NECA, The National Entertainment Collectibles Association, is one of inductees of the Pop Culture Hall of Fame for 2016. Their name sounds like a trade association, but they are actually one of the heavy hitters in the toy and action figure industry.
NECA began in 1996 when former MacFarlane Toys Senior Designer Randy Falk decided to start his own company. What began as a mail order toy distribution operation eventually included some of Falk’s custom designs. Within a few years, NECA was producing licensed figures and toys from a wide range of entertainment. The company also has begun producing replicas of movie props, full sized foam figures of characters, and board games based on movies.
In 2002, NECA’s added their Reel Toys division, created to produce action figures and toys that are targeted towards more mature collectors and enthusiasts. They are intended for teens and adults as collectibles for many licenses that no other company would market as a toy.
In 2009, however, the company aquired the WizKids line of toys from Topps. With the Clix figures and Pocket model games, NECA once again had products that could appeal to a younger audience as well as collectors of all ages.
