Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Oscars, Academy Awards, Film and TV
Abbi Murray
With the Oscars set to return this Sunday, the infamous ‘Everyone Wins’ goodie bags will also be making a comeback.
From marketing firm Distinctive Assets, the luxury bags are not affiliated with the Academy Awards but have been handed out for the past 20 years.
The luxury bags previously included a 'brain-sensing headband', 24-karat gold bath bombs, and an emergency hammer to save dogs in hot cars have all been included.
This year, the man behind the scenes, Lash Fary, gave Indy100 a taste of what to expect and and shared his one rule for what can't go in the bag.
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Most excitingly, the nominees for Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Director will all be gifted the best present to date – a Lord or Lady title.
Revealing that he 'has to test market' everything, Fary said: "I’m giddy about the fact that I’m now a lord, I’m Lord Fary.
"[The nominees] may not become Oscar royalty, but win or lose, they'll all become lords and ladies.
"It’s a gift for someone who has everything, it’s so fun. When you make a purchase as a gift for someone, that money goes towards land conservation efforts in Scotland, so it’s a really great gift with purpose.
“'Purpose' happens to be one of the main values behind this year’s gifts, alongside 'diversity, inclusion, health, and philanthropy'.
Other gifts include the ‘world’s first flavour-wrapped popcorn kernels’, and a selection of games from the company behind Exploding Kittens.
Speaking on his gift-finding process, Fary said: "I don’t overthink it. Celebrities are - I know that cliché – they’re just like regular people in many ways, so they have the same needs as the rest of us.
"We don't really realise who the nominees are until we're pretty much done with the bag [and] we know who the nominees are going to be.
"So, we basically just have to create that awesome fabulous diverse gift bag with a little something for everyone."
Fary then explained that products are sent in to be considered for the collection, and they’re either approved or not.
Although hundreds of brands talk to Distinctive Assets, only 52 products or services made the cut this year.
The gift expert revealed there are 'a variety of reasons' why a brand may not be included, but he does have one general rule – no sex toys.
In 2016, The Academy filed a lawsuit over the gift bags, citing that the press had focused on the ‘less-than-wholesome' products, such as a $250 marijuana vaporiser, a $250 sex toy, and $275 Swiss-made toilet paper.
“Basically, if I go to your website and the word ‘penis’ or ‘vagina’ appears on your homepage, I can't include you,” he added.