The placard outside Moli Regnana's shop in Ratchet says "Familiars for the Rest of Us!" Moli invented the mechanical squirrel when she was feeling rather lonely one night, trying to program a pet to be utterly faithful to her. The painfully cute and perky steam-powered result made her instantly rich, as everyone wanted one of these adorable, clanking "familiars." At first the squirrels merely followed the user, following a beacon that attached to the user's leg; but customers began asking her to add features, and the squirrel became more and more sophisticated.