ACME Packers

If you’ve ever been to Lambeau Field on a game day weekend, chances are you’ve seen one—if not both—of these guys. They’re throwbacks to the days of the old Leatherheads, when the team was briefly known as the Acme Packers.

The name traces back to the Acme Packing Company of Chicago, which bought out the Indian Packing Company where Curly Lambeau worked at the time. Acme originally sponsored the start-up semi-pro team, giving rise to the team’s early name. In truth, Acme only sponsored the team for a handful of games before going bankrupt in the early 1920s. When World War I ended, government contracts to pack meat products for overseas troops disappeared—and so did Acme Packing. The Packers name, however, stuck, and the Acme Packers look has since become iconic.

That’s why fans love snapping photos with a pair of local guys who dress up as Acme Packers players and roam the Lambeau atrium. They’re a fan favorite, delighting anyone who can’t resist a photo op—this reporter included.

So the next time you’re at Lambeau on a game day weekend, keep an eye out for these characters in their historic navy blue and gold uniforms. Those colors are actually a nod to Curly Lambeau’s alma mater, Notre Dame. Did you know that? It wasn’t until decades later, under coach Vince Lombardi, that the Green Bay Packers officially adopted the green uniforms we know today.