On March 7, 2025, more than 500,000 Squishmallows were distributed to children’s hospitals, schools, and non-profit organizations across the United States, Europe, and Australia. It was the largest single donation in Jazwares Cares’ history. The third annual Squishmallows Day had become more than a brand moment. It was a demonstration of what the company’s giving infrastructure had grown into over nearly three decades.
That infrastructure traces back to Judd Zebersky. Jazwares Cares didn’t emerge from a board-level ESG review or an employee recommendation. Founder Judd Zebersky established Jazwares Cares at the company’s inception in 1997. Giving wasn’t retrofitted to Jazwares once it achieved scale. It was part of the architecture from day one.
How Jazwares Cares Leverages Play to Reach Children in Need
Jazwares Cares, backed by Judd Zebersky, operates through product donations, sponsorships, education-based programs, and employee volunteerism. Each year, the program partners with organizations including Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House, and The Toy Foundation’s Toy Bank to direct product to children who need it most. The program also runs an Adopt-a-School initiative supporting Title I schools in communities where the company operates, and Jazwares employees receive 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually.
The 2025 Squishmallows Day donation stretched across three continents. Partners included Baby2Baby, Toys for Tots, and the First Responders Children’s Foundation in the United States; Backpacks 4 VIC Kids in Australia through the Australian Toy Industry; and In Kind Direct, Innatura, and Dons Solidaires covering the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, respectively. Laura Zebersky, who served as President and Chief Commercial Officer at Jazwares, framed the giving simply in a statement: “Putting a smile on children’s faces is at the heart of everything we do.”
A separate collaboration with Make-A-Wish produced Star, a Squishmallows designed specifically for children with serious illnesses and their siblings. More than 10,000 Star Squishmallows were donated to Make-A-Wish chapters across the United States and Canada.
The Zeberskys’ Personal Giving at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
The Zeberskys’ giving extended beyond the company’s philanthropic programs. Judd and Laura Zebersky donated $2 million to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in South Florida, contributing to an expansion project estimated at $170 million that extended the facility from four floors to eight. The fundraising effort was part of the hospital’s ‘Catch the Love’ capital campaign, and the couple’s contributions were recognized with the naming of two hospital spaces: the Pediatric Emergency Department Registration Area and the Outpatient Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Unit.
Jazwares also developed a custom Lotsy Dotsy doll in honor of the hospital’s resident clown, made specifically to comfort young patients during hospital stays. Every child admitted to Joe DiMaggio receives one. “One of our greatest memories was making a very special toy for the hospital in honor of their most famous clown, Lotsy Dotsy,” Laura Zebersky said. “To see how the kids interact with the doll and how it gives them the ability to feel just a little bit better is so inspiring that it compelled us to want to do more.”
Make-A-Wish Involvement and the Scale of Personal Giving
Laura Zebersky joined the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida board of directors in 2019 and was named Chair of the Board of Directors in 2022. Together, she and Judd made more than 100 individual wishes come true and served as wish benefactors at the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, which raised over $5 million. The couple was also recognized in Make-A-Wish’s $1,000,000+ donor tier, the organization’s highest level of acknowledgment, for contributions made between September 2023 and August 2024.
Judd Zebersky put it plainly, “Everything in Laura and my life is directly geared to making children happy and healthy.” The Star Squishmallows were a small proof of that.
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