We all know the Acme Corporation. They were the ones who supplied Wile E. Coyote with all the gadgets and supplies he needed to catch the Road Runner. They didn't work all that well, but he could get them delivered out in the desert. Since those days, the name Acme has been used as a generic business name when you don't want to use a specific name. But wait, those Warner Brothers cartoons weren't the first to use Acme as a generic business name- they are just the most durable and universal media we have from 70+ years ago. Using Acme as a business name was already a Hollywood thing.
Even so, the name didn't spring up in Hollywood. It was a common business name during the early 20th century, selected for a mundane but genius reason. While a few businesses that use the name Acme are still around, startups rarely select it because of its association with Wile E. Coyote and his many failures in using their products.
The word 'acme' is defined as "the point at which someone or something is best, perfect, or most successful." So if you were going to name your new company, would you call it 'Acme' – or something like 'Mediocre Enterprises'?
ReplyDeleteAccording to an interview with Chuck Jones, he later claimed that ACME (as used in the Road Runner cartoons) was actually an acronym for 'A Company that Manufactures Everything' – which explains also why their products ran the gamut from earthquake pills to flying batsuits to giant slingshots to rocket sleds.
And there was actually two reasons Wile E. Coyote kept using ACME products despite their abominable track record – one, of course, was that they were one of the few companies that would ship to a cave in the middle of the southwestern American desert. The other was that they were the only company with which he could establish a charge account.
-"BB"-
Names like Acme Auto Repair, Ace Plumbing, and AAA Cleaners were popular during the early 20th century in part because A came first in the phone book.
ReplyDeleteYes, so far, all points that were addressed in the video.
ReplyDeleteACME was the first Amazon, anything you need they have it.
ReplyDeleteModern ACME was the guy from Adbusters magazine-they’re amazing.
ReplyDelete