NECA, The National Entertainment Collectibles Association, 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.