Alex Furmansky's little sister, Michelle, would come home from school with creative artwork. The family would display it on the fridge for a few days, but soon the drawings wound up in the attic. Meanwhile, Michelle would be entertained by her collection of stuffed animals.

"I dreamed of a way of combining her original art with her love for plush toys," Furmansky said. So after toying with the idea for several months, he founded the start-up, Budsies.

Watch Alex Furmansky show off his custom toys in just 60 seconds to a "Power Pitch" panel with former toy retail executive, Rachel Jarrett, President of K'Nex Brands, Michael Araten, and co-founder and COO of Expansion VC, Ryan Melohn. Will the panelists be buddy-buddy with Budsies or call it child's play?

Paper to Plush
Furmansky is no toymaker. But he said he's partnered with some top designers to create an online destination for designing custom plush toys. And he's made it pretty easy. Customers just snap a picture of the artwork and can send an email. Next, a team of designers, cutters, and seamstresses coordinate to complete the final Budsies plush toy.

And Budsies can pretty much create anything a child can draw—puppies, chickens, robots, even monsters, rainbow colored hearts and there was once, a s'more.

"It is quite literally their child's own imagination brought into huggable physical form," said Furmansky.

Budsies' target demographic is children ages 3 to 10, but it also caters to older customers. The company has crafted video game characters, selfies, and adult artwork.

Playing for keeps
The Toy Industry Association reported that in 2013, the US toy industry alone was worth $22 billion, $1.39 billion of which was in the plush, stuffed animal category. According to the firm, the global market is worth just over $80 billion.

Budsies retail from $69 to $99. Although the drawing interpretation and toy design takes place in the U.S., Budsies are produced in China (cutting, stitching and sewing).