Alex Butler, now a 15-year-old, created a card game, Taco vs. Burrito, when he was only 7 years old, which has now turned him into a teen millionaire. Alex Butler from Seattle came up with a simple card game, never guessing how far it would take him. Years later, as a teenager, he’s earning sums most adults only dream about.
From Drawing Board to Amazon Bestseller
Alex came up with the card game during family game nights, later refining it in his elementary school classroom. What started as a fun activity soon became a viral sensation. The young entrepreneur’s parents—Leslie Pierson and Mark Butler didn’t see anything out of the norm in his childhood life because he was always experimenting with things, says the Seattle Times.
Alex’s mother, Leslie Pierson, who claims to be a ‘serial entrepreneur’, appeared on Shark Tank in 2016 and helped Alex set up a GoFundMe fundraiser online to handle the game’s production cost. After only one day, they had raised more than $1,000, even though the boy thought they had only raised $200.
During the fundraising phase, the family promoted Taco vs Burrito at Seattle’s Comic Con. After some promotion at Seattle Comic Con, the family raised $25,000 by the end of the fundraiser. On top of that, Alex’s father, Mark Butler, started a company called Hot Taco Inc. and launched the game on Amazon. The Butler family handled all aspects of the business, including marketing, logistics, and manufacturing.
To their surprise, the game quickly sold out and raced its way to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers. Eventually, it became the No.1 bestselling game in its genre. By 2018, Taco vs. Burrito sold over 1.5 billion copies. It generated $1.1 million in its first year via e-commerce platforms, inspiring two expansions and a devoted fan base.
Rise of the Teen Millionaire
Fast-forward to 2025, 15 years old, Alex Butler is now a millionaire. Despite several other proposals, the family chose PlayMonster, an American toy and game company based in Beloit, Wisconsin, to take over the game’s production and distribution. They realized that the business had grown beyond what they could handle. Taco vs. Burrito is sold in a private, cash-only deal to PlayMonster. The exact terms were not disclosed.
PlayMonster’s CEO Jonathan Berkowitz praised the game’s charm, saying,
“It’s always fun when kids can beat their parents in a game, but the parents can still truly enjoy playing.”
Young Mind, Boundless Dreams
Despite the success of the game, Alex mentioned, “It was never something that I’ve been attached to or anything. It’s not super important to me. I just kind of wanted to get the most money out of it.” He also mentioned his plans on buying ‘a Lambo’ as Taco vs. Burrito developed beyond their wildest expectations.
Now that he’s moved on from Taco vs. Burrito, Alex is focused on his other interests, including sports, video games, and music production.
Alex Butler’s journey started as a fun idea, turned into a massive entrepreneurial success, and now fuels bigger dreams. He is one of many American teenagers leveraging the internet to launch their businesses at a young age. His story, which many aspire to but few realize: that innovation doesn’t wait for age.
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