Judd Zebersky Grew Jazwares Into a Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Company
Judd Zebersky did not set out to build a company that would end up in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio. He set out to make toys. But the company he founded after leaving a Florida law practice in 1997 grew steadily enough that Alleghany Capital Corporation took notice, investing in Jazwares in 2014 and acquiring a majority interest in 2016. When Berkshire Hathaway purchased Alleghany in the fourth quarter of 2022, Jazwares came along with it.
Zebersky stepped down as CEO on March 20, 2026. David Neustein, the company’s long-serving COO, took over three days later.
A Lawyer Who Taught Himself Manufacturing
Judd Zebersky earned his JD from the University of Miami School of Law and ran his own firm before making the move to consumer products. In 1997 he traveled to China with no factory experience and spent months absorbing the mechanics of toy production. He learned injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, and hair rooting directly from factory workers in southern China.
“I visited toy factories throughout the south of China and immersed myself in the manufacturing, design, and engineering of toys,” Judd Zebersky told Miami Law in 2014.
Jazwares built its commercial foundation through licensed products. Agreements with Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite established the brand in major retail channels. The 2019 acquisition of Wicked Cool Toys added Pokémon, and the 2020 purchase of Kellytoy introduced Squishmallows to the portfolio.
The Squishmallows Effect
Squishmallows became a cultural touchstone in ways that surprised even industry insiders. The soft plush toys, each named and given a unique backstory, went viral on TikTok and attracted celebrity attention from Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian. More than 100 million units sold in a single year, with prices ranging from $5 to $30 each.
Jazwares received industry recognition proportional to that growth. The company earned a spot on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list, Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators designation, and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production. Judd Zebersky personally received the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs honor in 2024 and made The Business Report’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list in 2023.
Jazwares currently employs approximately 1,400 people and distributes products in more than 100 countries. See This Page for related information.
Related Article about Judd Zebersky on https://toyworldmag.co.uk/jazwares-announces-departure-of-senior-leadership/
