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The famous wax museum, Madame Tussauds, opened in Orlando, Florida, in 2015. It is the latest in a long line of wax museums, dating back to 18th century France.
There's a huge collection of wax models from many different walks of life at the Orlando attraction, including sporting heroes, Hollywood legends, politicians, pop stars and iconic film characters.
© jared422 / CC BY 2.0
Meet the stars
Rub shoulders with the stars, such as the Justice League in the Call for Heroes exhibition, where visitors can join Aqua Man in harnessing the power of the seas, or score a goal with football legend Neymar, a member of the Brazilian national squad, who plays for French team PSG at club level.
Pose alongside pop star Justin Bieber, rap legend Pitbull, American singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus, Grammy Award winner Ricky Martin, global superstar Madonna and many more. Step inside the TV screen to interview Oprah Winfrey and be part of your favourite TV show.
Pose with award-winning actor Jim Parsons, better known as genius Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory; sit next to comedian and TV host Jimmy Fallon, or have your photo taken with Neil Patrick Harris, the star of sitcom How I Met Your Mother.
Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the biggest political and industry leaders in the world, such as US president Donald Trump, theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, civil rights activist Martin Luther King, and the co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs.
There are countless attractions at Madame Tussauds, Orlando, making it a wonderful day out for the whole family.
History of Tussauds
Madame Tussauds began after its founder learned how to make wax models from a physician. Marie Grosholtz, born in Strasbourg on 1st December 1761, was brought up by her mother, Anne-Marie. Her father, Joseph, died during the Seven Years' War, before Marie was even born.
Anne-Marie was employed as housekeeper in Bern, Switzerland, for Dr Philippe Curtius, a leading physician, when Marie was a child. The doctor made wax models to illustrate anatomy and later began to create 3D portraits of his clients.
Marie was fascinated by the art of wax modelling and became Curtius' apprentice, showing talent from a young age. Curtius moved to Paris, taking Marie and her mother with him. He launched a wax portraiture firm, called Cabinet de Portraits en Cire.
He then opened two wax museums, one at the Palais Royal in 1776, followed by a second, the Caverne des Grands Voleurs, at the Boulevard du Temple. The second museum (which translated as the Cavern of Grand Thieves) was an early Chamber of Horrors - the gory section of Tussauds today.
Marie became a talented wax modeller and began to work for Curtius when she was 14. She created her first wax model, depicting the French writer and philosopher Voltaire, at the age of 16.
Curtius' museums became popular visitor attractions and Marie began to earn a good living making wax portraits of well-to-do French subjects, including the royal family.
After Curtius' death in 1794, Marie found he had bequeathed her his collection of wax models. She married a civil engineer, François Tussaud, in 1795 and they had a daughter and two sons.
Launch of London Tussauds
Marie staged an exhibition of her waxworks in London at the Lyceum Theatre in 1802 and then took her collection on a continual tour across Britain. Her son, François, joined her on the road when he was old enough.
In 1835, Marie finally retired from touring after 33 years and set up her first permanent waxworks exhibition on London's Baker Street. It was known as The Baker Street Bazaar, where admission was sixpence.
She introduced the Chamber of Horrors, with grizzly artefacts from the French Revolution. These included a guillotine, which had reportedly ended Marie Antoinette's life. The visitors seemed to enjoy looking at the macabre exhibits.
Marie died on 16th April 1850 at the age of 88. Her exhibition moved to its present location, Madame Tussauds, in Marylebone Road, London, in 1884.
Tussauds, Orlando
Over the years, more Madame Tussauds exhibitions have opened all over the world. This includes the first American wax museum in Las Vegas in 1999 and further museums in Shanghai in 2006, Berlin in 2008, Bangkok in 2010, Sydney in 2012 and Tokyo in 2013.
The newest Madame Tussauds is based at 8401 International Drive, in Orlando, where it opened in 2015. The latest figures in the Orlando Tussauds were revealed on 8th March as part of the Justice League exhibit.
Ezra Miller as the Flash and Ray Fisher as Cyborg were unveiled to complete the epic cast of the DC superheroes. They were designed in collaboration with Warner Bros and DC. Each figure mirrors the characters' appearance and costumes in the film.
The figures have an exciting mission for visitors to complete. The half-man, half-robot Cyborg offers visitors the chance to locate a hidden code, which must be transmitted via a nearby keypad.
Cyborg harnesses the power of the technology and projects a hologram to reveal the location of Lex Luthor's evil device that wreaks havoc on the city.
The Flash is featured fighting crime in an alleyway, where original artwork from the Justice League film surrounds him. He is positioned in his iconic running pose.
Visitors can race The Flash to see if they have the speed and power to become a superhero, with a speedometer showing how fast they are running.
Making a wax figure
Specialist staff comprising 30 sculptors and technicians take many weeks to make one new waxwork. It takes more than a month to create the hair alone, as about 10,000 individual hairs are inserted into the scalp, in the same way as a full-head hair transplant is carried out.
A panel of top executives decide on a new subject for a waxwork. Their first sitting takes four hours. All of their body measurements are recorded and more than 200 photos are taken from every angle. False eyes are matched to the subject's own eyes, hair samples are taken and an impression is made of their teeth and hands.
The model's head is created, using layers of translucent wax and oil paint to make it look like real skin, with veins and freckles included. Completing one waxwork takes around six months and some 2,400 lbs of wax. The average cost is £35,000 per model.
When the waxworks are put on display, a team of technicians will touch up their hair and faces every day to keep them looking realistic.
Holiday homes
Visitors to Madame Tussauds, Orlando, are thrilled at the interactive wax experience, which guides them through immersive themed rooms. Whether you want to shake hands with the US president, or get on stage for a selfie with a pop princess or heartthrob, the choice is yours!
If you're planning to visit Madame Tussauds in Orlando, Florida Sun Direct has some fabulous holiday properties for hire. Our holiday homes in Orlando will meet all your needs.
Please browse the selection of luxury properties on our website for further information.
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