"Madame Tussaud believed she provided entertainment, artistic enlightenment, historical education and a place of pilgrimage," writes Pamela Pilbeam, author of Madame Tussaud and the History of Waxworks. In Tussauds' alternative reality, there are two Winehouses so one body can be regularly removed to repaint her tattoos, which get worn away by all the fluttering fingers of fans, touching her with a delicate concern. This tradition of what academics call "dark tourism" endures today: there is something morbid about peering at Amy Winehouse's skinny but healthily waxy arms. When she settled in Britain and opened a museum in Baker Street in 1835, her most popular exhibit was the "chamber of horrors" featuring murderers and criminals. Tussaud inherited Curtius's models and her travelling exhibition of waxworks became the touring newspaper of the day, providing vivid impressions of contemporary events, particularly the revolution, in a time before photographs. They moved to Paris and she created figures for a waxwork exhibition, narrowly escaped the guillotine in the French Revolution, and ended up making death masks of guillotine victims. Madame Tussauds may be its most unlikely success story.īorn in Strasbourg in 1761, Marie Tussaud studied model-making under Dr Philippe Curtius, a doctor who became highly skilled at making anatomical models from wax. Last year it reported visitor numbers up by 10% across its attractions with a 16% jump in profits to £239m. Tussauds' owners, Merlin Entertainments, is the world's second largest leisure group after Disney, with a portfolio of fun that includes Alton Towers, the London Eye and Legoland. Gok Wan is set for Blackpool, while the much-requested Justin Bieber will arrive in London, New York and Amsterdam next month. Almost every month, a new celebrity is added to the waxen lineup. Another, the 12th Madame Tussauds in the world, will be added in Vienna. After the venerable London attraction's busiest ever year, next month sees the opening of a new Madame Tussauds in Blackpool. But Madame Tussauds is more popular than ever. In an era of virtual reality, interactive Wiis and 3D TVs, it is difficult to imagine a more anachronistic attraction than a crowded dark room peopled with static wax models. Is Mike Tyson marauding through the building? The diminutive French president is unceremoniously wheeled away for some TLC with molten wax. There's a commotion outside No 10 Downing Street: the top of Nicolas Sarkozy's right ear has been chewed off. Who does he want a photograph with? "All of these bastards," he says, making a beeline for George W Bush. "Where is Tony Blair?" asks a tourist from Afghanistan. A Kuwait scarf is draped around Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai. A bloke peers up Marilyn's billowing skirt. "We made the decision to celebrate Minaj s unforgettable pose inspired by the "Anaconda" video because - thanks to her artistry and charisma - it resulted as one of the most iconic videos ever produced … As with all people we immortalize in our attractions, her representatives were kept informed every step of the way during the figure-creation process.J ohnny Depp is getting a peck on the cheek. Madame Tussauds defended their work to Fader in a statement, which read, in part: Minaj's 2015 wax figure in Las Vegas, which looks similar to her 2020 version, was called out by rapper Azealia Banks over Minaj being depicted on all fours. This isn't the first time Madame Tussauds has gotten heat over their work. "That must be Mikki Minach because that DAMN SURE ain't Nicki Minaj," one Twitter user wrote.Īnother wrote, "melt it all down and try again smh."
7, 2020, but some fans were left wondering who exactly they were trying to portray. Madame Tussauds Berlin unveiled their latest wax figure on Jan.
Britta Pedersen/picture alliance via Getty
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