Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at Jazwares, talks about the success of Squishmallows and the importance of social media marketing in the Toy Book’s annual State of the Industry Q&A.
The Toy Book: How will Jazwares continue to fuel the Squishmallows craze this year?
Jeremy Padawer: Squishmallows has been one of the greatest toy and collector phenomenons of all time, selling more than 100 million units in the last few years. But, unlike most phenomenal outcomes, Squishmallows started big and has only grown year after year. Almost all of this growth has been organic. Kid and adult consumers, influencers, and celebrities continue to embrace Squishmallows — including each character’s personality and bio — and they share their love on social media to the tune of tens of billions of impressions.
As we move into 2022, we are pairing this remarkable organic growth with an increased marketing spend to support both our plush brand as well as the licensees that are launching programs across a myriad of relevant categories around the world. Moreover, we recently announced a deal with CAA, which will bring Squishmallows to both the big screen and in the form of episodic content in the years to come. We recognize how precious this opportunity is with Squishmallows, and how beloved the brand has become to so many millions of passionate fans, and we are all in.
TB: Some of the hottest toys in 2021 were based on toys going viral on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. What other toy trends are you seeing for 2022?
JP: Jazwares has focused on trends and new platforms for our entire 25-year history. We are extremely entrepreneurial people at heart, not afraid to actively approach change. We don’t wait to see other people succeed or fail. We dig in. We go for it. Now that we’re one of the larger companies in the space, we have no intention to change our stripes. We were early in gaming, and as a result, we stand as the most prolific in the digital space with brands like Pokémon, Roblox, Fortnite, and Halo. We were early in the preschool digital space, and CoComelon and Blippi products are the result. We will continue to drive down the path of taking risks, being bold, and doing our best to be great at picking winning brands with great themes, play patterns, and play value.
This article was originally published in the February 2022 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!
