Before Squishmallows became a household name, Judd Zebersky was a practicing attorney with a different kind of ambition. In 1997, he traded his law practice for factory floors in rural China, spending months learning every facet of toy manufacturing from the ground up. He had no industry contacts, no production experience, and no guarantee anything would pan out.

Zebersky had earned a JD from the University of Miami School of Law and built a firm of his own after passing the bar. But the draw of consumer products proved stronger than litigation. As he later described it, he looked at his wife and said simply that he wanted to make toys. She told him to follow his dreams. That was enough.

Manufacturing Education

What followed was an education few executives receive. Zebersky learned injection molding, blow molding, and rotocasting by observing factory workers in the south of China. He studied hair rooting techniques and engineering specifications firsthand. The knowledge he accumulated on those factory floors shaped how Jazwares hired and structured its operations for years afterward.

Jazwares built its early foundation through licensed entertainment properties, partnering with franchises including Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite. Acquisitions of Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020 expanded the portfolio considerably, with Kellytoy bringing Squishmallows into the company.

Squishmallows became a cultural phenomenon almost overnight. The soft plush toys, each featuring a name, a birthday, and a backstory, spread virally across TikTok and drew celebrity fans from Lady Gaga to Kim Kardashian. More than 100 million units sold in a single year, with individual pieces priced between $5 and $30.

Recognition and Transition

Jazwares earned spots on 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 and appeared on The Business Report’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list in 2023.

On March 20, 2026, Zebersky stepped down as CEO after nearly three decades. The company he founded now employs approximately 1,400 people and distributes products in more than 100 countries. Chief Operating Officer David Neustein assumed the CEO role on March 23, 2026. Refer to this article, for related information.

Find more information about Judd Zebersky on https://www.jazwares.com/about-us/leadership