• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

He failed the military pilot eye test—so he built a $1 million-a-day traffic company and bought flying lessons. Now he’s Top Gun’s stunt pilot 

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money

1

As U.S. Treasury intervened in the bond market, the Netherlands rushed 86 tons of gold out of America because of ‘geopolitical unrest’

2

He failed the military pilot eye test—so he built a $1 million-a-day traffic company and bought flying lessons. Now he’s Top Gun’s stunt pilot 

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money
Successboard games

A 15-year old made millions from a card game he invented at age 7. He just sold it to a major toy company

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 6, 2025, 11:46 AM ET
Alex Butler, creator of Taco vs. Burrito, with his parents
Alex Butler, creator of Taco vs. Burrito, with his parents Mark Butler and Leslie Pierson.
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
  • 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 about $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 products 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 like Exploding Kittens, she encouraged him. The family would walk to the neighborhood coffee shop/hangout to test the prototype, which would lead to Alex coming up with a new take on the rules.

To cover production 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 production, sports, and video games, he says.

Fortune Daily breaks the traditional barrier between audience and newsroom. The show transforms Fortune’s trusted reporting into actionable, conversational, and entertaining insights for an emerging class of business leaders. Watch here.
About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Success


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Success


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.