Amazon MGM Bets on Squishmallows: The Plush Empire Headed for the Big Screen
Amazon MGM is developing a tentpole family film built around Squishmallows, the squishy plush toys that have moved over 600 million units since launching in 2017, Variety reported on 14 August 2026.
The studio has licensed the rights and is co-producing with Jazwares, the toy company that created the brand. Producer Beau Flynn is on board through his FlynnPictureCo banner, with Shelby Thomas overseeing the project for the company. A tentpole, in studio language, is a big-budget release designed to anchor a studio's slate and draw large audiences — a bet that a recognisable name can open wide and hold screens.
The brand behind the film is a commercial force. Squishmallows launched in 2017 and has since grown into a billion-dollar venture across 60 countries. Stakeholders estimate that two Squishmallows toys are sold every second. The product range spans a universe of over 3,000 original characters — a roster that gives screenwriters plenty of figures to choose from. The brand signed with talent agency CAA in 2021, the same year its cultural profile began climbing sharply among children and collectors.
Flynn brings a track record in exactly this kind of large-scale, IP-driven filmmaking. His credits include Disney's Moana and Jungle Cruise, as well as Black Adam and Red Notice — films built on existing properties and designed for broad, global audiences. He is also currently producing Warner Bros.' Hello Kitty animated film, which is scheduled to reach theatres in July 2028. That places Flynn across two of the most recognisable toy brands in the world, at two competing studios, with release corridors that could end up in the same family-film windows.
No release date, director, or cast has been announced for the Squishmallows project. The film is in development, which in industry terms means the earliest it would likely reach screens is 2028 or beyond — a timeline shaped by the years needed for writing, animation or production, and a marketing campaign sized to the brand's global footprint.
What makes the deal worth watching is the scale of the underlying property. A toy line selling two units a second across 60 countries gives Amazon MGM a built-in audience that most original films spend tens of millions in marketing to reach. Whether that audience translates into ticket sales is a separate question, and one the box office will answer in due course.
