Judd Zebersky officially stepped down as CEO of Jazwares on March 20, 2026, ending a nearly three-decade run at the company he founded after leaving his law practice in the late 1990s. David Neustein, who served as Chief Operating Officer for 14 years, took over the chief executive role on March 23, 2026. The transition marked the close of a defining chapter for one of the toy industry’s most unusual founder stories.
From Attorney to Toy Manufacturer
After earning a JD from the University of Miami School of Law and running his own firm, Judd Zebersky made a pivot that surprised people around him. “I looked at my wife, and I said, ‘I want to make toys,'” he recalled. “She said, ‘Follow your dreams,’ and that’s what I did.” In 1997, he traveled to China with no manufacturing experience and spent months inside factories, learning the craft personally. He absorbed injection molding techniques, blow molding, rotocasting, and design engineering, building a working knowledge of production that would anchor Jazwares for years.
The company’s early growth came through licensed products connected to major entertainment properties. Partnerships with brands tied to Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Fortnite helped establish Jazwares in the market. Strategic acquisitions added Wicked Cool Toys in 2019 and Kellytoy in 2020, bringing Squishmallows and a Pokémon license into the company’s holdings. Squishmallows went viral on TikTok and attracted celebrity fans including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, selling over 100 million units in a single year at prices ranging from $5 to $30.
Capital, Recognition, and Legacy
Alleghany Capital Corporation first invested in Jazwares in 2014 and took a majority stake in 2016. Both transactions preserved Zebersky’s control over daily operations. Berkshire Hathaway inherited Jazwares when it acquired Alleghany in the fourth quarter of 2022. Judd Zebersky received the South Florida Business Journal’s Ultimate CEOs award in 2024 and appeared on The Business Report’s Top 50 Entrepreneurs list in 2023. He leaves a company employing approximately 1,400 people with products sold in more than 100 countries. Refer to this page for additional information.
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