Ever wondered what's in those coveted Oscars goodie bags? Or – more to the point – how to nab an invite to the Academy Awards in the first place? Us too. And while we can't offer any expertise on making the illustrious guest list, we can at least ogle the weird and wonderful gifts of the Oscars goodie bags over the years.
The upcoming 94th Academy Awards, which will take place on 28 March at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, are reportedly preparing to offer gift bags worth $140,000. There will be two gift bags on offer: one for the presenters and performers at the event, and one for all the nominees of each category, dubbed the Everyone Wins gift bag – so no one feels left out.
The Everyone Wins goodie bag enables the celebs to choose out of 53 items, experiences, and getaways to be delivered to their home, provided by marketing company Distinctive Assets (who've been coordinating gift bags at the Oscars for 20 years).
These include (via Forbes) a trip to a 3D wellness retreat (worth $15,000), a four-night stay for two at the Golden Door luxury resort (worth $15,600), and a three-night holiday in Scotland's Turin Castle (worth $50,000). It's a hard old life being famous, eh?
It was a VERY star-studded line-up.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and peruse the most lavish gifts the Oscars goodie bags have offered over the last decade…
2021
The 2021 Oscars gift bag was worth an eye-watering £205,000. And it contained some of the most ridiculous gifts of all time, including a plastic surgery procedure at Art Lipo, a PETA emergency hammer (?????) to break car windows to save overheating dogs, molecular hydrogen water, and some Bahlsen cookies because err celebs get hungry too?
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2020
Valued at $225,000, this Oscars swag bag was one of the most expensive offerings, ever. This time, the lucky nominees were treated to a 24K gold Royal Charka bath bomb, a 24K gold vape pen from Hollowtips, and a $20,000 one-year membership to a matchmaking service.
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2019
The 2019 Oscars goodie bag was valued at around $100,000, which, compared to later years, seems pretty reasonable. It also had a bit of a theme: namely cannabis products, following the legalisation of cannabis in California. So, the nominees were treated to a membership of the exclusive MOTA Los Angeles (a cannabis-friendly social club), a CBD-infused anti-ageing treatment, and some cannabis edibles. We're guessing the afterparty was pretty chilled, then?
2018
As well as some activated coconut shell charcoal and bentonite clay toothpaste, the nominees of 2018 received a Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation® procedure, a DNA Health & Ancestry Service Kit, a levitating Bluetooth speaker, and some underarm sweat patches. Cool.
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2017
The 2017 Oscars will largely be remembered for a monumental gaffe, which saw La La Land mistakenly awarded ‘Best Picture’ before it was revealed that Moonlight had actually won. They were simpler times. On the bright side, the La La Land cast got to take home a six-day Hawaiian vacation, some SweetCheeks cellulite massage mats, and some chapstick – so it's not all bad.
2016
At $232,000, the 2016 Oscars goodie bag was their most expensive swag bag of all time. It contained a Vampire breast lift (valued at $1,900), a 10-day VIP trip to Israel ($55,000), a 15-day private walking tour of Japan ($54,000), and a Nuelle Fiera vibrator ($250), via Harper's Bazaar.
What it takes to look THAT good.
2015
The 87th Academy Awards ceremony saw Patricia Arquette deliver an incredible speech highlighting the pervasive nature of gender inequality. While she may have won ‘Best Supporting Actress,’ for her role in Boyhood, her fellow nominees got to take home a $12,500 camping trip, unlimited Audi car rentals for a year, and a $4,068 non-invasive liposuction wearable device. Eeeek.
2014
As well as plenty of extravagant gifts (think: a $16,000 hair transplant, seriously), the 86th Academy Awards goodie bags contained plenty of practical presents, too. Such as… a ‘DrainWig’ to prevent hair clogs in the shower, some 3-in-1 dry-cleaning bags, some pink pepper spray guns (excuse me?), and a lifetime membership to Headspace.
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2013
The 2013 Oscars goodie bag was actually the cheapest in five years, valued at just (!) $45,000. We still wouldn't turn it down, though. Amongst the ~wild~ selection of gifts, there was a six-pack box of Naked brand condoms, a $4 bottle of Windex Touch-Up Cleaner, a Vampire facelift, and some electronic cigarettes.
2012
Almost a decade ago, the celebs who didn't win in their categories were instead treated to a seven-layer caramel cake (yum), a pack of personal training sessions, and a session with a celebrity acupuncturist.
Prep your watchlists, people
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
