SEATTLE — Archie McPhee doesn't act like your typical 40-year-old.
"We sell unnecessary necessities," said vice president David Wahl.
The company's founder, Mark Pahlow, started things off quirky back in 1983.
"That's kind of where Archie McPhee started, is he developed this whole collection of weird and unusual things that he either imported or purchased, and then put them all out on tables and cardboard boxes, slit the top, and just let people come in and start buying them," said Wahl. "And that was the first iteration of the store."
Over the years, they've sold millions of items their customers really don't need but can't live without.
"We've sold over one million rubber chickens," Wahl said. "We've sold over 5 million finger monsters."
Wahl's favorite? The yodeling pickle. See, it's a pickle...
"And it yodels," Wahl said.
The secret to Archie McPhee's longevity may be that the creative staff never stops inventing.
"We sometimes will introduce 50 to 100 new products a year," Wahl said.
Not every idea is a winner. Wahl invented one doozy that never saw the light of day, himself: "A sombrero for funerals called the Somber-ero."
But Team McPhee plans to keep us laughing into the next 40 years.
"What we want to do is just take whatever the world throws at us and put it through the Archie McPhee whimsy machine and bring out some new nonsensical way that makes people feel everything's going to be okay," said Wahl.
The official birthday bash takes place on July 13 at the flagship store. There will be food, games, prizes, and in-store discounts to mark the occasion.
Archie McPhee is located at 1300 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103. They're open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day.
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