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Madame Tussauds: A Business Modelled from Wax

It’s been 180 years since Marie Tussaud first opened her exhibition in Baker Street. Today, Madame Tussauds is a major attraction in cities around the world: we look into the establishment’s tumultuous beginnings and follow its story to Asia.

 

Although Madame Tussauds will always be associated with its first museum in London,  the woman herself was actually French born to a German father. She began life as Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg, France, during the late 1700s. Marie’s father died before she was born; instead she grew up under the wing of Dr Philippe Curtius, who had employed her mother as a housekeeper.

It was from her “uncle” Dr Curtius that Marie learned the art of wax modelling, and she became so skilled that she was appointed art tutor to Madame Elisabeth, sister to King Louis XVI of France.

When the French Revolution erupted, Marie found herself on the insurgent side with her uncle. Due to her talent, she was given the gruesome task of making casts of the guillotined victims, including those of Marie Antoinette and Robespierre. She had to search through corpses to recover severed heads to make moulds for “death masks” paraded through the streets of Paris.

In 1794, when Dr Curtius died, Marie inherited his collection of life-size wax figures, long popular among curious patrons. She lent it the name Madame Tussauds after marrying a civil engineer named François Tussaud. When the Napoleonic Wars struck in 1802, Marie crossed the English Channel to escape the political turmoil with her two sons. Her husband stayed behind, and she never saw him again. 

 

 

In London, Madame Tussauds was a hit as her exhibition provided insight into global affairs by bringing viewers face to face with the era’s biggest names. Madame Tussauds has remained successful for centuries, in a league of its own. After the founder died, her descendants took over the business, and coming into the 21st century, the museum took on a different focus.

The Tussauds group left the family’s hands in 1978 when the business was acquired by S. Pearson and Son. Since then its ownership changed several times before finally coming under the umbrella of Merlin Entertainments, the world's second largest leisure group after Walt Disney. The same group operates Legoland Parks, The London Eye, and many more.

 

 

Today, Madame Tussauds is a more interactive showcase presenting 200 years’ worth of history and pop culture from Brad Pitt to Vladimir Putin. The attraction has also expanded globally to international branches in New York, Shanghai, Amsterdam, and Berlin – it’s now in more than 20 cities across the world. America and Asia have become its new frontiers after successes in Europe, Hong Kong being Madame Tussauds’ first venture east in 2000.

Local flavour has been proven a powerful draw as evidenced by the popularity of figures such as Andy Lau, Michelle Yeoh, Leon Lai and even President Hu Jintao. In 2007, celebrating 10th anniversary of the handover, Madame Tussauds Hong Kong featured Deng Xiaoping, Sun Yatsen and Mao Zedong. Last year, Madame Tussauds opened a branch beside Tiananmen Square in Beijing. More than 100,000 people were estimated to have visited in the first month.

 

 

More exciting things are in store for the continuously evolving attraction. In New York, Madame Tussauds hosts educational workshops and screenings at an in-house 4D theatre. In Hong Kong, visitors are given opportunities to host a show with popular presenters at a television studio.

With today’s booming fascination with celebrity, it looks like Madam Tussauds will continue to profit from turning wax into entertainment. 

 

TIP!

Online Saver Ticket: Save up to 40% when you book tickets online at least the day before.*

*For promotion details , please refer to www.madametussauds.com/HongKong and corresponding terms & conditions

 

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