Judd Zebersky did not plan to build a toy company. He had a law degree, a bar license, and a practice of his own when he decided, at his wife’s encouragement, to follow a different path entirely. That path led him to factory floors in rural China in 1997 and, eventually, to the creation of Jazwares, now one of the more recognizable names in the global toy market.

Learning Manufacturing Without a Manual

Zebersky arrived in China with curiosity and no manufacturing background. He spent months learning how toys were physically made, absorbing the mechanics of injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, and hair rooting. Judd Zebersky visited remote factories, traveled dirt roads in southern China, and built technical knowledge that would directly shape how Jazwares hired engineers and designers in the years ahead.

“I went to remote places in China on dirt roads where entire families get around on a single motorcycle,” he 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.”

Licenses, Acquisitions, and a Viral Phenomenon

The early Jazwares catalog centered on licensed properties. Partnerships with Minecraft, Fortnite, and Sonic the Hedgehog gave the company shelf presence and brand exposure. Acquisitions later widened the portfolio, with Wicked Cool Toys added in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020. Kellytoy brought two major assets: a Pokémon license and the Squishmallows line.

Squishmallows, soft plush characters each carrying a name, bio, and squishday, spread through TikTok and earned celebrity attention from figures including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. More than 100 million units sold in a single year, with individual items priced between $5 and $30. Alleghany Capital Corporation took an initial stake in Jazwares in 2014 and a majority position in 2016. Berkshire Hathaway later became the parent company through its fourth-quarter 2022 acquisition of Alleghany.

Judd Zebersky stepped down as CEO on March 20, 2026, marking the end of a nearly 30-year chapter. Jazwares now employs about 1,400 people and serves consumers in more than 100 countries. Read this article for more information.

Follow their page on https://jazwares.uk/about-us/leadership, to learn more.