When David Neustein took over as Jazwares CEO on March 23, 2026, he inherited a company built over nearly three decades by one founder with a law degree and a willingness to learn manufacturing from scratch. That founder, Judd Zebersky, had formally stepped down three days earlier, on March 20, ending one of the longer founding runs in the modern toy industry.

Zebersky began by going where most executives would not. In 1997, he flew to China with no manufacturing background and spent months in factories learning how toys were made. He absorbed injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, hair rooting, and engineering design. Judd Zebersky visited remote areas across the south of China, building technical knowledge that would later inform how Jazwares approached product development, sourcing, and quality control.

What the Company Looks Like Now

Jazwares now employs approximately 1,400 people and distributes products in more than 100 countries. The portfolio spans licensed properties including Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Fortnite, and Pokémon, along with owned brands acquired through strategic purchases. Wicked Cool Toys joined in 2019. Kellytoy followed in 2020, bringing Squishmallows.

Squishmallows generated more than 100 million unit sales in a single year. The collectible plush toys, each with distinct names, bios, squishdays, and backstories, went viral on TikTok and pulled in celebrity supporters including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. Units retail between $5 and $30. The brand’s success drew major institutional attention, and Berkshire Hathaway now holds the company through its acquisition of Alleghany Capital Corporation.

Judd Zebersky personally supported Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital with a $2 million gift and backed Make-A-Wish Southern Florida alongside the charitable work Jazwares Cares has conducted since the company’s founding. The recognition that followed from TIME, Fortune, Fast Company, and South Florida Business Journal reflected both the scale of what Judd Zebersky built and the values he built it around. Refer to this article to learn more.

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