Behind every successful toy company lies the opportunity for great philanthropy.
Jazwares is one of the fastest-growing toy companies in the business, putting smiles on faces around the world through licensed products from Pokémon, AEW, Star Wars, and CoComelon alongside its signature brand, Squishmallows. Its growth has allowed the company to bring joy to others as it gives back to the communities around it through Jazwares Cares, a philanthropic arm that organizes toy donations and volunteering opportunities for its team members.
Each year, Jazwares Cares works with nonprofits that support kids’ health, well-being, and education through play, including Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House, and The Toy Foundation’s Toy Bank program. As Jazwares’ global reach grows, its efforts to give back do too.
“2023 was a great year for Jazwares Cares,” says Sara Rosales, Senior Vice President of Communications at Jazwares. “In 2024, we plan to continue our partnerships with the organizations we’ve worked with, and expand our relationships with more community partners near our international offices, including the U.K., Mexico, Canada, Australia, Germany, and more.”
Jazwares also gives its employees — “Jazmanians” — 16 hours of volunteer time off (VTO) each calendar year.
“While we create community engagement opportunities for employees that are meaningful, purposeful, and help those in need throughout the year, employees may also choose a charity of their choice to volunteer with or work with other Jazmanians on a team volunteer activity,” Rosales explains.
Last year, volunteering efforts from Jazwares included cleaning up schools in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; preparing and serving food at the Lotus House Women’s Shelter in Miami; packaging essentials for women and children at Baby2Baby; and handing out Squishmallows to kids at the First Responders Children’s Foundation Thanksgiving Day Parade event in New York. Additionally, the company runs an Adopt-a-School program supporting Title 1 schools in the communities where it has offices.
“We currently have six schools in the program,” Rosales says. “We recently hosted holiday parties at some of our adopted schools, which included employee volunteers, food, crafts, toy donations, and even an opportunity to celebrate with our Cam the Cat Squishmallows mascot. The kids had a great time and we gave gift cards to the teachers at the schools as well.”
One of Jazwares Cares’ big initiatives last year was the creation of the Squishmallows “Star,” a collaboration between Jazwares and Make-A-Wish as a gift to kids with severe illnesses and their siblings. Star is a plush bear that, according to Rosales, is “a galaxy adventurer who stays optimistic no matter what each daily mission brings.” Jazwares President Laura Zebersky was named Chairperson of the Board of Directors at Make-A-Wish Southern Florida in 2022.
“More than 10,000 Star Squishmallows were donated to Make-A-Wish chapters across the U.S. and Canada last fall,” Rosales says.
Close to home, Zebersky and her husband, Jazwares Founder & CEO Judd Zebersky, are longtime contributors to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for which they once produced a plush doll honoring Lotsy Dotsy, the hospital’s whimsical clown mascot.
Looking ahead, the future success of Jazwares will no doubt continue fueling an impact well beyond the toy department as growing ranks of Jazmanians give back by supporting the organizations and causes nearest to their Squishmallows-soft hearts.
This article was originally published in the February 2024 edition of The BIG Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
