William Steig (1907-2003), was an American cartoonist and a writer of many children's books which include Shrek and Sylvester & The Magic Pebble. But in 2003, Mr. William Steig who was in his 90's, died from natural causes. During the time when Shrek 2 was made in 2004, the film was dedicated to him in his honor, as shown in the credits of the film.