“How about a REALLY Crowded Coop?”Was what I suggest to Mary Olson after seeing the size of this year’s amazing lineup at Toy Fair, but I think she would have hit me on the head with that prototype Halo bag I’d been ogling. It’s a good thing she didn’t, as I’d then be responsible for the entire first run having a dent the size of my forehead in and I’d like to be a bit less of a negative influence on product design in the future. Where last year, the company had a handful of licenses that yielded a sizable amount of product, this year the booth was about three times the size and there were so many products on display that I had to swing by twice to see them all…

As always, quality is king, queen and the whole castle here and from prototype to completed product, nothing disappointed. The Valve lineup was looking stronger with the new additions from popular titles such as Team Fortress 2, Portal, Portal 2 and of course, DOTA 2, (what, No Half-Life 3 surprise goodies? Shocking!). It was hard not to grin like a freshly escaped maniac at the sheer quantity of stuff on display as last year’s lineup of goodies was supplemented by even more stuff that made me start recalculating how much storage space I have in my place.

“Home of the Geek (but Not Geeky) Product Lines You WANT?” Came to mind as my eyeballs swirled around in my head. It was corny as hell, but descriptive. Then again, so is “Jokes are Funny, But Mine are Less”. As I was trying to think of a better name, ACC’s Brandy Tanner bumped into me, apologized, realized it was me and bumped into me again. Okay, I’m a human target, folks. But only because I was admiring the work done on the items in the Star Trek: The Original Series line. Taking its design cues from the classic show, old Star Trek comics and 60’s inspired motifs, the line has something for everyone who’s a hardcore fan of that famous show. You want bags? You got them. Tricorder messenger bags, cool retro inspired ladies purses and wallets (there’s a men’s line, as well), totes of assorted sizes and more. Everything looked fantastic and ready to make a splash at an online retailer or brick and mortar emporium near you soon.

The big surprises in the Trek collection were the wealth of pet items (*woof!*). I don’t own a pet (well, a pet would OWN me if I had one around here), but the charming silliness of a Captain’s Chair dog bed, Red Shirt and Klingon plush chew toys, the useful and awesome communicator bag dispenser and the assorted leashes, collars, bowls and even doggie wear meant ACC was seriously branching out. Either everyone there at the Monroe, WA offices has a pet, knows someone with a pet or the company has simply been taking over by alien canine overlords (my guess is the latter). I didn’t question the pet line at all, but knew there was a method to this part of the Trek madness. Sure enough, Mary confirmed this when I swung by a second time and she noted that the entire Trek collection got noticed by organizers of a big Star Trek con and of course, will get featured at that con on the show floor.

“Artist’s Colony of Cool Products?”, I thought as A smiling Mike Capp greeted me once more. That man’s always smiling (when I see him, at least) and its probably because he’s more than likely busier than ever rounding up licenses and talent to cook up creative ideas that can be turned into pretty sweet goodies. From more fantastic creations from artist Justin Hillgrove’s Imps & Monsters line, the too cute for words Cartoon Hangover- Bravest Warriors assortment and in case you haven’t heard the word, there’s a slew of licensed Elvis Presley pet-themed items on the way, I had to wonder if the man still has time to make his own art. Then again, my concept of time is a bit skewed anyway, so I’m betting Mike can paint and dig himself out from under a pile of plush sizzling bacon and still have time to take the required amount of breaths required by law.

By the time I was finished dinking around at the booth, my eyeballs and brain were stuffed and I was planning to knock a hole in one closet here to fit more ACC stuff. I’m not sure how big their booth will be next year, but if the licenses I’d heard about all pop into the company’s hands plus whatever else they’ve got on their plate become a reality, I’d expect that lower floor area will be starting to look a little small to the folks from Monroe, Washington. We’ll see, but I bet I’m going to need some more closet and shelf space for sure…