Acme Products: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
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Your one-stop shop for a [https://web.archive.org/web/20080212084642/http://home.nc.rr.com/tuco/looney/acme/acme.html variety of products] which may or may not function exactly as advertised. Renowned for [[Instant Home Delivery|express shipping]] that has FedEx drooling in jealousy.
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For this wiki's purposes, an '''Acme Corporation''' is ''any'' generic corporation that seems to supply ''[[Crazy Prepared|everything]]'' a character, or entire cast, uses. These supplies are, of course, '''Acme Products'''. Not to be confused with [[wikipedia:ACME|any of the myriad non-fictional objects and entities bearing the moniker]].
The eponymous example appears most famously in [[The Golden Age of Animation|classic]] Warner Brothers cartoons featuring [[Wile E. Coyote]], whose more elaborate plans involved Acme catapults, earthquake pills, bat suits, spring shoes, and so on; the Coyote's undying faith in Acme Corp., despite the endemic flaws and defects, is one of the mysteries of this series. [[Bugs Bunny/Characters|Bugs Bunny]] and other characters made use of their services as well, with [[Karmic Trickster|better results]].
See also [[Mega Corp]], [[We Sell Everything]].
{{examples}}
==
* In the DC universe, Lexcorp tends to be one of these, especially during the periods that [[Lex Luthor]] has been a [[Villain with Good Publicity]].
== Film ==
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* In the movie ''[[Spaceballs]]'' all products seen are Spaceballs brand, due to Yogurt's ownership of the film's own merchandising rights.
* In the movie ''[[Braindead]]'' uncle Les uses an Acme brand clothes mangle.
* ''[[1941
* In the film of ''[[The Losers]]'', the team has to hack into a hard drive from Goliath International, which makes "pretty much everything."
* Roy makes use of Acme to get the robot dog he needs to defeat RoboCat in the cartoon portion of ''[[Stay Tuned]]'', being a [[Genre Savvy]] couch potato TV addict.
== Literature ==
* The RAMJAC Corporation is a fictional multinational conglomerate, or megacorp, featured in several novels by [[Kurt Vonnegut]]. In ''[[Jailbird]]'', the company at its height owns 19 percent of the United States. Every time any product or corporation is mentioned, it is also mentioned that it is owned by the RAMJAC Corporation.
* The novel ''[[The Quillan Games]]'' in the Pendragon series features the territory of Quillan, in which the Blok corporation, which started as a general store, evolved until it completely controlled the territory, and produce literally everything, from food to buildings to artwork, on the planet. If it doesn't have the name "Blok" on it, it probably doesn't exist or is boarded up underground with a factory or concentration camp built over it.
* In [[Larry Niven]]'s ''[[Known Space]]'' series, all starship hulls and a multitude of other useful high-tech products are sold by an alien-owned company called General Products.
** Not ''all'' hulls, just the {{spoiler|near-invulnerable, radiation-proof ones that come in four useful sizes...}} which does kind of give them an advantage in the market, I guess.
* The Pixler corporation in ''[[Abarat]]'' doesn't have a monopoly, but it likes to say in its marketing copy that it will provide for you from cradle to grave—which it very well may, given that it runs both hospitals and funeral centers. In between, it provides everything from food to education. (And yes, these people are [[Mega Corp|evil]].)
* Jasper Fforde's ''[[Thursday Next]]'' series has the Goliath Corporation. Its motto is "For all you'll ever need."
** And in the
* The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation from ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' produces most of the sentient robots, sentient computers, and sentient elevators ([[It Makes Sense in Context]]) seen in the series. They have a very poor reputation and at one point it's mentioned that their complaints division is the only part of the company that turns a profit.
** The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation describes the robot as "your plastic pal that's fun to be with". The Guide describes The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation as, well, a string of rather bad words which were still marginally fit to print. For instance, one of the more infamous products was an automated door which responds "Please enjoy your trip through this door", "Thank you for making a simple door very happy" or simply "[[Thanking the Viewer|Thank You]]" whenever anyone walks through (the exact wording varies from print to radio to TV).
** ...and guess who was the first against the wall when the revolution came.
* CHOAM (Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles) is a massive entity in ''[[Dune]]'' which, more or less, controls the sale of everything - essentially a mass amalgamation of craft and guilds.
** To a lesser extent the Spacing Guild, who are a strangulatory monopoly (and own about a third of CHOAM's stock) as the only entity capable of space travel and the only owners of interstellar ships - all of CHOAM's goods require them, and they take a hefty cut of profit, as well as all transport or movement - without the Guild, the Empire, and CHOAM, collapses.
▲== Live Action TV ==
* Nickelodeon show ''[[The Adventures of Pete and Pete]]'' had this, with everyone listening to Krebstarr radios and wearing Kreb of the Loom underwear.
* ''[[Max Headroom]]'' had Zik Zak. Motto: "We make everything you need, and you need everything we make."
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* The Shutsu Tonka Unitocracy in ''DAAS Kapital''.
▲== Roleplaying Games ==
* ''[[Deadlands]]'': Smith & Robards has everything a player character will ever need, all the way to customized submarines. And for the cash-strapped, there's always El Cheapo.
* ''[[Toon (game)|Toon]]: The Cartoon RPG'' has the Ace Company, purveyor of all sorts of crazy props for Toon characters.
== Theatre ==
* General Products{{verify}}<!-- Wikipedia says the name is "International Projects", but their article is primarily about the movie adaptation. --> in ''[[The Solid Gold Cadillac]]'' is a diversified conglomerate manufacturing everything from locomotives to clocks to bobby pins.
== Video Games ==
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* The Ultor Corporation in several Volition-made games (i.e. [[Saints Row]], [[Red Faction]]) are a clothing label, a mining company, and invest in extensive city redevelopment.
** And [[Law Enforcement, Inc.|Law Enforcement Incorporated]].
* ''Where in the World is [[Carmen Sandiego]]?'': The name is given, not to a product, but to a [[Private Detective|detective]] agency.
* ''[[Ratchet and Clank]]'' has Gadgetron, which supplies the hero's weapons and equipment. He actually gets to save it from an attack in the first game.
* ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'', or more accurately, its expanded universe of the Valve blog, features "Mann Co.", with the slogan "We Sell Products And Get In Fights".
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* The ''[[Madagascar]]'' video game has a few ACME products, mainly a cardboard box which you use to sneak past people as the Penguins.
* While on Illium in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', listen closely to the advertisements in the background. Nearly ''all'' of them, regardless of the product (snacks, asari beauty products, experimental medical treatments) end with the phrase "a division of Elkoss Combine".
== Web Animation ==
* Cheap as Free in ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' (with a few exceptions: Compy computers, Videlectrix video games, and Cold Ones beer).
* ''[[MSF High]]'': Miss Fenris runs one of these, with lots of fine print.▼
== Web Originals ==
* [[Doctor Steel]] seems to order some of his supplies from them; he can produce a large hammer or lit stick of dynamite at will...▼
* Dynamic Utility Products, from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' produces everything from cigarette lighters to machine guns to playing cards. You can find DUP's products in every home in America, practically. Of course, they're secretly a front for [[Ancient Conspiracy|TAROT]], the world's greatest criminal organization.▼
== Western Animation ==
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* A ''Disney's [[Doug]]'' (actually ''[[Show Within a Show|Quailman]]'') episode features [[Fun with Acronyms|S.T.U.A.R.T.]], a company that makes all sorts of products which malfunction and fail on purpose just to annoy their users as much as possible.
== Real Life ==▼
[[Image:Acme anvil.gif|thumb|Acme guaranteed anvil (Sears, 1902)]]
=== A Warner Brothers Production ===
▲* ''[[MSF High]]'': Miss Fenris runs one of these, with lots of fine print.
▲== Web Originals ==
▲* [[Doctor Steel]] seems to order some of his supplies from them; he can produce a large hammer or lit stick of dynamite at will...
▲* Dynamic Utility Products, from the ''[[Global Guardians PBEM Universe]]'' produces everything from cigarette lighters to machine guns to playing cards. You can find DUP's products in every home in America, practically. Of course, they're secretly a front for [[Ancient Conspiracy|TAROT]], the world's greatest criminal organization.
▲== Real Life ==
* Chuck Jones, creator of this trope's namesake company, attributes his usage to the large number of fly-by-night companies that named themselves Acme in order to be first in the yellow pages. Acme, which means "the highest point" or pinnacle, struck him as particularly funny. To this day, it is rather fun to call one of these businesses and ask if they have any products that can be used to kill a roadrunner.
** It's also noted that Warner Bros. animators may have used Acme brand drawing boards or camera stands.
** In fact, the peg-bars used by animators to hold multiple sheets of paper in place were Acme brand during Warner Brothers' most prolific [[Looney Tunes]] years. Since animators spent all day staring at "ACME", they incorporated it into the cartoons.
** There's also an A-1 company but that's bit obscure for most viewers. Ace, Acme, A-1 all had the advantage of being generic enough to fit everything, laudatory and likely to be alphabetically first.▼
** AAmazing appeared briefly as a brand of desktop PC peripherals in the early 1990s.▼
=== Another Company Marketing Everything ===
** Google's holding company, Alphabet, would appear before its arch-rival Apple in any alphabetical listing.▼
* Amazon.com is
** Funnily enough, in the Toronto phone book one can find companies named AA (whatevers), AAA, or (in extreme cases) AAAAAAAAA in an attempt to get ever higher on the listings. "Acme" would actually be relegated to the second or third page.▼
*
▲*** A broadcasting company mostly made up of former [[The WB]] affiliates was named Acme Communications (1997-2012) in reference to the Warner Bros. usage.
*** This is the same in Brazil. You can find companies called 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA A Dry Cleaner'.▼
*** A blinds company in Cork once was known as 'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA blinds'. That's ''thirty seven'' uses of the letter a. They've since cut it down to just 'AAAA blinds'.▼
*** ''[[Homestar Runner]]'' references this in the Strong Bad Email "your funeral", where Homestar reads from the phone book: "Aardvark Pizza. Abe Lincoln's Pizza Cabin. Acupuncture & Pizza."▼
▲* The Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog, which was your one stop shop for everything you could every possibly want (and much you didn't)... at least until around [[World War II]] when demographic changes moved people away from rural areas to suburban zones. Heck, Sears even sold ''cars and houses''.
** One of the products found in an early 20th century Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog is an actual [http://www.acme.com/what_is_acme/ Acme anvil].▼
* In early 20th century Canada it was the Eaton's catalog, well-known for including everything from diamond jewelry to prefab houses. It was multi-purpose, too, since (before they switched to glossy paper) last year's catalog was this year's outhouse accessory. The last remnants of the Timothy Eaton company were purchased by Sears Canada, which failed and was liquidated in 2017.▼
** In western Montana, there are many "painted ladies" - 1900-era houses - which started out as Sears prefab houses and are still inhabited or used as storefronts.
▲** One of the products found in an early 20th century Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog is an actual [http://www.acme.com/what_is_acme/ Acme anvil].
▲* In early 20th century Canada it was the Eaton's catalog, well-known for including everything from diamond
* Nowadays, most catalogues are speciality. To some degree, Walmart, Target (US) and a handful of remaining department stores fill the "general store" role. Many more have come and gone over the years (or are operating under bankruptcy administration), including notables like JCPenney and Montgomery Ward. Now-bankrupt Sears invented e-commerce in the railway telegraph era, only to be eaten alive by it once Amazon's Jeff Bezos became the wealthiest person on Earth in the Internet era.
* [http://www.kleinbottle.com/ Acme is the largest supplier of glass Klein bottles.] If only Wile E. had had one of these, that stupid bird would be his in no time.▼
* SM Prime Holdings is well known in the Philippines as one of the biggest retailers and property developers in the country, selling everything from apparel and other household supplies to real estate. Which is far cry from the fact that "SM" originally stood for [[Artifact Title|Shoemart]].
* [[Sony]]. Currently dealing in consumer and industrial electronics (including laptops, phones, camcorders, cameras and radios), home entertainment, media production (including TV, Film and Music), electronic components, industrial chemicals, videogames (both games and consoles), batteries, toys, robots, banks, and life insurance.▼
* Marikina Shoe Exchange is, as the name implies, a shoe retailer (through the Avon-esque multi-level marketing business model), but they have since diversified into selling other apparel as well as smart devices such as cellphones and tablets.
* Likewise, Mitsubishi, known in the US only as a car manufacturer, does pretty much everything in its homeland. Just check the list of subdivisions on [[wikipedia:Mitsubishi|their Wikipedia entry]] for a quick-and-dirty rundown.▼
* CD-R King in the Philippines was named after the optical recording medium and started off selling blank optical discs in the Philippines since 1997, but has since widened their scope to the point of carrying things not normally found in a gadget store like rice cookers and even electric bicycles. This became something of a running joke amongst Filipinos who humorously suggested even more unlikely things that could be sold at a CD-R King store like frozen fish or helicopters. And like Warner Bros.' Acme, CD-R King is also notorious for their products' hit-or-miss build quality. The store chain suffered a decline in recent years however, as people have shifted away from optical media in favour of flash storage and cloud-based services, on top of legal issues surrounding the sale of blank optical discs.
* Yamaha makes everything from pianos to motorbikes. Japan, like South Korea, is prone to have many huge conglomerates spanning multiple unrelated industry and product lines.▼
=== Another Company Making Everything ===
* The concept of one large company operating in multiple fields is known as ''chaebol'' in [[South Korea]], where a few large family-controlled firms span multiple industries. There are also a few large companies spanning multiple sectors in [[Japan]]:
▲** [[Sony]]. Currently dealing in consumer and industrial electronics (including laptops, phones, camcorders, cameras and radios), home entertainment, media production (including TV, Film and Music), electronic components, industrial chemicals,
▲** Likewise, Mitsubishi, known in the US only as a car manufacturer, does pretty much everything in its homeland. Just check the list of subdivisions on [[wikipedia:Mitsubishi|their Wikipedia entry]] for a quick-and-dirty rundown.
▲** Yamaha makes everything from pianos to motorbikes. Japan, like South Korea, is prone to have many huge conglomerates spanning multiple unrelated industry and product lines.
* The [http://www.tata.com/ Tata Group] in India, supplier of many products including automobiles, energy, and even ''tea''.
* In a similar vein with Samsung, LG Corporation, primarily known as an electronics manufacturer outside of South Korea, also carries household care products, cosmetics, beverages (as a Coca-Cola licensee no less) and their own telecom provider.
* Ditto with the Lotte Corporation, primarily known as a confectionery brand outside of Korea, but is South Korea's fifth largest ''chaebol'', engaged in industries as diverse as beverages, hotels, fast food, retail, financial services, industrial chemicals, electronics, IT, construction, publishing, and entertainment.
* The Walton Group in Bangladesh. While they primarily specialise in electronics, their product line covers things as diverse as desktops, laptops, RAM sticks, SD cards, home appliances, generators, elevators, batteries and even motorcycles. It wouldn't be that of a stretch for a Bangladeshi family's home to be decked out entirely with Walton-brand appliances, with one or more family members owning a Walton laptop and/or cellphone, and riding a Walton motorbike whilst they're at it, money permitting.
* Fujifilm is primarily an imaging company, but they have also dabbled into fields such as photochemicals, biotech and even [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|cosmetics]]. It is through this diversification that kept Fujifilm afloat despite the world moving on from traditional film to digital media. Not to mention that they have also developed favipiravir, one of the proposed treatments for [[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19]] which is sold under the trade name Avigan.
* At some point [[Nokia]] was this, where they operated in various industries since its foundation, having first established as a pulp mill and later sold products like tyres and cabling, gas masks, footwear, televisions and chemicals. Eventually, they just settled with telecommunications especially cellphones, and later divested its cellphone business to Microsoft, who would then later throw in the towel in favour of HMD Global–a company made up of ex-Nokia executives–who now produces Nokia phones under license.
* San Miguel Corporation in the Philippines, best known for its [https://www.sanmiguelbrewery.com.ph/ beer], started out as a brewery during the twilight years of Spanish colonial rule but later ventured to industries far beyond brewing and selling beer, such as food and drink, finance, infrastructure, oil and energy, transportation, and real estate.
=== ACME in name ===
* A chain of Acme Supermarkets still exists in the northeastern USA. There's a chain of supermarkets in the Delaware Valley region called Acme, but they don't quite sell everything.▼
▲* [http://www.kleinbottle.com/ Acme is the largest supplier of glass Klein bottles.] If only Wile E. had had one of these, that stupid bird would be his in no time.
* The number one hit on Google for "Acme Labs" unfortunately doesn't count. [http://www.acme.com Acme.com] is owned by a software developer named Jef Poskanzer, and it mostly specializes in [[Author Appeal|toy programs that amuse the site owner]]. A phase-of-the-moon app, some interesting Java graphics hacks, and a couple of different web server designs are long-standing marquee items; there is also a "chocolate registry" that lets you request chocolate from people, like a wedding registry. (And it has an anvil as a logo.)
▲* Amazon.com is heading in this direction. They started as a straight-up bookseller.
=== Any Alphabetic Apex Alliteration ===
▲* There's a chain of supermarkets in the Delaware Valley region called Acme, but they don't quite sell everything.
▲
▲** Google's holding company, Alphabet, would appear before its arch-rival Apple in any alphabetical listing. It'd also appear right before Amazon.
▲** AAmazing appeared briefly as a brand of desktop PC peripherals in the early 1990s. AAAnything to compete with the American Automobile Association for first spot on aaaany list.
▲** Funnily enough, in the Toronto phone book one can find companies named AA (whatevers), AAA, or (in extreme cases) AAAAAAAAA in an attempt to get ever higher on the listings. "Acme" would actually be relegated to the second or third page.
▲
▲
* Conversely, Zenith had the same connotations of claiming to be "the high point" in some particular field of endeavour, but would almost invariably snag the last position on any alphabetical list. Not as desirable as being listed first, but still better than being buried three-quarters of the way into the body of the list. In fiction, it's sometimes tempting to name one company "Acme" and its direct rival "Zenith". In real life, there were at least two notable users of the Zenith naming:
** The Zenith Radio Company (Chicago, 1923). Had a few good ideas in its day (such as the original "space command" TV remote control) but was ultimately sold to LG/Goldstar (Korea) in Chapter 11 bankruptcy administration in 1999. ''The rubbish goes in before the name goes on.''
** Subscribers to the original manual AT&T toll-free (freephone) services were often assigned numbers like "Zenith 1-2345". As there was no Q or Z on the telephone dial in the pre-SMS era, these could not be dialled as [[Telephone Exchange Names]] and had to be called through the live operator.
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Truth in Television]]
[[Category:Acme Products]]
[[Category:Metasyntactic Variable]]
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