Long before Tickle Me Elmo cleared store shelves in a blink and prompted parents to offer hundreds of dollars to lucky buyers, he was just a red plush toy living with a former child genius who claims he once was a Unabomber suspect.
Mark Johnson-Williams, who taught himself advanced math before he hit puberty and began working his way through college at age 14 by picking up construction jobs created the voice of the season's hottest gift.
Johnson-Williams always has a few wires hanging from his briefcases on frequent flights to toy manufacturers in Asia. That may have attracted the attention of the FBI, he said.
FBI agents questioned him, neighbors and relatives over six months because Johnson-Williams supposedly fit the mold of the infamous bomber. The FBI suspected a man much like Johnson-Williams to be an Unabomber!