"Dr. Fad started out as Ken Hakuta, a Harvard Medical School graduate who was disgruntled by the fact that his classmates all seemed to have better job offers than he did. As he mulled over his situation, he nonchalantly threw around a slimy, sticky, octopus-shaped rubber toy that his mother had sent from Japan for his children. In 1982, they were the only toys that could climb down walls.
Ken bought 100,000 US dollars' worth of the toys, thinking that if his venture failed, he could go back to Japan. He started selling them to small gift shops and toy stores in Washington, DC, where he lived. "