James Wright was the
chemical engineer at GE who came up with the
putty. Although it was impervious to
mold and
decay, stretched farther than
rubber and could
bounce higher than rubber balls, no one could find a
practical use for it. Paul Hogdson was the toy store
manager who bought $147 dollars worth of it and separated it into
little colored eggs and then sold it through his
toy store in 1949. That, perhaps, was the most practical use anyone has ever really found for it.
You can make a similar substance at home using a solution of borax and water mixed with white glue, but it won't pick up the funny pages.