Faced with a rubber shortage during World War II, the U.S. government asked scientists to come up with a rubber alternative. In a GE lab, engineer James Wright attempted to create an alternative by mixing boric acid with silicone oil. He was so pleased with the end result that he threw some of the substance on the floor and discovered that it bounced. Wright conducted a multitude of tests on the substance and discovered that it could not only bounce when dropped, but stretch farther than regular rubber, didn’t collect mold, and had a very high melting temperature. GE sent the new substance to engineers all over the world to try to find a practical use for it. After numerous tests, no one could not come up with a way to make the product useful. In 1949, the new creation caught the attention of toy store owner, Ruth Fallgatter, who contracted a marketer named Peter Hodgson. Hodgson offered a creative solution that proved to be invention trivia in the making. He purchased a large amount of the rubber, packaged it into plastic eggs, and sold it to children under the name “Silly Putty.” Today, Silly Putty brand products are offered in over 15 different colors in the classic egg-shaped packaging.