Did You Know That The Iconic Oscar Statuette Is Made In New York State?

The 96th Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday March 10, 2024. Hundreds of actors, directors, cinematographers and other heavyweights gathered to celebrate the movie industry and a select few walked away with an "Oscar".

Did you know that the Oscar award is manufactured right here in New York State? Each of those golden trophies that Robert Downey Jr., Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy and others accepted traveled from the Hudson Valley to Hollywood.

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The Oscar statuette dates back to 1928 when it was originally sculpted by George Stanley in Los Angeles, California. In 2015 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences partnered with UAP Polich Tallix in Rock Tavern, NY and the Oscar statuette has been made here since 2016.

The creation process includes dipping each statuette in a ceramic shell slurry for ten coats, baking in an oven at 1600° and bronzing at 1860° before pouring contents into a hot ceramic shell to cool overnight.

Eventually the castings are sanded to a mirror polish finish and electroplated with 24 karat gold. It takes approximately 3 months to produce 50 statuettes. The completed gold-plated statuette on its base is 13.5 inches tall and weighs about 8.5 pounds.

Urban legend is that the award got it's name from an Academy Executive Director Margaret Herrick. Herrick felt the trophy looked like her Uncle Oscar and the staff simply started calling the statuette Oscar.