A hard-edged battle over squishy toys

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Squishmallow, a hybrid stuffed toy and plush pillow, soared in popularity during the pandemic as consumers sought comfort in huggable versions of cute animals and food. Behind that cuteness is an intellectual property battle that is anything but cuddly.

Squishmallows maker Jazwares has filed more than three dozen lawsuits against hundreds of companies producing alleged knockoffs. Judges have tossed some of the complaints. Some small defendants located overseas haven’t bothered to show up in court.

But now a heavyweight battle is brewing with Build-A-Bear, which is expanding its empire beyond its customizable stuff-your-own animals. Earlier this year, Build-A-Bear debuted its Skoosherz, which it touted as “uniquely styled for optimal squishing and hugging benefits." The company said their debut came in time for National Hugging Day, which falls halfway through the dispiriting stretch between the end-of-year holidays and Valentine’s Day. The new stuffies were extra plush, cutesy and, according to the company, “perfect for big, ‘skooshy’ hugs." Lawyers for Jazwares, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, weren’t squishy in their response.

They first sued Build-A-Bear in state court in Florida, seeking to immediately squash all Skoosherz production. “Squishmallows has a rainbow bear, Build-A-Bear made a rainbow Skoosherz; Squishmallow has a green frog, Build-A-Bear made a green frog Skoosherz," the lawyers wrote. The list went on, they said: “Dinosaurs, axolotls and soon vegetables." The judge took no immediate action.