The Academy Awards: Who's Oscar? Quiz

Answer: No-one knows for sure

It was rumoured that Margaret Herrick, when a librarian at the Academy, noticed that the statuette bore a striking resemblance to her uncle Oscar, and the name spread. Although a popular story, this has never been substantiated and no-one now really knows for sure where Oscar got his name, although it was adopted by the Academy in 1939.

Answer: 13.5 inches (34.29cm)

It's a good thing a lot of the recipients have worked out in the gym, as he's not light either, weighing in at 8.5 pounds(3.8 kilos).

Answer: Chicago, Illinois

The RS Owens foundry in Chicago became the long-term Oscar manufacturer, turning out between 50 and 60 statuettes per year. Each one is worked on by a dozen people over the course of two or three weeks; casting, plating and polishing. When the perfect article emerges it is packed in its own polystyrene container to await shipment. Any that are found to be sub-standard are immediately destroyed.

Answer: Plaster

Once the war was over those who had received plaster Oscars were able to trade them in for the more usual gold versions, at which time the base, which had previously been made of black marble, was made slightly taller and fashioned in metal.

Answer: It was made of wood

Although there haven't been many, a few Oscars have been presented which didn't follow the standard pattern. The ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen's Honorary wooden one in 1937 had a mouth that moved, and the next year Walt Disney was presented with a normal Oscar accompanied by seven smaller ones on the same base in recognition of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".

Answer: 501

All perfect statuettes are now stamped with their serial number behind Oscar's heels.

Answer: A technicians' strike

In 1938 the proceedings were delayed by a week when Los Angeles was hit by floods. Thirty years later they were postponed for two days when it turned out that Martin Luther King's funeral was scheduled for the same day as the award ceremony, and in 1981 the attempted assassination of President Reagan put things back 24 hours.

Answer: A knight holding a crusader's sword

Designed by Cedric Gibbons, MGM's art director, Oscar is standing on a reel of film with five spokes, each representing one of the original Academy branches.

Answer: Wipe it with a soft, dry cloth

This is the advice that has been offered to recipients by Scott Siegel as president of the manufacturers, RS Owens.

Answer: $1

Winners are obliged to sign a waiver stating that in the event that they may wish to dispose of their statuette, they will give the Academy first refusal for the nominal price of $1. Any Oscar won before 1950 is fair game on the open market and they have changed hands for exorbitant amounts. Steven Spielberg purchased three for a total of $1,393,000 (two of Bette Davis' and one of Clark Gable's), all of which he returned to the Academy.

In 1999 Michael Jackson bought David O Selznick's "Gone with the Wind" Oscar for $1,540,000.