Success·board gamesA 15-year old made millions from a card game he invented at age 7.
He just sold it to a major toy companyBy Chris MorrisBy Chris MorrisContributing WriterChris MorrisContributing WriterChris Morris is a contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general news to the game and theme park industries.SEE FULL BIO Alex Butler, creator of Taco vs.
Burrito, with his parents Mark Butler and Leslie Pierson.PlayMonster games has bought Taco vs. Burrito for an undisclosed amount.
The game was invented by a 7-year old, who, with his parents’ help, has steer it to over 1.5 million sold units.
Creator Alex Butler says, despite its success, “It was never something that I’ve been attached to or anything.” Alex Butler was just seven years old when he made his first million dollars.
A game he had invented, called Taco vs Burrito, had made it to Amazon—and by the end of 2018, it had rung up sales of $1.1 million.
Now, after overseeing the game’s empire with his parents, Butler has sold the rights to the game to PlayMonster, whose other well-known ducts include Spirograph, Farkle, and Yeti in my Spaghetti.
Terms of the deal were not announced, but Taco vs. Burrito (which retails for $20 on Amazon) has sold 1.5 million copies life to date. The game also has two expansion packs.
PlayMonster says it will continue to expand the game and a version in a collector’s tin is coming later this year. Butler, who is now 15, says he’s not especially sad to see his creation move on.
It was, he says, never really something he wanted to keep doing for the rest of his life. “It was never something that I’ve been attached to or anything,” he told The Seattle Times.
“It’s not super important to me.
I just kind of wanted to get the most money out of it.” Alex’s mother is an entrepreneur herself, so when her son came up with the idea after playing card games Exploding Kittens, she encouraged him.
The family would walk to the neighborhood coffee shop/hangout to test the totype, which would lead to Alex coming up with a new take on the rules.
To cover duction costs, he mother launched an online fundraiser, which brought in $25,000.
Alex’s parents set up a holding company for the game (of which Alex was the majority owner), found a manufacturer, and put the game on Amazon. It quickly took off and never slowed down.
While there have been buyout offers in the past, the family said they never felt right. When they began speaking with PlayMonster, things did. Don’t expect another game anytime soon from Alex, though.
His interests have shifted to music duction, sports, and games, he says. Introducing the 2025 Fortune 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in America. Explore this year's list.