ZB Designs’ Wigglitz line of 3D printed toys is demonstrating that additive manufacturing can meet high consumer demand, yet scaling production remains challenging. In 2025, Wigglitz sold more than 1.5 million units in December alone, pushing total retail annual revenue past $18 million.
CEO Zachary Bailey credited the company’s rapid growth to operational discipline and strategic partnerships, including a collaboration with Moose Toys that helped place Wigglitz in major retailers such as Target .“We started the year in fewer than five retail stores carrying Wigglitz,” stated ZB Designs CEO, Zachary Bailey. “We are closing it with thousands nationwide, with international expansion already underway. The team at ZB Designs and Wigglitz scaled fast by operating on a simple standard: competitive excellence, mental toughness, decisive action, and fierce ownership.”
Scaling 3D Printing for Mass Production
To keep pace with rising demand, ZB Designs has built what it claims is the largest 3D printing farm in the United States. In October, the operation ran 2,700 desktop material extrusion machines, mainly Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printers equipped with the Automatic Material System (AMS) for multi-color printing. Bambu Lab P2S printers have also been deployed to scale production further, and the company plans to add another 500 machines. Each build platform produces between 90 and 130 toys per batch, with platforms removed manually and quality control primarily visual, supplemented with minor finishing using heat guns. Filament is supplied on standard-sized spools from eSun, without advanced spool management or automated part removal systems.
Despite proving that 3D printing can meet mass-market demand, ZB Designs faces limitations. Manual build plate handling, visual quality control, and labor-intensive post-processing could become bottlenecks as volumes grow. The company also lacks automated material handling, larger filament spools, or part sorting systems, which are typical in high-volume manufacturing. These constraints mean that while production is scalable in principle, efficiency, throughput consistency, and labor costs remain critical considerations for sustainable growth.
Product Range and Market Presence
Since its 2023 launch, Wigglitz has grown to include over 200 small, segmented figurines. The line began with keychains and expanded into wiggly fidget-style toys, which have driven its early popularity. Wigglitz is slated to appear at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair and return to the North American Toy Fair in New York as a nominee for Collectible Toy of the Year.
Wigglitz operates in a crowded market. On Amazon alone, dozens of similar 3D printed animal toys, mostly manufactured in China, are sold at significantly lower prices — often between $0.14 and $0.60 per unit — compared with Wigglitz’s $2.49–$2.99 retail price. Platforms like Temu also feature hundreds of comparable items, intensifying price pressure. While ZB Designs’ U.S.-based production allows for higher margins and supports a “made-in-the-USA” narrative, defending its positioning in a global market of inexpensive alternatives is a significant challenge.
3D Printing’s Emerging Role in the Toy Industry
3D printing is gaining attention in the toy industry for its ability to support rapid design iteration, small-batch production, and collectible customization. These capabilities make additive manufacturing attractive for brands seeking differentiation and unique offerings. Besides Wigglitz, major players are also experimenting with 3D printing for commercial applications.
The LEGO Group, for instance, will keynote at the AMUG 2026 conference in Reno, Nevada, to highlight how AM can be integrated into production workflows. A concrete example of this approach is LEGO’s 2025 Holiday Icons Express Train set, which includes the company’s first mass-produced 3D printed component—a functional train element created using an EOS Fine Detail Resolution (FDR) system.
Despite these advances, 3D printed toys remain a small segment of the overall market. Most mass-produced toys still rely on injection molding, and challenges such as production speed, cost, and post-processing limit widespread adoption.
The 3D Printing Industry Awards are back. Make your nominations now.
Do you operate a 3D printing start-up? Reach readers, potential investors, and customers with the 3D Printing Industry Start-up of Year competition.
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on Linkedin.
Featured image shows Wigglitz line of 3D printed toys. Image viaWigglitz.
