What is a Golden Globe made of? What is its size and how much does it weigh?

For the last eighty years, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has given out a series of awards to actors, directors, writers, and many others who make films, documentaries, and television shows that keep us entertained.

The statue given to winners has evolved over the years.

The version distributed today weighs 7.8 pounds and is made of brass, zinc, and bronze, and carries a top globe with an extended film strip wrapped around it. The trophy is 11.5 inches, reaching almost a foot, and sits on a 3.5-inch square base.

Before, the base had been made of marble, but the newer editions of the statue are gold-plated.

The awards are made by first melting blocks of zinc, which form the base of the statue. Once the globe has been molded by a machine (which can create two hundred at once!), staff on-site scrap away any imperfections so that the gold appears smooth. After the globes have been coated, they are put together on a stand by hand, which will then be attached to the base of the trophy. The Today show released this video before the 75th Golden Globes that provides a look into how the awards are made. While a few changes have been made to the design, it does allow a close look at the general process.

The weight of the award clocks in just under the statue given out at the Oscars, which weighs 8.5 pounds.

Who makes the trophies?

Over the years, the designers of the trophies have changed. In 2009, the contract to produce the statues was given to Society Awards, which has continued to craft the trophies over the last decade. The company is well-connected within the media industry and has also designed trophies for the Primetime Emmy Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, and the Sundance Film Festival.

Society Awards was once headquartered in Manhattan but moved to a larger location in Oklahoma, which allowed them to expand its operation.