Marilou Cantiller is the wife of Japanese-American television personality and inventor Ken Hakuta. Marilou met Ken in the 1970s when she worked at the World Bank in the Philippines; it was love at first sight. They soon started dating and married in 1977; they have been together for over four decades and have three children, Justin, Aki, and Kenzo.
Marilou’s son married actress and stand-up comedian Ali Wong in 2014, making her the mother-in-law of the famous comedian. Her son and Ali Wong are parents two making her a grandmother; however, the couple separated in 2022.
Education and Career
Marilou Cantiller is humble and does not like being in the spotlight; despite her well-known husband, she has kept a low profile and has not revealed many details about herself. Her highest educational qualifications are unknown, but given she worked at World Bank, she probably has a college degree.
Marilou Cantiller was a World Bank employee in the Philippines until she quit to take care of her children.
Her Husband
Marilou’s husband lived in the US in the 1980s while his mother was living in Japan; she sent him toys as presents for his young kids. Ken was fascinated by her the toys looked, and he taught about starting a business. After discovering that he could get more from Japan, he started importing and selling them in the US.
Marilou’s husband decided to name the toys Wacky Wall Walkers; they were loved, and he sold over two hundred million toys. NBC capitalized on the toys’ popularity and released a Christmas special in 1983 called Deck the Halls with Wacky Walls; the film was highly praised and made the toys even more popular.
The television program I Love the 80s: 1983 was inspired by Marilou’s husband and his Wacky Wall Walker toys. Besides business, Ken Hakuta also collected art, including furniture, the Shakers, and other items. From 1988 to 1994, Marilou’s husband hosted The Dr. Fad Show, which promoted children’s invention and creativity.
Marilou’s husband had an interest in herbal medicine from a young age; he wanted to venture into it and hoped he would someday make it a reality. Given he had earned good money from the sales of Wacky Wall Walkers, Ken started a company in 1998 called AllHerb.com which offered herbal products. However, the company stopped its operations barely two years later.
Marilou’s husband has appeared in several media posts, including The New York Times. Besides, there are case studies on his eCommerce company that Harvard Business School has done.
Net Worth
Marilou Cantiller probably received a good salary while working at World Bank. But after quitting, she focused on something else and probably made money through her other business ventures. Some sources estimate Marilou’s net worth to be about five hundred thousand dollars. On the other hand, her husband’s net worth is approximately 2 million dollars.
Social Media
Marilou Cantiller prefers life away from media attention; hence, she is not active on any social media platform. Besides, her husband is not on social media.
