A History of The Hunger Games in 9 Objects

All the props that tell the story of Katniss Everdeen's fight against the Capitol – and how they came to be
By Maria Yagoda
Updated November 17, 2015 10:00 AM

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MOCKINGJAY PIN

Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Veering from the book, Katniss finds the pin at the Hob. Jeweler Dana Schneider used 22-karat gold-plated sterling silver, "aged to look old and forgotten," she tells PEOPLE.

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THE HOLO

Credit: Lionsgate

The rebellion's info center "was a completely working prop," Charles Gibson, visual FX supervisor, tells PEOPLE. "It couldn't actually project a 3-D hologram, but it cast light. So it felt like the actors were working [with] something real."

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PEETA'S LOAVES

Credit: Murray Close

"We had bread baked in North Carolina and used a torch to burn them – very low-tech," says production designer Phil Messina.

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NIGHTLOCK BERRIES

Seeing as there's no such thing, the crew dyed real (non-poisonous) berries to look venomous.

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SNOW'S ROSES

"We went through hundreds and hundreds," says prop master Drew Petrotta. As they wilted under hot lights, "we had to get mass quantities."

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CORNUCOPIA

Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Messina says he told director Gary Ross, "This is the thing that scares me the most, because I don't have a handle on how this would look." Based on Collins's description, "we needed it to look sinister, not like a Thanksgiving cornucopia. I came up with a version broken into hard angles."

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HANDCUFFS

Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Petrotta made Peeta's manacles in a rubberized felt that allowed Hutcherson to move and catch himself, even as others control him.

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TRACKER JACKERS

Credit: Ryan McCormick

They're not onscreen for long, but these deadly insects "were based on amped-up wasps," recalls Messina. Using the model above, they rendered a computer-generated swarm.

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THE BOW & ARROW

Credit: Murray Close

Although Lawrence studied archery, Katniss's arrows were absent on-set and added digitally. "For a host of reasons. Safety is a big one, because the camera is always in front of her," Gibson says. "Jennifer [Lawrence] is very good at pretending."

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Read up on everything you ever wanted to know about Peeta, Gale, Katniss and more in PEOPLE'S Special Edition HUNGER GAMES: INSIDE ALL FOUR MOVIES, on newsstands now.

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By Maria Yagoda