Television Academy Unveils Rare Enhancement of Iconic Emmy Statuette

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Halley’s comet returns to Earth’s neighborhood every 75 years.

And the Emmy statuette, depicting a glistening, winged muse of art with an atom of science in her grasp, undergoes some additional adornments every 75 years or so.

This is one of those special moments as the Emmy celebrates her 75^th anniversary.

Indeed, both are possessors of the rarest of ingredients: Halley’s rich elements of light, matching those of the Sun, are the most pristine materials known in the solar system. And Emmy Award winners are the brightest stars in the television universe, standard bearers of excellence signified by an award equally rich with its precious, silver form encased in gleaming gold.

For this year only, when television’s brightest stars accept the Academy’s highest honor, the Emmy statuette will possess a different glistening look: Adorning the base of the revered figurine will be etched the simple but powerful inscription “75.”

When the 75^th Emmy Awards air this September, millions of viewers will be a part of history — gazing at one of the few changes to the iconic award since its 1948 creation. Remarkably, it took 47 proposals for the first Emmy design back in that day before the 48^th was finally accepted by the Television Academy.

“This time it took us seemingly 48 weeks of meetings, illustrations, debates, false starts and ruminating to get to the finish line,” said Scott Buford, a self-effacing, 18-year behind-the-scenes senior creative director for the Television Academy. “When I was first asked by the Academy’s leadership to explore altering the statuette, my first reaction was, ‘Are you sure? This is like giving a nip and tuck to the Statue of Liberty or the statue of David.’”

Buford opted for elegant subtlety. Television Academy President and CEO Maury McIntyre believes it’s a success. “We were trying to find a way to honor the historic nature of the anniversary. Emmy is all about celebrating excellence, and it has been for three quarters of a century,” he said. “Those standards really haven’t changed significantly regardless of what era the greatest medium on Earth has been in. In that spirit, we didn’t want to veer too far with Emmy herself.”

Mission accomplished.

About the Emmy Statuette

Hand made from virgin metal, the Emmy statuette weighs 6 pounds, 12 ounces and stands 15.5 inches tall. The winged woman is crafted in a vintage steel mold, and the atom is soldered together from six pieces then affixed to the statuette. It is then plated in four alloys including copper nickel, silver and finally 24 carat gold. Each takes 5-1/2 hours to make and is handled with white gloves throughout its creation to prevent fingerprints. The Emmy becomes personal when it is engraved with the name of each winner.

The 75^th Emmy Awards will telecast LIVE coast to coast from Los Angeles Monday, Sept. 18, (8:00-11:00 PM ET live/5:00-8:00 PM PT live) on FOX. Emmy winners Jesse Collins and Dionne Harmon and Emmy-nominee Jeannae Rouzan-Clay of Jesse Collins Entertainment will executive produce the show.