Inside the Oscars Sh14m gift bags

Movie stars come together on Oscars night to celebrate the winners and send the best home with the coveted statuette. 

While the ceremony will be everyone’s focus, the nominees will apart from the trophy also have their eye on another lesser-known Oscars tradition and gift, the goody bag.

Over the years, coverage has been growing over what is in the goody bag, usually worth millions.

On Monday morning, 25 nominees in the five main categories will receive this goody bag, officially called the ‘Everybody Wins’ gift bag.

The firm behind the bag is called Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based entertainment marketing company.

The gift bags are valued at more than $100,000 (Sh14.3 million)

So what is in the bag? 

Last month, Distinctive Assets sent out a Press Release with the details.

They said the “six-figure gift bag intended to pamper, delight, surprise and inspire…regardless of whether or not they take home that iconic gold statue.”

Gifts in the bag include luxury skin care products, an all-inclusive luxury Swiss getaway, a seven-day holistic wellness retreat and a three-night stay in a breathtaking private villa from Saint-Barth Paradise.

The holidays are easily the most expensive offering in the bag. 

In 2023, the bag’s biggest offering was a three-night vacation at The Lifestyle, a luxury property in Ottawa Canada. The stay, CNBC reported at the time, was valued at $40,000 (Sh5.7 million today).

This year’s other gifts include luxury kitchen appliances and 10,000 donated meals from V-dog in support of PETA’s Global Compassion Fund.

There is also a blender, graphic undershirts,  a Rubik’s Cube 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, chocolates and Scottish gin, among other things.

Ironically, this gift bag will probably be the most expensive thing they get, because the Oscars gold statue trophy is worth only $1.

Why?

“After getting the award, winners are asked to sign a contract that states they cannot sell the prize before first offering it back to the Academy for $1,” reports ITV.

“But if the Academy does not want it back, they can sell it to whomever they like for whatever price.”

And having your product included in the Oscars gift bag is a big business boost. 

Fiona McArthur from Campbeltown, Scotland, who makes Fetcha Chocolates, the chocolates in the bag this year told BBC that online sales have almost quadrupled, she said, and her shop is attracting customers travelling more than three hours from the nearest big city - Glasgow.

“It has been the best money I’ve spent on the business, since it has resulted in a lot of worldwide attention and a boost in my orders during a normally quiet time of year,” she said.