A 24-karat vape pen. A stay at a remote Swedish lighthouse turned luxury resort. A card representing an NFT of the late Chadwick Boseman. These are all very real gifts that were part of one Oscars swag bag given to acting and directing nominees at this year’s Academy Awards. But none of these can lay claim to the award for Weirdest Party Favor.
That would have to go to the “custom emergency hammers” designed to smash car windows. And no, they aren’t something out of Q Lab promoting the next James Bond film.
The hammers actually come courtesy of animal rights group PETA. On their website, the nonprofit writes that the tools are designed to “save dogs trapped in hot cars.” Gift bag recipients won’t have to deduce that themselves as the hammers are emblazoned with the text “SOS: Dogs DIE in Hot Cars!” and include a keychain reads “The Car Is Insured—the Dog Is Irreplaceable.”
Saving a dog from dying of heat-related injuries is certainly a noble cause, but should untrained celebrities really be walking around with glass breakers in their Birkin bags? To help Riz Ahmed and Glenn Close figure out when it’s appropriate to bash in a window, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also released a video explainer.
The video’s host is Lash Fary, the founder of Distinctive Assets, an entertainment marketing firm that put together the gift bags which are worth about $205,000. As The New York Times noted, it’s not the only gift bag nominees receive.
This isn’t the first time PETA has offered items as part of these swag bags. In previous years, they’ve gifted vegan bath bombs, vegan meal delivery gift cards and even “spy pens to capture animal abuse on set.” Which begs the question: What will they think of next year?
More Like This
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
