Teenager makes million dollars off card game he created at age 7

The boy from Seattle, Washington State, has enjoyed inventing toys since he was young. In 2017 he came up with the idea for Taco vs. Burrito while playing cards with his parents, The Seattle Times newspaper reported.

He imagined a game that simulates building a meal using cards. Players draw and place ingredient cards like meat, vegetables or bizarre items such as toothpaste or a taco. The goal is to build the highest-scoring meal while using action cards to sabotage opponents.

Seeing that Alex was serious about commercializing the game, his parents stepped in to help. The family launched a crowdfunding campaign, raised US$25,000, and founded a company called Hot Taco Inc.

They found a manufacturer and listed Taco vs. Burrito on Amazon for US$20 a piece.

By the end of 2018 it had brought in nearly US$1.1 million in revenues and became one of the platform’s best-selling products. The game now features two expansion packs.

Alex Butler, teenage billionaire and designer of Taco vs. Burrito. Photo by courtesy of Taco vs. Burrito

"It was never something that I’ve been attached to or anything," Alex 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 sold the rights to Taco vs. Burrito to PlayMonster, the toy company behind Spirograph, Farkle, and Yeti in My Spaghetti, in July. PlayMonster plans to grow the brand further, with a collectors’ version set to launch later this year.

Alex comes from a business-minded family. His mother Leslie is a self-described serial entrepreneur who has launched several projects of her own. When her son came up with the idea after playing Exploding Kittens, she encouraged and supported him.

The family often took the prototype to cafés to test it out and adjust the rules.

The family has not decided on what to do with the money, but Alex has his eyes set on a Lamborghini, the New York Post reported.