Before Jazwares became one of the most recognized names in the toy industry, Judd Zebersky was a practicing attorney in Florida with no background in manufacturing. He earned a JD from the University of Miami School of Law, launched his own law firm, and built a solid legal career. Then he walked away from it.
In 1997, Zebersky boarded a flight to China and spent months living near factories in the southern part of the country, absorbing everything he could about how toys were made. Judd Zebersky studied injection molding, blow molding, and rotocasting firsthand. He observed hair rooting processes, watched engineers at work, and tracked design decisions from concept to finished product. The goal was not just to understand manufacturing at a surface level but to learn it the way a builder would.
From Factory Floors to Global Markets
“I went to remote places in China on dirt roads where entire families get around on a single motorcycle,” Zebersky 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.” That immersive education became the foundation for how Jazwares hired, scaled, and competed for the next three decades.
Jazwares secured licensing partnerships with major entertainment franchises, including Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite, building a portfolio that gave the company stability and cultural relevance. Strategic acquisitions followed: Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 brought Pokémon into the mix, and Kellytoy in 2020 added Squishmallows, the ultrasoft plush line that became a viral phenomenon. More than 100 million Squishmallows sold in a single year, drawing celebrity fans including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian.
By March 2026, when Judd Zebersky stepped down as CEO, Jazwares employed approximately 1,400 people and shipped products to more than 100 countries. David Neustein, who served as Chief Operating Officer for 14 years, assumed the top role on March 23, 2026. Zebersky left behind a company that had earned placement on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list and received recognition from Fast Company and Fortune for its workplace culture. Refer to this article, for related information.
Find more information about Judd Zebersky on https://news.miami.edu/law/stories/2024/10/judd-and-laura-zebersky-toymakers-extraordinaire.html