ACMEs

Acmes is a fictional company that appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. The company is consistently depicted as a manufacturer and supplier of various, often outlandish, products. Its most famous association is with the character Wile E. Coyote, who frequently orders mail-order gadgets from Acme for his elaborate and usually unsuccessful schemes to catch the Road Runner.

The Acme Corporation is a running gag throughout the cartoons, highlighting the absurdity of the products and the futility of Wile E. Coyote's plans. The items ordered from Acme range from rocket skates and giant magnets to anvils, explosives, and elaborate trap systems. Despite their often dangerous or complex nature, these products are readily available through the Acme catalog and are delivered with surprising speed, usually just in time for Wile E. Coyote to deploy them.

The company's ubiquity and the consistent failure of its products to achieve their intended purpose serve as a source of humor. The name "Acme" itself is derived from the Greek word "akme," meaning the peak or highest point, which ironically contrasts with the often disastrous outcomes of its products. While a fictional entity, Acme has become an iconic symbol of comedic failure and the unreliable nature of elaborate contraptions. The company's branding and its association with Wile E. Coyote have cemented its place in popular culture as a memorable and humorous element of the Looney Tunes universe.