Judd Zebersky’s Long Road From Miami Law to the Toy Industry’s Top

It starts, as many good business stories do, with a leap that did not make obvious sense at the time. Judd Zebersky had a law degree from the University of Miami School of Law. He had passed the bar. He had built a practice. And then he decided he wanted to make toys. His wife told him to follow his dreams. In 1997, he flew to China.

The Education No Business School Offers

Judd Zebersky spent months learning how toys were made from the inside. He studied injection molding, blow molding, and rotocasting. He learned hair rooting, worked through engineering specifications, and visited remote factories in southern China reachable only by dirt road. “I went to remote places in China on dirt roads where entire families get around on a single motorcycle,” he said. “I visited toy factories throughout the south of China and immersed myself in the manufacturing, design, and engineering of toys.”

What he built on that knowledge was Jazwares. The company launched with licensed products tied to entertainment brands including Fortnite, Minecraft, and Sonic the Hedgehog, giving a young company a foothold in retail through properties fans already loved.

From Licensing to Ownership

Two acquisitions reshaped the business. Wicked Cool Toys joined Jazwares in 2019 and brought Pokémon along. Kellytoy followed in 2020 with Squishmallows, soft toys with names, bios, and squishdays that spread across TikTok and became one of the most collectible products of the decade. Celebrity fans including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian amplified the brand. More than 100 million units sold in a single year, each priced between $5 and $30.

Alleghany Capital Corporation invested starting in 2014, taking a majority by 2016. Berkshire Hathaway inherited the stake through its 2022 acquisition of Alleghany. Zebersky remained the operational authority throughout. Jazwares appeared on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list. Zebersky earned the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs recognition in 2024.

Jazwares Cares was founded alongside the company and has donated millions of toys to Make-A-Wish, Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House, and children’s hospitals. Zebersky and his wife donated $2 million to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. He stepped down as CEO on March 20, 2026. David Neustein assumed the role three days later. Visit this page for additional information.

Find more information about Judd Zebersky on https://toybook.com/jazwares-leadership-transition/