In 1997, Judd Zebersky flew to China with no background in manufacturing and spent months inside factories, learning how toys were manufactured. He had just left his law practice. He had no idea if any of it would work.
Judd Zebersky earned a JD from the University of Miami School of Law and launched his own law firm after passing the bar. The pull toward consumer products proved stronger.
“I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘I want to make toys,” said Zebersky. “She said, ‘Follow your dreams,’ and that’s what I did.”
The company he built is now synonymous with Squishmallows: huggable, ultrasoft plush toys with names, squishdays, bios, and backstories that turned a niche collectible into a billion-dollar cultural moment, exploding on TikTok and attracting celebrity fans from Lady Gaga to Kim Kardashian.
The founder and CEO steps down from Jazwares on March 20, 2026, closing a nearly 30-year chapter. The company now employs approximately 1,400 people and distributes products across over 100 countries.
Building a Billion-Dollar Brand
In the early days, Zebersky learned injection molding, blow molding, and rotocasting techniques firsthand. He studied hair rooting methods, design processes, and engineering specifications; the operational knowledge shaped how the company hired and built for years after.
“I went to remote places in China on dirt roads where entire families get around on a single motorcycle,” Zebersky told Miami Law in 2014. “I visited toy factories throughout the south of China … and immersed myself in the manufacturing, design, and engineering of toys.”
Jazwares established itself first through licensed products, securing partnerships with major entertainment properties including Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite. The portfolio expanded through acquisition: Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020, which brought Pokémon and Squishmallows into the fold.
Squishmallows became a viral sensation with the help of social media platforms, especially TikTok. More than 100 million units sold in a single year, with individual Squishmallows retailing between $5 and $30.
Capital Partnership and Leadership Recognition
The growth required capital, and Alleghany Capital Corporation took an initial stake in Jazwares in 2014, followed by a majority interest in 2016. Both deals preserved founder control over daily operations. Berkshire Hathaway inherited Jazwares through its acquisition of Alleghany in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Recognition accumulated as the company scaled. Jazwares landed on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list, earned Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators designation, and received Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production honor.
Zebersky personally received the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs recognition in 2024 and appeared on The Business Report’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list in 2023.
Giving Back Was Always Part of the Plan
Zebersky established Jazwares Cares at the company’s founding. The organization has donated millions of toys and maintains partnerships with children’s hospitals, Title I schools, and nonprofits, including Make-A-Wish, Toys for Tots, and Ronald McDonald House.
Personal giving matched corporate commitments. The Zeberskys contributed $2 million to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital and are big supporters of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
David Neustein, Chief Operating Officer for 14 years, assumes the CEO role on March 23, 2026. Zebersky left a law practice to learn toy manufacturing on factory floors in rural China. He leaves Jazwares with one of the most recognizable toy brands in the world.
