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The Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that exists in several cartoons, films and TV series, most significantly in the Looney Tunes universe, where it appeared most prominently in the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons, which made Acme famous for outlandish and downright dangerous products that failed catastrophically at the worst possible times. Air Craft Marine Engineering (ACME), an aircraft designer based in Van Nuys, California during the 1950s. ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Cartoons started in the 1930s and 40s. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... Wile E. Coyote (also known simply as The Coyote) and the Road Runner are cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, created by Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Brothers. ...

The first appearance of the Acme Corporation was in Looney Tunes in a Buddy cartoon (Buddy's Bug Hunt). It also appeared in the Egghead cartoon Count Me Out in which Egghead purchases a "Learn How To Box" kit from Acme. Looney Tunes opening title Looney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. ... Buddy is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ... Elmer J. Fudd is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies characters. ...

The company is never clearly defined, but appears to be a conglomerate which produces everything and anything imaginable (leading to the backronyms "American Company Making Everything", "A Company (that) Makes Everything" or "American-Chinese-Middle-European (Association)"), no matter how elaborate or extravagant. An example is the Acme Giant Rubber Band, subtitled "(For Tripping Road Runners)", which would appear to be produced specifically for Wile E. Coyote. Acme is often used whenever a cartoon, film or similar needs a corporation for a product, and instead of stealing an existing (perhaps leading to copyright issues) or making one up, they simply use Acme. Conglomerate is the term used to describe a large company which consists of divisions of often seemingly unrelated businesses. ... A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ...

Name

The company name is ironic since the word acme is derived from Greek (ακμή) meaning the peak, zenith or prime. Generally, products from the fictional Acme Corporation are very generic and tend to fail — though often this could be attributed to operator malfunction. Ironic redirects here. ... Acme (Greek: , the peak, zenith, prime) denotes the best of something. ... A generic brand product is one made by a manufacturer the customer doesnt know much about who may or may not put thier name on the product. ... PEBKAC is an acronym which stands for Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. The phrase is used by computer experts as a semi-humorous way to describe to one another that the problem was not in the computer but was instead caused by the user operating it. ...

Acme delivery service, on the other hand, is second to none. Wile E. can merely drop an order into a mailbox (or enter an order on a Web site, as seen in the "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" movie), and have the defective and/or dangerous product in his hands (or on top of him) within seconds.

Inspiration

The word "acme" means "pinnacle" or "highest"^[1]. About 80 years ago, when categorized business telephone directories (such as the Yellow Pages) began to be popular, business owners realized that businesses whose names began with "A" would get listed at the beginnings of their categories. A name implying that its company was the best was so much the better. The joke spread to Warner Bros. cartoons; in 1949, it made its first appearance in a Road Runner cartoon. For the use in computing, see Yellow Pages (computing). ...

Since the fictional Acme's products are typically mail-ordered, it is likely that the famous Sears mail-order catalogs were a strong inspiration for the fictional company. Early Sears catalogs contained a number of products with the "Acme" trademark, including anvils, which are frequently-used props in Warner Bros. cartoons^[2]. Sears, Roebuck and Company is an American mid-range chain of international department stores, founded by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck in the late 19th century. ... For other uses, see Anvil (disambiguation). ... “WB” redirects here. ...

Appearances

Prose is writing distinguished from poetry by its greater variety of rhythm and its closer resemblance to everyday speech. ...

Cartoons

• In the cartoon series, Wile E. Coyote frequently purchased Acme products via mail order (In some cases, we see Coyote receiving his packages just seconds after he mails the order slip). His Acme arsenal included weapons, rockets, springs, giant magnets, iron-laced bird seed, (at one point, they even sell a fifth bottle of bumblebees) and other devices for his inventive and endless attempts to catch the Road Runner. Acme products tended to backfire (often literally) in a comedic fashion; the National Lampoon magazine ran a feature in which a fictitious "lawsuit" against Acme catalogued the repeated failure of Acme products and Coyote's frequent resulting physical injuries^[3]. In fairness it must be said that some Acme products do work quite well, specifically the Rocket Sled, the Jet Powered Roller Skates, the Instant Tornado Pills, and the Triple-Strength Leg Muscle Vitamins. Typically, Acme products failed for hapless characters such as Wile E. or Sylvester the Cat while working properly for the more heroic Bugs Bunny.

• The unnamed protagonist in the classic One Froggy Evening began the episode employed by Acme Building and Wrecking Co., and we see the company still going strong in the future, appearing in 2056 as Acme Building Disintegrators.

• The Tiny Toons Adventures series expanded on Acme's influence, with the entire setting of the show taking place in a city called "Acme Acres". The show's young protagonists attended "Acme Looniversity." Calamity Coyote often bought products from the fictional Acme company in his quest to catch the road-runner Little Beeper. In one episode, the company revealed its slogan, "For fifty years, the leader in creative mayhem."

• In the cartoon Pinky and the Brain, the duo lived in "Acme Labs."

• In the Animaniacs, some episodes takes place in Acme Falls.

• In an episode of Animaniacs, Albert Einstein was having trouble coming up with his E = mc² equation, and Yakko, Wakko and Dot came in and wrote the word "ACME" backwards (Wakko wrote the "A" in "ACME" as a "hook a", which looked like a "2") and Einstein proceeded to include an "=" between the "M" and the "E", ending up with "E=mc²".

• The 2003 movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action showed the head offices of Acme, revealed to be a multinational corporation whose executive officers were led by a Bond-esque supervillain called "Mr. Chairman" who is the main antagonist in the movie. Here, Acme is similar to the Virtucon company from the Austin Powers movies, with Mr. Chairman filling the role of Doctor Evil.

• The cartoon series, Loonatics Unleashed, is set in Acmetropolis.

• The 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit attempted to explain Acme's inner workings in greater detail. The movie's plot is centered on the murder of Marvin K. Acme, the multi-millionaire founder and CEO of Acme Incorporated. His motto was, "If it's Acme, it's a gasser!" Many of the film's scenes involve Acme products, and the climactic scene of the film is set in the Acme factory.

• Acme was also mentioned twice in the show Class of 3000: In "Westley Side Story", Eddie gives a coyote $100, anticipating its purchase of Acme Rocket Skates, and The Acme Corporation supplies the school with tomatoes, as seen in "Am I Blue".

• Acme was also used extensively by Gary Larson in his comic The Far Side as a generic trademark attached to all kinds of companies and products.

• In the Family Guy episode "PTV", a cutaway gag depicts Peter Griffin as the owner of a "mail order operation" that Wile E. Coyote frequents. Wile E. Coyote's bad luck with Acme products is implied as he tries to return a failed giant slingshot.

• Bullwinkle J. Moose once disguised himself as an ACME Vacuum cleaner salesman in an episode of The Bullwinkle Show.

• In the Warner Bros. Animation film, Quest for Camelot, the film's villain, Lord Ruber, uses a magic potion to turn his men into living weapons. The vial containing the potion has the word "ACME" written on the side.

• Acme has appeared in The Simpsons:

The 1997 episode entitled "Realty Bites" featured attempts by Snake to recover his car from Homer; one of these is to set up piano wire supplied by Acme across a road to decapitate Homer as he drives by.

In the 2000 episode entitled "Last Tap Dance in Springfield", Chief Wiggum uses Acme brand giant rat traps in the mall.

In the episode entitled "The Day the Violence Died", Itchy uses Acme brand rollerskates.

• In the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut animated movie, the electric chairs that were used to execute Terrence and Phillip are delivered in an Acme box.

Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote The Road Runner cartoons are a series of Looney Tunes cartoons created by Chuck Jones for Warner Brothers. ... This article is about the flying insect. ... January 1973 cover of National Lampoon National Lampoon was an American humor magazine that began in 1970 as an offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon. ... Sylvester J. Pussycat Senior is a fictional cat who appears in several Looney Tunes cartoons, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzalez, or Hippety Hopper. ... Bugs Bunny is an animated rabbit/hare who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ... Michigan J. Frog One Froggy Evening is an approximately seven-minute long Technicolor animated short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. ... Tiny Toon Adventures is an animated television series created by the Warner Bros. ... This article describes both the animated television series, and the characters from that series. ... This article is about the television series. ... This article is about the television series. ... “Einstein” redirects here. ... 15ft sculpture of Einsteins 1905 E = mc² formula at the 2006 Walk of Ideas, Germany In physics, mass-energy equivalence is the concept that all mass has an energy equivalence, and all energy has a mass equivalence. ... Although people in many parts of the world share common alphabets and numeral systems (variations on the Roman alphabet are used throughout Europe, the Americas, Australia, and much of Africa; the Arabic numeral system is nearly universal), there are sometimes regional variations in how the characters are formed. ... Looney Tunes: Back in Action was a 2003 Warner Bros. ... This article is about the spy series. ... For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation). ... Dr. Evil is a fictional supervillain played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. ... Loonatics Unleashed is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. ... Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 film produced by Amblin Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company (released on its Touchstone Pictures banner), which blends traditional animation and live action. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ... Class of 3000 is an American Emmy Award-winning comedy animated television series on Cartoon Network that is created, executive produced by and stars André 3000 of the hip-hop group OutKast as superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges, set at Atlanta, Georgias Westley School of Performing Arts. ... List of Class of 3000 episodes Westley Side Story is an episode of the Cartoon Network program Class of 3000 that first premiered February 2, 2007. ... Am I Blue? is an episode in Class of 3000. ... Gary Larson (b. ... This article is about the comic strip. ... Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ... “PTV” was originally released as the fourteenth episode from season four of the Fox animated television series Family Guy. ... In film, a cutaway is the interruption of a continuously-filmed action by inserting a view of something else. ... Peter Löwenbräu Griffin is the protagonist in the American animated television series Family Guy. ... Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. ... Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote The Road Runner cartoons are a series of Looney Tunes cartoons created by Chuck Jones for Warner Brothers. ... Bullwinkle J. Moose Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show (often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle), produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. ... The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (also known as Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show) was a television animated series created and produced in the USA by Jay Ward. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Realty Bites is the ninth episode of the ninth season of The Simpsons. ... Snake Jailbird, voiced by Hank Azaria, is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons. ... Piano wire is a specialized type of wire made for use in piano and other musical instrument strings, as well as many other purposes. ... Last Tap Dance in Springfield is the twentieth episode of the eleventh season of The Simpsons. ... The Day the Violence Died is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons seventh season. ... South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is a 1999 motion picture based on the cartoon television series of South Park. ... Terrance and Phillip are a pair of fictional characters in the animated television series South Park. ...

Films and TV series

• The Acme logo has appeared in The Good the Bad and the Ugly, stamped on the black powder boxes.
• The Comprehensive Perl Archive Network provides an "Acme::" namespace which contains many humorous, useless and abstract modules for the Perl programming language^[4].
• Parts of the Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero feature Acme products in the film world.
• A book, the fictional ACME PRODUCTS CATALOG was published in 2002.
• ACME is the brand of fuel sold at Wally's Filling station in the 1960s CBS Television Network series The Andy Griffith Show.
• In the Jim Carrey movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, when Ace's friend Woodstock searches on his computer, "ACME DATABASES SERVICES" is written on top of the screen.
• Ian Frazier's 26 February 1990 New Yorker article "Coyote vs. Acme" (later collected in a book of the same title), written in the form of a legal complaint: "As the court is no doubt aware, Defendant has a virtual monopoly of manufacture and the sale of goods required by Mr. Coyote's work. It is our contention that Defendant has used its market advantage to the detriment of the consumer of such specialized products as itching powder, giant kites, Burmese tiger traps, anvils, and two-hundred-foot-long rubber bands."
• Termites of 1938 is an early Three Stooges short film, where the Stooges disrupt a high society dinner party. The trouble begins when a rich society woman has no date for a high-society party and the hostess recommends that she use the Acme Escort Service. The woman has her maid dial them up, after mentioning that she hopes that they will be discriminating, but the maid calls the Acme Exterminators instead. The exterminators are, of course, the Three Stooges - Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard.
• Acme also appeared in My Name Is Earl in an episode titled "Creative Writing".
• In the Monty Python's sketch The Crimson Permanent Assurance, Acme apears written on the building's sail and Acme Construction Company appears as subsidiary of the Very Big Corporation Of America.
• In the 1991 movie JFK, when Jim Garrison is recounting the events that lead to JFK's death during court, there is a flash back scene that shows the school book depository with employees wearing uniforms that say ACME on the back.
• In the fourth episode in Season 3 of The Sopranos, an ACME cola company had a vending machine in Dr. Melfi's dream.
• The 1946 film The Big Sleep contains a scene where Humphrey Bogart enters a book store named simply "Acme Books".

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... CPAN is an acronym standing for Comprehensive Perl Archive Network. ... Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Perl Programming Perl is a dynamic programming language created by Larry Wall and first released in 1987. ... Last Action Hero is a 1993 action comedy directed by John McTiernan. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is a 1994 wacky comedy movie, directed by Tom Shadyac. ... Termites of 1938 (1938) is the 28th of Columbia Pictures 190 short subjects starring the comedy team of the Three Stooges. ... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. ... A list of short subjects the Three Stooges made between 1933 and 1959. ... Moe Howard (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975) was the leader of the Three Stooges. ... Larry Fine is the name of several people: Larry Fine, a US film comedian, and member of The Three Stooges. ... Curly Howard (born Jerome Lester Horwitz) (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), was one of the Three Stooges, along with brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and their friend Larry Fine, although Curly was more or less the breakout character. ... My Name Is Earl is an Emmy Award-winning American sitcom created by Greg Garcia. ... Monty Python, or The Pythons,[2][3] is the collective name of the creators of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... The Crimson Permanent Assurance is a short film that appears before the 1983 Monty Python movie The Meaning of Life. ... JFK is an American film directed by Oliver Stone, first released on December 20, 1991. ... Earling Carothers Jim Garrison (November 20, 1921 - October 21, 1992) — who changed his first name to Jim in the early 1960s — was the Democratic District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana from 1962 to 1973. ... This article is about the television series. ... The Big Sleep is a 1939 novel by Raymond Chandler, with two film versions, one filmed in 1946, and another filmed in 1978. ... Bogart redirects here. ...

Computer games

ACME on a wall in Team Fortress 2

• Acme appears in two Commander Keen games: in episode two, as the maker of the blueprints for the mothership that acts as a main map; and in episode four, as the maker of the Oracle at the end of the game.

• The Duke Nukem 2D computer game featured ACME bricks which fall upon you, causing a loss of health points.

• In Team Fortress 2, ACME appears on buildings in a train yard.

Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer, team-based, first-person shooter, developed by Valve Corporation as part of the game compilation The Orange Box. ... Yorp redirects here. ...

References

External links

• The Original Illustrated Catalog of All ACME Products - Acme brand products appearing in cartoons