Before there was a Squishmallows waiting list or a TikTok trend around soft plush characters, there was a lawyer from South Florida on a factory floor in rural China, trying to understand how toys were made. Judd Zebersky had left a career in law to start a toy company with no industry contacts and no manufacturing experience. He earned a JD from the University of Miami School of Law, built a practice, and then walked away from it.
“I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘I want to make toys,'” Zebersky said. “She said, ‘Follow your dreams,’ and that’s what I did.”
The Work Behind the Brand
Zebersky spent months in China learning manufacturing processes firsthand. He absorbed injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, and hair rooting techniques, toured factories across the southern provinces, and built the technical foundation that Jazwares would use to hire and train staff for years after. It was unconventional preparation for a CEO, but the operational depth it produced proved durable.
Jazwares started with licensed products, securing rights to properties including Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite. Growth through acquisition came next: Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020. Kellytoy carried both a Pokémon license and the Squishmallows line, the plush toy brand that eventually dominated headlines.
Recognition and an Ownership Transition
Squishmallows turned into a cultural phenomenon, propelled by TikTok and celebrity collectors like Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. More than 100 million units moved in a single year at retail prices between $5 and $30. Alleghany Capital Corporation first backed Jazwares in 2014, took a majority stake in 2016, and was later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Jazwares received recognition from TIME’s Most Influential Companies list, Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators, and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production. Judd Zebersky received the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs honor in 2024. He departed as CEO on March 20, 2026, after nearly 30 years. See related link for additional information.
Learn more about Judd Zebersky on https://toybook.com/jazwares-leadership-transition/