Over nearly 30 years, Judd Zebersky built Jazwares into a globally distributed toy company while simultaneously building a philanthropic operation that became part of the company’s structure from day one. He established Jazwares Cares at the company’s founding, an initiative that has donated millions of toys and partnered with children’s hospitals, Title I schools, and nonprofits including Make-A-Wish, Toys for Tots, and Ronald McDonald House.
Beyond the company’s giving program, Zebersky and his wife contributed $2 million to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. They have also been longtime supporters of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
Industry Awards and Recognition
As Jazwares scaled, formal recognition followed. The company appeared on TIME’s Most Influential Companies list and was named to Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. Fortune recognized the company through its Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production list. Judd Zebersky personally received the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs honor in 2024 and was named to The Business Report’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list in 2023.
A Company Built on an Unlikely Foundation
The foundation beneath all of it was unconventional. Zebersky earned a JD from the University of Miami School of Law, ran a law firm, and then pivoted to manufacturing. He flew to China in the late 1990s, spent months learning injection molding, blow molding, rotocasting, and hair rooting firsthand, and returned to build a toy company.
Jazwares grew through licensed products tied to properties like Minecraft, Fortnite, and Sonic the Hedgehog, then through acquisitions: Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020. Kellytoy brought the Squishmallows brand, which exploded on TikTok and sold more than 100 million units in a single year. Alleghany Capital Corporation took a majority stake in 2016; Berkshire Hathaway inherited the investment through its Q4 2022 Alleghany acquisition. Judd Zebersky stepped down as CEO on March 20, 2026. Read this article for more information.
Learn more about Judd Zebersky on https://www.jazwares.com/about-us/leadership