A Seattle teenager is a millionaire after selling a card game he invented at just seven years old to a major toy company.
Alex Butler, now 15, and his parents, Leslie Pierson and Mark Butler, sold his original card game Taco vs. Burrito to Wisconsin-based PlayMonster last month, the Seattle Times reports.
‘It was never something that I’ve been attached to or anything,’ the teenager said. ‘It’s not super important to me. I just kind of wanted to get the most money out of it.’
It is unclear how much the game, in which players compete to make the most valuable meal, sold for – but the teenager is now working with his parents to invest the money.
However, he also said he would like to buy ‘a Lambo’ as he and his family transition away from the game industry that has enveloped their lives for the past eight years as Taco vs. Burrito grew beyond their wildest dreams.
The idea for the game came ‘randomly,’ Alex recounted, noting that he did not even like tacos or burritos at the time.
But he spent plenty of time playing card games like Exploding Kittens with his family, and was inspired to create one of his own.
At first, his mother – who calls herself a ‘serial entrepreneur’ and has been behind several projects including GoodHangUps, which she promoted on Shark Tank in 2016 – decided she would appease her young son, figuring he would eventually get bored with it.
Alex Butler created Taco vs. Burrito when he was just seven years old
He and his family sold the strategy card game to Wisconsin-based PlayMonster last month
Instead, Alex would take his parents to the local coffee shop, where he would test out a prototype for his game.
On the way home, he would come up with new twists or ideas to add to the game, Leslie Pierson said, and he eventually began playing with his friends.
At that point, the mom started an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of production. After just one day, she asked Alex to guess how much they had raised.
He suspected it would be $200, but it was actually already over $1,000.
‘He lost it, mind blown,’ Pierson said.
By the end of the fundraiser, and after some promotion at Seattle Comic Con, the family had raised $25,000.
As demand for the strategy game then increased, Pierson and Alex’s father decided to create their own business, Hot Taco Inc., with Alex owning the majority share.
They then chose a manufacturer that Pierson said ‘treated Alex like an adult’ and put $25,000 to $30,000 worth of product on Amazon.
In its first year selling on Amazon, Taco vs. Burrito made just under $1.1 million
Butler’s parents, Leslie Pierson and Mark Butler, created Hot Taco Inc., with Alex owning the majority share before it was sold to PlayMonster
Copies of the game quickly flew off the shelves, and by the end of the year, they made just under $1.1 million.
Alex has since sold 1.5 million copies of his card game, which was once ranked Amazon’s number one bestselling game and now has two expansion packs.
But eventually the game became too big for their small operation, and Pierson started searching for a company that could take Taco vs. Burrito to the next level of distribution.
Jonathan Berkowitz, the CEO of PlayMonster, said he was shocked that the game was the brainchild of a seven year old
They had received several offers for buyouts over the years, but ultimately decided to sell to PlayMonster – which also owns games like Farkle and 5 Second Rule.
Pierson said she liked the company’s vision for her son’s game, and Alex agreed, choosing a complete buyout.
Jonathan Berkowitz, CEO of PlayMonster, also told the Seattle Times he was interested in the game because the ‘characters are amazing’ and it provides fun competition for all ages.
‘It’s always fun when kids can beat their parents in a game, but the parents can still truly enjoy playing,’ he said, sharing how shocked he was to learn that the popular card game was created by a seven year old.
Berkowitz now says he plans to expand the game through new line extensions and markets.
Beginning in November, PlayMonster will also release a new version in a collectors’ bin.
