Why Visit Madame Tussauds?
A must-visit location where you are in Vegas, Madame Tussauds is not only about taking entertaining pictures. There’s a rich story behind those wax figures and a worldwide cultural influence.
Madame Tussauds History
Madame Tussauds was not born with money and talent. She had a long journey of hard work and was an apprentice from a very young age. She had some partners but most of her work, from the wax statues to the managing of her establishments, was done by herself.
Before The Museum
Marie Grosholtz was born in 1761 in France, more specifically in Strasbourg, the largest city in the eastern of France. Marie’s mother used to work for a physician who had the ability to work with wax modeling. He started teaching Marie at a very young age and when he moved to Paris, he took her to be his apprentice. At that time she was only 6 years old. In her 17s she was already a tutor in the art of wax modeling.
When her tutor passed away she then decided to travel through Europe with a touring show of all the wax figures she and the physicist had made. In 1795 she got married to Francois Tussaud and took his surname. She then renamed her show, now being called Madame Tussaud’s.
After a while of traveling and trying some partnerships, she decided to rent a place for her to establish herself. So in 1836, she rented the upper floor of “Baker Street Bazaar”, the first permanent home of her wax figures.
The Museum Was Born
One of the first and main attractions was the chamber of horrors. It became famous for showing, not the freaks other attractions from other places would portray, but instead, it showed historical figures, like murderers, and artifacts. In 1842 she made a self-portrait which is on display today. Marie died in her sleep in 1850. Her grandson, at that time responsible for managing the museum, decided to buy the shares of some relatives and build a new place for the exhibition. In 1884 The new place opened with great success. However, Randal, the grandson, after investing so much in the museum, was left with little capital. To solve this situation the owners eventually decided to sell the museum to a group of businessmen in 1889. Only in 1970, a new branch in Amsterdam was opened.
Madame Tussauds Nowadays
Today there are sculptures that Marie made herself in the museum, including a self-portrait. Also, some work from her tutor is still available on the exhibit. After Tussaud’s grandson sold the rights to the museum, a lot of business transactions happened and the museum has changed owners several times. Now it is the property of Nick Leslau but it’s operated by Merlin Entertainments.
Madame Tussauds Around The World
The museum is located in four of the 5 continents we have, having branches in Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and The United States. Every branch has its own programming, with special attractions thought about to a specific public. You can, for example, take a special cultural quiz in Australia that talks about celebrities and animals or visit a dungeon in Amsterdam. Also, every museum has its own set of celebrities that will match the cultural context of that country. In the Tokyo one, for example, there is a new statue of Yuzuru Hanyu, a very famous ice skater who is considered a celebrity in Japan.
Latest Additions
Zendaya, actress from the famous TV series Euphoria is now on Madame Tussauds. The figure portrays a look the actress wore on a red carpet in 2016. However, a lot of fans didn’t seem to enjoy the modeling, saying there wasn’t a big resemblance between the figure and the real one.
Another famous woman to be modeled was Anitta, a funk singer from Brazil. The complete outfit of the figure was worn and donated by the singer. Her wax figure is staying in the New York branch.
In London there is now a wax figure of John Boyega, recently added. The Star Wars star was announced to be the next attraction in March 2022 and it’s placed in Madame Tussauds London’s Awards Party zone.
The wax statue of David Bowie is getting a new representation. His second figure now represents Ziggy Stardust, his androgynous alter-ego. His figure stands in the Music Festival zone.
Although a well-known figure in the London branch, now Dwayne Johnson is available in the Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, and Hollywood branches as the latest addition.
The Las Vegas Branch
As mentioned before in our article: “Are There Museums in Vegas?” If your intentions are to escape the regular crowds, Madame Tussauds Las Vegas is not the right place for you. As one of the main attractions in Vegas, the wax museum is pretty famous and hosts over 100 wax figures as well as a 4D movie theater. This branch is the first one in The United States, starting its operations in 1999 inside The Venetian Hotel and Casino.
Attractions
The place is perfect for families since there are attractions for all ages. There is, for example, a 4D Marvel Universe event in a cinema. You can feel wind and water in your face while watching the Avengers fighting Loki.
There’s also Miley Cirus’ figure with a wrecking ball and a Drake music video experience for music fans and teens. For teens up to 12, there is a virtual reality room. In this event, a maximum of 4 players can play together in a time travel mission.
The adults also have an attraction for them since there is the Hangover Bar inspired by the homonymous movie. There are some scenes from the movie you can experience while drinking themed drinks like the “Wolf Pack Shots”. There’s even a tiger in the penthouse suite scene.
Visiting Madame Tussauds’ Vegas Branch
The branch is located on the Las Vegas Strip. So you can enjoy the bar on the rooftop which will give you the opportunity to relax and drink while having a great view of the Strip.
You can visit other attractions on the Strip since there is a lot to do, but you can also program yourself with premium tickets that will allow you to enter all the museum’s attractions. If you’re looking for a more complete experience you can also enjoy the ride in comfortable luxurious ground transportation. If you’re interested, contact us to get a quote and guarantee a complete premium experience.