Madame Tussauds – London's Favourite Attraction
Gordon Brown Voted Out, Barack Obama Voted In at London's Wax Museum
Jun 4, 2009
When Marie Tussaud arrived in England in 1802 she brought with her 35 wax figures. After touring her collection up and down the country for 33 years she established a permanent home on London's Baker Street. The display, which moved to its present location on Marylebone Road in 1884, has been constantly up-dated to reflect public opinion and world events.
Celebrities at Madame Tussauds London
During its 200-year history Madame Tussauds London has been home to royalty, stars of stage and screen, sporting personalities such as the football hero David Beckham and British racing driver, Lewis Hamilton, cultural figures like Albert Einstein, and rock stars including Paul McCartney and The Beatles. World leaders featured at Madame Tussauds include Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher and Nicolas Sarkozy. Visitors can get up close and personal with Barack Obama, but interestingly, not with Gordon Brown.
Gordon Brown Pushed Out
The British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was resolutely voted out by the public. He is the first incumbent Prime Minister not to reside at Tussauds in more than 150 years. 6,333 voters took part in a poll: 1,025 (16.2%) voted in favour, while 5,308 (83.8%) voted against Brown being featured in the museum!
Barack Obama Voted In
The new President of the United States has taken office in the White House and visitors can sit behind the Resolute desk used by presidents since 1880 in a recreation of the Oval Office.
Warhol's Women at Madame Tussauds
Andy Warhol, also the subject of a recent exhibition at London's Hayward Gallery, was one of the 20th Century's most important artists. In his studio visitors come face to face with some of his favourite women, including Marilyn Monroe, Jerry Hall, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland and Jackie O (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis).
Spirit of London – Time Travel at Madame Tussauds
A time-travel taxi ride takes visitors through 400 years of London's history from the Plague and the Great Fire of London to the Blitz and the Swinging Sixties.
Scream - Chamber of Horrors at Madame Tussauds
A visit to Madame Tussauds London also includes Scream. The sign above the entrance warns: "Abandon all hope All ye who enter here!" Visitors will be desperate to escape from a high security prison where the inmates – live actors – are running wild. The guidelines are:
- Not suitable for children under 12 years of age.
- Not suitable for people with high blood pressure, or heart conditions.
- Beware loud noises and strobe lighting.
Too terrifying for words? Enter if you dare!
The Figures Behind the Figures
- A typical wax figure can take more than 800 hours of meticulous photographing, measuring, moulding, painting and sculpting.
- All celebrities’ vital statistics remain top secret.
- It can take up to four months to complete a Tussauds' figure from the first sitting to the unveiling.
- It takes a team of up to 20 specially trained artists and costs £150,000 to create one model.
- The smallest figure ever created is Gingy The Gingerbread Man, edible star of the Shrek movie trilogy, who stands 20cm tall.
- The largest figure is The Hulk, Marvel comic book hero. He stands 15ft tall and 8ft wide. His green fingers are thicker than a grown man's arm!
- The current collection of approximately 400 figures has used 2,400 lbs of 'Japan' wax, a special non-melting wax.
- Madame Tussauds London has entertained about 500 million visitors since it first opened.
Stories from behind the scenes, profiles of celebrities, and further details of the exhibition, can be found at Madame Tussauds London.
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