The Answer:

Not solid gold, no. Currently, the Academy Award statuettes are made of gold-plated britannium, an alloy that's mostly made of tin.

The very first Oscar statuettes were made of gold-plated solid bronze. During World War II, when metal was scarce, they were made of plaster; these plaster statuettes were traded in for the usual models after the war.

For more information on the Academy Awards, see Infoplease Goes to the Oscars.

—The Editors