COVER STORY
Part of Squishmallows' appeal is the variety of personalities and sizes.
ALL SQUISHMALLOWS IMAGES COURTESY OF © JAZWARES
Soft sell
Only time will tell if Squishmallows make it to infinity and beyond. But as toy stories go, the marshmallow-like plush toy's meteoric rise to the top of the $100 billion global toy market is one for the ages.
by MARK CARDWELL
Toys mean the world to Herb Mitschele. A father of four young daughters and a toy industry expert who has worked for such iconic companies as Mattel and Playmates Toys, he's spent the past two decades helping make and market objects that educate and entertain kids of all ages.
As executive vice president with Jazwares, the Florida-based company that makes Squishmallows, Mitschele now leads a team that is tasked with expanding the global reach of the world's best-selling toy. "I've never been involved with anything like this; it's a once-in-a-career thing," he says. "Toy brands come and go. But Squishmallows are here to stay."
There's at least one Squishmallows character for everyone.
Super fan Melanie Schroeder at VidCon in Anaheim, California.
COURTESY OF MELANIE SCHROEDER