Hoolihan's Elixers and Tonics started as nothing but a suitcase of various chems carried from town to town by John Hoolihan, traveling pitchman. In the tradition of salesmen before him he claimed to have a cure for any ailment within his briefcase, and often called people on stage to demonstrate it. He refined his pitch and his brewing techniques to the point where he could live on the road for months. He would travel outside of The Badlands Territory in 2242, going south into Nebraska. He traveled south hoping for a safer trade season, and also to move on to warmer climates. The next year he would meet Harold Marzak, a Ghoul Radiotherapist in Oklahoma. Marzak came to see one of John's shows, and called him on some of his products.