Archie McPhee

Archie McPhee

Archie McPhee is a Seattle based novelty dealer owned by Mark Pahlow. Begun in the 1970s in Los Angeles as the mail-order business "Accoutrements", in 1983 it opened a retail outlet dubbed "Archie McPhee" after Pahlow's wife's great-uncle.ref|Who's_Archie

The company's line expanded from rubber chickens to glow-in-the-dark aliens, bacon scented air freshener, and hula girl swizzle sticks. It became a popular Seattle tourist destinationref|Frommers_Guide while maintaining enough counter-cultural credentials that Ben & Jerry's Wavy Gravy ice cream was introduced at a party on the premises in 1993.ref|Wavy_Gravy

Its kitsch appeal received further national attention from the "Librarian Action Figure". In 2002 Nancy Pearl told Pahlow over dinner that librarians like herself "perform miracles every day".ref|Doll_idea Pearl later posed for a 13 cm hard plastic doll, and librarians from all around the world registered their dismay at its "amazing push-button shushing action!"ref|smh_shush

Pearl has gone on to author two books as well as an international tour and the release of a "delux" edition of her action figureref|More_Pearl and Archie McPhee has since featured in Scientific American's "Technology and Business" reviewref|Sci_Amer and Time Magazine's fifty coolest websites of 2005.ref|Time_50

Product Trivia

The head of the Punching Puppet Nun (from Archie McPhee / Accoutrements and American Science and Surplus, primary Punching Puppet Nun suppliers) is the same head from the older Margaret Thatcher Punching Puppet, prompting a claim of Anti-Catholicism by the Catholic League [http://www.catholicleague.org/1997report/business97.htm (citation)] .

References

#Note|Who's_Archie [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2001965810_archie28.html Jack Broom] , "Archie McPhee expands its garden of goofiness", The Seattle Times (June 28, 2004)
#Note|Frommer's_Guide [http://www.frommers.com/destinations/seattle/S24294.html Seattle Destinations] Frommer's Travel Guide, 2005.
#Note|Wavy_Gravy [http://archives.thedaily.washington.edu/1999/033199/N6.F.html Brian Stephens] , "A new home for Seattle's rubber chickens", The Daily (University of Washington)
#Note|Doll_idea [http://www.komotv.com/news/story.asp?ID=38781 Brian Calvert] , "Able To 'Shush' All Buildings With A Single Sound?", KOMO 1000 News (2005)
#Note|smh_shush [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/06/1062549053713.html "Outcry over librarian doll"] , The Sydney Morning Herald (2003)
#Note|More_Pearl [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002432642_booklust11.html Jack Broom] , "All booked up: Nancy Pearl's fame continues to grow", The Seattle Times (2004)
#Note|Sci_Amer [http://journals2.iranscience.net:800/www.sciam.com/www.sciam.com/article.cfm@chanID=sa001&articleID=000DE05C-EDF3-1FD3-A7EA83414B7F012C Steve Mirsky] , "Check Those Figures", Scientific American (2005)
#Note|Time_50 [http://www.time.com/time/2005/websites/ 50 Coolest Websites 2005] Time Online Edition

External links

* [http://www.mcphee.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.mcphee.com/info/history.html Biography of the company's namesake, Jazz musician Archie McPhee]


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