What's under Emmy's skirt?

September 23, 2013 7:17 AM

While opening up the morning news sites I see this picture of Jeff Daniels holding his newly-won Emmy statuette. (Congrats, Jeff). The picture shows a lengthy text affixed to the underside of the statuette. What is it? It sure looks like more than just "(C) 2013 ATAS/NATAS: Don't Sell Me". Cleaning instructions? A secret message from the Illuminati? Anyone know?
posted by JoeZydeco to Media & Arts (22 answers total)

I assume that, like the Oscars, winners are given "dummy trophies" at the ceremony. Perhaps it says, essentially, "you don't get to keep this"?
posted by Bromius at 7:44 AM on September 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I went over to Bob Boilen's desk, because he actually has an Emmy (won for Project Song). And I said, "Bob, I need to examine your Emmy." He was happy to help, but his Emmy (which is a real Emmy and looks just like the rest of them) doesn't have that printed text on the bottom. So it's either specific to the Primetime ones, or the telecast ones, or something. It's not on every Emmy.

Data point!
posted by Linda_Holmes at 8:28 AM on September 23, 2013 [49 favorites]

I also was just able to look at a real Emmy right now, and can tell you there is no text on the bottom. It must be specific to the ones used in the ceremony.
posted by miles1972 at 8:31 AM on September 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

I also noticed it on Jeff Daniels' emmy but it wasn't on someone else's, maybe Claire danes I think. May be a specific "dummy" emmy like someone upthread said?
posted by CrazyLemonade at 8:35 AM on September 23, 2013

There are a couple of Emmys in our office as well, and I'm happy to go look at them if additional data are needed.
posted by rtha at 8:42 AM on September 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

There seems to be numbers before the three paragraphs. Some sort of instructions?

Maybe it just says if lost, drop in any mail box. Return postage guaranteed.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:59 AM on September 23, 2013 [7 favorites]

For obvious reasons, the Emmys they hand out (at the televised ceremony, at least) aren't engraved with winner's names. It might be instructions on how to get the engraved version.
posted by Etrigan at 9:03 AM on September 23, 2013

Best answer: I got the best version of that photo I could, and the resolution just wasn't quite high enough to read the text. I believe -- BELIEVE -- that the first two chunks of text start with either "The Emmy(R)" or "This Emmy(R)," and I believe I can make out a couple of mentions of the Academy. So yes, my guess is that it's about the fact that the Academy owns it and you can't just do whatever you want with it or whatever. It's some kinda boilerplate. My guess is "dummy Emmy," as somebody said. So the ones people actually get and take home don't have it.
posted by Linda_Holmes at 9:13 AM on September 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Maybe you can ask him on his Twitter.
posted by The Deej at 9:16 AM on September 23, 2013

Best answer: Probably an extract from this page of copyright/trademark restrictions with rules specific to the statuette. Although everybody and his grandmother upthread seems to know people with Emmys — excuse me, Emmy(R) statuettes — it could be that they have only recently started to put the rules on the base. They are pretty fussy: for example it says here that when depicted in magazine ads, the statuette should always be facing left (that's the good side of Emmy's face, apparently).
posted by beagle at 9:30 AM on September 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Interesting ideas so far, thanks. I'm also really really pleased that my one simple question caused multiple Emmy winners to be disturbed as Mefites ran in to upend various statuettes.

Sometimes the internet is really really cool....
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:57 AM on September 23, 2013 [55 favorites]

We have a couple here and the only thing on the bottom is black felt. One does have a sticker from the statue maker, but it doesn't look like his.
posted by MayNicholas at 3:53 PM on September 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

A friend of mine just checked the 3 Regional Emmys in his office: "We have 3. Nothing is on the bottom of them but stickers"
posted by Myself at 7:49 AM on September 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Here is the bottom of the Emmy awarded in 2002 for Best Investigative Journalism-- Long Form. Our case is full and there are a few around the office. That one sits above my desk.
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:44 PM on September 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

I have an Emmy and there is nothing at the bottom except black felt.
posted by spec80 at 1:00 PM on September 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Hi. I lied. Sorry. I was going by memory at work and just checked the bottom of mine when I got home. It has these two stickers. But the bottom of Daniels' Emmy's text looks much longer.
posted by spec80 at 4:04 PM on September 24, 2013 [4 favorites]

Obligatory: an award that's worth winning
posted by intermod at 10:47 PM on September 25, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks to Mayor Curley and spec80 for taking the time to photograph the bottoms (more upended Emmys! Awesome!)

I'm going to take it on faith that the new bottom is a successor to these stickers given the new era of social media and ATAS/NATAS fretting over all the ways a statuette can be potentially abused on the internet and elsewhere.

Thanks again, everyone. Hopefully you made sure those Emmys were facing left when you put them back. =)
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:20 AM on September 26, 2013

Jon Stewart was waving around Colbert's new Emmys on the Colbert Report this week, and the bottom of the base flashed at the screen. I noticed that it had the same blocks of writing as the one in the photo of Jeff Daniels.
posted by aabbbiee at 1:21 PM on September 26, 2013

i looked a little bit on the manufacturing of emmy statues.
Regional Emmy is a different since they are made by Society awards vs Primetime Emmy(heavier) are made by RS Owens &Co. So different specifications on the various emmies. Here is a nice video of how its made.

As far as the bottom engraving , it is a recent trend in the Emmy to have it engraved on site after the person receives their Emmy award. See article. So the bottom engraving might be a custom engraving requested by Jeff Daniels.
posted by radsqd at 1:42 PM on September 26, 2013

Best answer: The answer is reported in this deleted post on the blue, which links here.

For future generations, in anticipation of link rot, here is the full text quoted in the linked article, which claims that the words "used to just be on a sticker, but now they are engraved":

RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EMMY(r) STATUETTE

1. The Emmy(r) statuette is the property of and all rights are reserved by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

2. The Emmy(r) statuette may not be reproduced or used in any commercial manner unless otherwise permitted by the Academy, it being understood that possession of the same is solely for the benefit of the recipient and the recipient's heirs or successors in interest.

3. If a recipient or the recipient's heir or successor in interest proposes to sell or otherwise dispose of the Emmy(r) statuette, such persons shall be obligated to return the statuette to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences which will retain the same in storage in memory of the recipient.

posted by Dreadnought at 7:14 PM on October 1, 2013 [7 favorites]

I have an Emmy and I can confirm that the bottom is black felt. Mine has no stickers. It is old and has been beaten up a bit and maybe the stickers fell off.
posted by bz at 6:28 PM on October 21, 2013