binding glue, plush toys, apparel, and merchandise are subject to minor standard manufacturing variations. Slight color shifts between screen displays and print runs, minor trim discrepancies, faint ink flecks, natural paper texture variations, or standard binding signatures do not constitute defects or damages.
  • Remedy at Seller's Sole Discretion: In the rare event that a direct physical order shipped by Agency Couture, LLC arrives with a major functional defect or severe shipping damage that renders the book or item unreadable or unusable:
    • Any remedy—whether by replacement of the damaged item (subject to available stock) or issuance of a discretionary store credit—remains at the sole, exclusive, and final discretion of Agency Couture, LLC.
    • Strict Claim Window: You must report the issue within 14 calendar days of the confirmed carrier delivery date by emailing hello@stretchyelephant.com.
    • Required Proof: Your email must include your original order confirmation number, a description of the defect, and high-resolution photographs clearly demonstrating both the damaged product and the exterior shipping packaging with the mailing label visible.
    • Claims submitted past 14 days, or without adequate photographic proof, will be dismissed. The customer may be requested to return the damaged item at their own shipping expense before any discretionary remedy is finalized. Original shipping charges are non-refundable.

5. Community Conduct, Social Media & Group Moderation

Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit host interactive reader communities, social media pages, and private discussion forums (such as our official Facebook Groups for parents, teachers, and book enthusiasts) to celebrate reading and share educational resources.

5.1 Standards of Participation

All participants, members, and commenters agree to maintain a supportive, polite, and family-appropriate standard of conduct. The following behaviors are strictly prohibited:

  • Using vulgar, profane, hateful, sexually explicit, abusive, or discriminatory language;
  • Harassing, bullying, or defaming the Author, Publisher, moderators, or fellow community members;
  • Posting unsolicited commercial advertisements, affiliate marketing links, spam, or multi-level marketing (MLM) promotions;
  • Sharing unverified personal data of others, particularly identifying information of minors.

5.2 Moderator and Administrative Rights

Agency Couture, LLC administrators and group moderators reserve the unrestricted right to:

  • Review, approve, deny, or remove any post, comment, image, or media contribution without prior explanation;
  • Mute, suspend, block, or permanently ban any user or member who violates these community rules, creates friction, or threatens group harmony;
  • Report abusive, defamatory, or fraudulent accounts to platform administrators (such as Meta/Facebook) and legal authorities where warranted.

5.3 User Submissions and Reader Showcases

If you or your classroom voluntarily post artwork, student creations, or photos featuring Stretchy Elephant books to our public pages, or tag our official accounts, you grant Agency Couture, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to re-share, spotlight, and feature that content across our social channels to celebrate young readers, unless you explicitly request otherwise in writing.

6. Creative Sponsorships, Patronage & Brand Partnership Terms

6.1 Voluntary Support, Not Commercial Advertising Contracts

Purchasing a sponsorship tier, contributing a patron pledge, or providing financial support via Stretchyelephant.com or our Stripe checkout links represents a voluntary contribution toward the independent creative, illustrative, printing, and school-outreach initiatives of author Desarae Veit and publisher Agency Couture, LLC.

  • No Commercial Contracts: Sponsorships are not commercial advertising agreements, joint ventures, or fee-for-service media placements.
  • No Guarantees of Any Kind: Sponsorship contributions come with absolutely no guarantees, warranties, or assurances, express or implied. We do not guarantee:
    • Commercial results, sales conversions, website traffic, clicks, leads, impressions, or business benefits;
    • Specific placement locations, visual dimensions, font sizes, screen prominence, or duration of display on our website, in printed book acknowledgments, or in social media mentions;
    • Publication dates, manuscript completion milestones, print volume numbers, or school reading attendance figures.

6.2 Absolute Right to Reject, Refuse Promotion, or Revoke Sponsorships

To safeguard the educational reputation of Desarae Veit and ensure Stretchy Elephant remains an inspiring, family-safe resource for schools and children:

  • Unilateral Editorial Veto: Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit reserve the absolute, unilateral right to reject, refuse to promote, decline, or revoke any sponsor, brand name, dedication, link, or corporate logo at our sole discretion.
  • Incompatible Categories: We strictly decline and will refuse to promote any sponsor associated with adult entertainment, violence, weapons, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, vaping, cannabis, controlled substances, partisan political campaigning, discriminatory viewpoints, predatory financial schemes, or any messaging deemed detrimental to children and educational institutions.
  • No Endorsement: The acceptance of a sponsorship contribution does not imply, express, or establish an endorsement by Desarae Veit or Agency Couture, LLC of the sponsor's products, services, personal conduct, or business practices.
  • Revocation Without Refund: If a sponsor's conduct, reputation, or business practices are found to violate these standards, or if public associations arise that conflict with our brand values after payment has been received, we reserve the right to immediately pull, omit, or remove their mention from all materials and platforms. In accordance with our strict no-refunds policy, revocation or refusal to promote does not entitle the sponsor to a refund, reimbursement, or financial compensation of any kind.

6.3 No Intellectual Property, Royalties, or Equity Rights

No sponsorship contribution or donation shall convey or be construed as conveying any copyright, trademark, intellectual property ownership, license, equity interest, profit sharing, royalty participation, or artistic control over Stretchy Elephant, literary manuscripts, character designs, or Agency Couture, LLC assets.

6.4 Recurring Sponsorship Subscriptions

If you choose a recurring monthly or annual sponsorship tier processed through Stripe:

  • Your designated payment method will be charged automatically at each recurring interval until canceled.
  • You may cancel your subscription at any time prior to your next renewal date via your customer portal link or by emailing hello@stretchyelephant.com.
  • Cancellations take effect at the conclusion of your current paid billing period; prior payments are non-refundable, and partial-period refunds will not be issued.

7. Disclaimers, Indemnification & Limitation of Liability (Amazon Merchant Standard)

7.1 "As-Is" and "As-Available" Provision

All content, free educational worksheets, video materials, physical books, toys, merchandise, services, and digital downloads accessible through Stretchyelephant.com and the aCo App are provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted under applicable law, Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit disclaim all representations and warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular educational purpose, and non-infringement.

7.2 Comprehensive Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, under no legal theory (whether in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or otherwise) shall Agency Couture, LLC, its managing members, officers, employees, affiliates, service providers, or author Desarae Veit be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential, or exemplary damages arising out of or related to:

  • Your access to, browsing of, or inability to use this Site or the aCo App;
  • Any printing flaws, paper cuts, physical product defects, or shipping transit delays;
  • Reliance upon any educational materials, activity printables, or videos;
  • Interactions within our social media groups, comments sections, or external community boards;
  • Purchases completed through Amazon or any third-party external retailer;
  • Any decisions to decline, omit, or discontinue promotion of a sponsor.

Maximum Aggregate Liability: In all circumstances, the total cumulative liability of Agency Couture, LLC and Desarae Veit arising from any claim, dispute, or lawsuit shall not exceed the lesser of: (a) the actual dollar amount paid by you to Agency Couture, LLC for the specific transaction, item, or sponsorship tier in dispute; or (b) fifty U.S. Dollars ($50.00 USD).

7.3 Indemnification and Hold Harmless

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Agency Couture, LLC, Desarae Veit, and their respective members, officers, contractors, licensors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or legal fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) resulting from:

  • Your violation of this Agreement or any applicable laws;
  • Your misuse of any physical book, workbook, craft, printable, or toy (adult supervision is strongly advised for young children during physical and scissors/craft activities);
  • Any copyright infringement, unauthorized derivative work creation, or unauthorized commercialization initiated by you;
  • Content, materials, or links submitted by you as a sponsor or community member.

8. Governing Law, Exclusive Jurisdiction & Dispute Resolution

8.1 State of Iowa Governing Law

These Policies, your use of Stretchyelephant.com, orders executed through our Stripe forms, access to the aCo App, and any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be governed by, interpreted, and enforced in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of Iowa, without regard to conflict of law principles.

8.2 Exclusive Venue in Polk County, Iowa

You irrevocably agree that any legal lawsuit, action, or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or our products and services shall be instituted and litigated exclusively within the state or federal courts located within Polk County, Iowa. You hereby consent and submit to the exclusive personal and subject matter jurisdiction of such courts, and you waive any objection based on improper venue, forum non conveniens, or lack of personal jurisdiction.

9. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision or clause of this Agreement is held to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction in Polk County, Iowa, such provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions of these Policies shall continue in full force and effect. This Agreement constitutes the complete, unified, and final understanding between you and Agency Couture, LLC regarding the subject matter hereof.

10. Modifications and Updates

Agency Couture, LLC reserves the right to modify, amend, or update these Policies at our discretion at any time. When updates are published, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. Your continued browsing of Stretchyelephant.com, access to the aCo App, or purchase of products following the posting of changes constitutes your express acceptance of the updated terms.

11. Official Contact Information

For inquiries regarding these policies, order fulfillment, classroom printable licensing, social media moderation, or sponsorship reviews, please direct all formal correspondence to:

  • Publisher & Management Entity: Agency Couture, LLC
  • Author / Creative Lead: Desarae Veit
  • Official Website: www.stretchyelephant.com
  • Platform Management Portal: app.aCo.digital
  • Official Support Email: hello@stretchyelephant.com
  • Governing Jurisdiction: Polk County, Iowa, United States
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)