Judd Zebersky and the Rise of Squishmallows A Founder’s Story

By the time Squishmallows took over TikTok and started appearing in the arms of celebrities, Judd Zebersky had already spent two decades building the infrastructure that made it possible. The soft plush figures with bios and squishdays did not emerge from a single flash of inspiration they came through an acquisition strategy that Judd Zebersky had been refining since the late 1990s.

Before any of that, Zebersky was an attorney. He earned his JD from the University of Miami School of Law and ran a firm he built himself. He gave it up in 1997 to fly to China and learn how toys were made. He described looking at his wife and saying simply that he wanted to make toys, and then doing exactly that spending months on factory floors in southern China, learning injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, and design engineering in person.

From Entertainment Licenses to Cultural Phenomenon

Jazwares grew through partnerships with entertainment brands: Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Fortnite, and others gave the company retail presence and licensing income. The purchase of Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 added Pokémon. The 2020 acquisition of Kellytoy brought Squishmallows and with it, a level of consumer enthusiasm that redefined what plush toys could do commercially.

Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian were among the high-profile fans. TikTok amplified demand in ways that traditional advertising never could have. More than 100 million Squishmallows sold in a single year, each priced between $5 and $30. The character-driven line, with each figure carrying a name, a squishday, and a personal backstory, generated collector behavior typically associated with much more expensive products.

Alleghany Capital Corporation took an initial stake in Jazwares in 2014 and a majority interest in 2016. Berkshire Hathaway inherited the company when it acquired Alleghany in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The Giving Side of Jazwares

Judd Zebersky founded Jazwares Cares alongside the company itself. The charitable arm has donated millions of toys through partnerships with Make-A-Wish, Ronald McDonald House, Toys for Tots, children’s hospitals, and Title I schools. Zebersky and his wife separately donated $2 million to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Zebersky departed Jazwares on March 20, 2026. David Neustein, who served as COO for 14 years, became CEO three days later. Jazwares employs around 1,400 people and sells products in more than 100 countries. See related link for more information.

Learn more about Judd Zebersky on https://toybook.com/jazwares-leadership-transition/