10 Minutes with … Jazwares on Collaboration and Partnerships

License Global: Squishmallows has been experiencing phenomenal growth in licensing over the past few years. What categories have been fueling the expansion? 

Ferguson: Several categories have been fueling our growth, but just one example in which we have seen great success is all the fashion-related categories, which has helped drive our mission to cement Squishmallows as a global lifestyle franchise. Any category where we can translate the unique feeling a Squishmallows gives you when you hug it and authentically translate it into a new product has been a slam dunk with fans. Our teams collaborate closely with our partners to make sure they include as much of the brand’s DNA as possible in consumer products. We want our licensed products to give that same joy to our fans as our plush does. It’s been amazing over the last 12 months to have launched many key partnerships, including the likes of H&M and PUMA. 

PUMA x Squishmallows

Heading into the 2024 Las Vegas Licensing Expo what’s next for Squishmallows and Jazwares? 

Firstly, we love Licensing Expo, it’s always such a great opportunity to catch up with everyone under one roof, and buzz of the energy the show always provides.  

Jazwares now plays in so many categories, not just toys but costumes, pet products and more to be announced soon. We are a global company with 20 offices around the world, including our latest office we recently opened in Australia. We continue to be laser-focused on finding new opportunities to drive our core business units. 

Squishmallows pet bed.

For Squishmallows, we are driving into new markets, chasing the amazing success that the plush is seeing around the world. Doubling down with our retail partners to maximize all opportunities and help convert the fans that we know are shopping and Squish-hunting into sales of new licensed products. 

What are some key focus areas for Squishmallows licensing this year? 

Collaboration will always continue to be a big focus for us, bringing together trusted brand equity of brands that we know our Squish fans love is a match made in heaven, and we are always interested to see our brand in their design handwriting. 

If I were to call out a category of focus, it would be consumables. We have some very exciting partnerships in the works. We believe this is an area we can excel in – it’s especially well-suited to our broad demographic fanbase. 

Hello Kitty Squishmallows pet bed.

This is Jazwares’ third year at Las Vegas Licensing Expo; what new things can we expect to be showcased at the booth? 

Regardless of the tradeshow, I am always amazed at how each year we excel on the prior years – bigger, better and more innovative. No easy task. This year, we will be able to showcase many of our great partnerships that are live and have some new items that will be coming soon. Of course, we will have an exciting Squishmallows photo opportunity – it wouldn’t be a Jazwares booth without that! 

Are there any key attributes from partners you are looking at for this year’s show? 

We want fun, innovative partners who deliver best-in-class products for our fans. We are always excited to bring partners on board who can help deliver against our mission to grow Squishmallows into a global lifestyle brand. 

Squishmallows.

What can we expect from Jazwares for the remainder of this year and into 2025? 

Exciting new announcements across multiple beats, including master toys, plush, costumes and pets. New product launches, including our work in anime. New initiatives from our Jazwares Game Studio, launching new intellectual properties and licensed gaming experiences into the Roblox ecosystem. We’re super excited that we now don’t only make world-class toys but also Roblox game experiences!  

To learn more about the licensing opportunities with Jazwares, visit booth S212 at Licensing Expo, May 21-24, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. 

Registration for Licensing Expo is open now, find out more.