What on earth is ACME?

Holadem · 05-15-2003, 11:22 AM

It always seems to be the name of some company in the WB cartoons, but I have seen it outside of that - I actually saw an ACME electric inc. or somesuch the other day. WHat does it mean?!

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Holadem - I could google it, but HTFers know better

Philip Hamm · 05-15-2003, 11:29 AM

You live near New York, right? Acme is a big grocery store chain in NJ and the area. The plates and napkins I brought to the last Scooterfest all came from Acme.

It's also a funny joke company name used in Warner Brothers cartoons and elsewhere.

05-15-2003, 11:38 AM

Who cares what ACME is...what the hell is that thing in your signature?

You know, I assume that it is an abbreviation, but I don't know what it could be, since there are numerous businesses named "ACME". The ACME fan company goes back 60 years...maybe they know. A quick Gogle search didn't bring up any family surnames on my screen, so I guess it isn't a company started by "Bob Acme".

Jay H · 05-15-2003, 11:42 AM

Philip nails it for the NYC area. There was an ACME foodchain about 3 miles from me in Pompton Lakes but it burned down a few years ago and didn't rebuild. Now it's an A&P grocery store but that's what I've known as ACME (besides the Warner Brothers reference)....

Jay

Keith Mickunas · 05-15-2003, 12:07 PM

There's an ACME brick company. I don't know what the name means though.

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Grant B · 05-15-2003, 12:12 PM

I believe on the Chuck Jones Documentry, they talk about ACME. It was a inside joke on how the coyote (or people in general) would put their total trust in a faceless huge (where else do you get everything from jet powered skis to human fly outfits???) corporation and be let down time after time.
The show also has a great comment from Steven Speilberg.... something like; George Lucas stole the entire Star Wars Saga from the Cartoon, "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century"

Dennis Nicholls · 05-15-2003, 12:14 PM

"Acme" is merely a standard English word meaning "the best" or "the pinnacle of". From the Greek "akme" meaning "a point".

Scott Dautel · 05-15-2003, 12:25 PM

Here in Delaware & SE Pennsylvania, ACME is the dominant grocery store chain. The chain is East US only, but owned by the Albertson's Group.

Virtually all my household items come from ACME, including the ultra cool new pair of rocket powered roller skates I recently bought.

Scott

Ashley Seymour · 05-15-2003, 12:37 PM

I think the Greek definition of acme is the basis for a company calling itself Acme to denote quality. Plus it is likely to come at the top of the list of companies in a phone book, so Acme along with Ajax were good choices for companies trying to position themselves in the phone book.

Jones and the rest of his demented crew at WB made it into an icon of words that become oxymorons. Acme now has the opposite connotation - almost certainly as a result of the WB cartoons. A friend who worked as a cook would refer to the foods that he had to use as acme peas, as opposed to Green Giant, acme corn, etc.

Scott Strang · 05-15-2003, 01:06 PM

If I remember correctly they also made the superb Little Giant wall scaler kit.

Malcolm R · 05-15-2003, 01:34 PM

A Company that Makes Everything?