Judd Zebersky did not come to the toy industry through the usual path. He trained as a lawyer, earned his JD from the University of Miami School of Law, and ran his own law firm before concluding that he would rather make toys. That decision, unconventional by any measure, launched what would become a nearly 30-year run at the helm of Jazwares.
Hands-On Training in China
In 1997, with no manufacturing background to lean on, Judd Zebersky traveled to China and worked directly inside toy factories. He studied the specifics of injection molding, blow molding, and rotocasting. He learned hair rooting processes and the engineering work that goes into product design. He visited remote facilities in the south of the country, traveling roads where, he later recalled, extended families relied on a single motorcycle. His goal was not a surface-level overview. It was operational fluency.
That fluency shaped how Jazwares recruited and organized itself for years. The company built its early product catalog around licensed entertainment brands, signing agreements with properties like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Each license extended Jazwares’ presence in retail environments and established relationships with major entertainment companies. The acquisition of Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 expanded the portfolio further. When Kellytoy was acquired in 2020, it brought Squishmallows.
Squishmallows, Berkshire Hathaway, and a Legacy
Squishmallows became the kind of brand that toy executives rarely get to see in a single career. The plush toys, each carrying a name, birthday, and character backstory, spread across TikTok and collected celebrity fans including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. Annual sales exceeded 100 million units. Retail prices sat between five and thirty dollars, making them accessible enough to drive repeated purchase.
Alleghany Capital Corporation had entered Jazwares as an investor in 2014 and taken a majority position in 2016. Berkshire Hathaway absorbed Alleghany in late 2022, inheriting the Jazwares investment. Judd Zebersky remained CEO through that transition and until his planned departure on March 20, 2026. He also established Jazwares Cares at the company’s founding, donating millions of toys to organizations including Make-A-Wish and Toys for Tots, and his family donated two million dollars to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Visit this page for related information.
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