Madame Tussauds

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Have you ever dreamed of meeting your idol? Bumping into a well-known pop star or even any royal member? Madame Tussauds makes it possible. Today we are going to talk about the well-known wax museum that has spread around the world these last years.

The wax French artist Marie Tussaud founded the famous wax museum, but how did she come up with the idea? Marie’s mother used to work during the 18^th Century for Dr.Philippe Curtius who was a physician and wax sculpture artist who taught Marie the art of wax modelling. After the death of Curtius, she left Paris and moved to London where she started to travel with her collection throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Many of these exhibitions gathered thousands of people who were amused by the wax figures of renowned people such as Voltaire or Benjamin Franklin.

Her first permanent exhibition with nearby 400 different figures was set in Baker Street, London, on the highest floor of the Baker Street Bazaar. But the museum included a very uncommon exhibition that curiously turned out to be one of the most famous parts of the exhibition: the Chamber of Horrors. This part of the exposition included victims of the French Revolution, criminals and murderers. Once dead, her sons decided to turn the entire exhibition in what it is known today; Madame Tussauds Wax Museum with plenty of renowned people. But how has this wax museum become one of the major tourist attractions in all of the cities it has opened?

Nowadays, there are 15 Madame Tussauds around the world, being this:

·      USA: Hollywood, Las Vegas, New York, Washington D.C.

·      Europe: Amsterdam, Berlin, Blackpool, London, and Vienna.

·      Asia: Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai and Busan.

·      Australia: Sydney.

The museums have become a huge tourist attraction that gains millions and is visited by many tourists throughout the whole year. Every single museum includes different figures and is in constant change, making every gallery different from the rest and therefore attracting tourists not only for one visit but also for many more.  For instance, the Hollywood Madame Tussauds has many different exhibitions such as the A-list Party a celebrity “party” were you can mingle with the most well-known celebrities of the moment, you may also step into the spirit of Hollywood and experience all the splendour and glamour of the golden era of cinema as well as visit the Wild West, Crime, Action Heroes or Sports area. In addition, you may experience some of the greatest movie moments of contemporary cinema and meet your favourite movie stars hard at work in what goes behind-the-scenes. And as if that wasn’t enough you may visit the Awards Ceremony part, which consists of a non-stop parade of encounters with Hollywood stars not only from the present but also from the past. Other museums, such as the London one, offer similar exhibitions with other more cultural related zones where you can share room with the greatest minds and creative people in history such as Einstein or have a Royal appointment with the English Royal Family and even have an Audience with the Queen!

Today’s wax figures at Madame Tussauds not only include celebrities, but music, TV, film and sport stars, historical, political and royal figures, world leaders as well as famous murderers and criminals, offering a full experience in meeting illustrated and legendary worldwide people. The prices of the tickets are the following:

Ticket	UK Prices	USA Prices
Adults	£30.00	$25.95
Children	£25.80	$15.95

           

Due to the family disagreements in 1889 Tussauds was sold to a group of businessmen but is currently owned by a leisure company called Merlin Entertainments who bought The Tussauds Group on 2007. Merlin Entertainments is the largest entertainment company in Europe and the second globally after Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

But how can a wax museum turn out to be a major tourist attraction around the world and become a business? The main reason is due to the importance of media and entertainment activities, such as cinema or music. They have created many celebrities who have a huge degree of public fascination and influence in day-to media generating a huge amusement and interest in people seeing or meeting their idols. Madame Tussauds approaches people to the uncountable celebrities that exist today making many dreams come true. Also, what’s best of all is that they offer you a complete experience with exact copies of the dresses they wear or their exact hairstyles, turning it into an even more real experience.

The following update will be about…a French nook!