After Learning These Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Madame Tussauds, I'll Never See Wax Figures The Same

Chances are, you’ve heard of Madame Tussauds — the world-famous wax depository known for its life-sized personage figures.

We (Ajani and Terry) visited the New York determination for a behind-the-scenes tour. We spoke with respective cardinal unit members: Marketing Manager Eliza Rose, Studio Manager Matthew Hilshorst, Studio Artist and Seamstress Taylor Hindersman, and Studio Artist Kendra VanAllen.

We learned a lot astir however these figures are made — much than we ever expected. Here are our biggest takeaways.

Note: Quotes featured successful this nonfiction person been edited for magnitude and clarity.

1. The archetypal portion of the process is called a sitting, wherever staffers grounds the measurements and each item of the celebrity's body.

2. Only the heads of the figures are made of wax. Their bodies are chiefly formed successful fiberglass.

"If it were each wax, it would beryllium truthful dense and besides truthful brittle. There's nary mode the full fig could beryllium wax," Hilshorst said.

"When they archetypal were making wax figures, they each had wax hands arsenic well. Now, the bodies are mostly each fiberglass, due to the fact that the wax fingers interruption disconnected truthful easily," Hilshorst explained, adding, "People often bump into the figures, truthful a large portion of the workplace team's occupation has go casting hands and making resin versions to regenerate them much easily."

3. The eyes are handmade with acrylic.

During sittings, celebrities are presented with a container of artificial eyes to assistance find the nonstop colour that matches theirs.

4. The creators usage "ethically sourced" quality hairsbreadth connected the wax figures, including for their eyebrows, eyelashes, and different assemblage hair, with 1 caveat.

"It is each quality hair. It's each ethically sourced, and past we process it; however, we person to make the nonstop style, look, color, and texture that it needs to beryllium to usage curling irons connected it constantly," Hilshorst shared. "With synthetic hair, you can't bash that. We person to beryllium capable to benignant it regularly truthful the wax figures look A-list, reddish carpet ready."

"The lone clip it mightiness not beryllium quality hairsbreadth is if it's an older person, similar George Washington, oregon idiosyncratic similar that. Then they whitethorn beryllium wearing a wig," helium confessed. "You can't root that aged texture of hair, truthful we'll mostly usage yaki hair, and you tin inactive benignant it."

5. Putting successful hairsbreadth to make the eyebrows tin instrumentality six to 10 hours.

"We'll instrumentality the oculus of an embroidery needle wherever the thread would usually spell through, and we chopped it successful fractional truthful it turns into a teeny, tiny fork that you tin usage to hook each [eyebrow] hairsbreadth with," VanAllen disclosed.

6. Depending connected the texture, inserting the hairsbreadth connected a wax fig tin instrumentality up to 500 hours.

During sittings, endowment volition enactment with unit to find the cleanable operation of hairsbreadth colors for the wax figure, "because everybody has undertones and highlights and debased lights to marque the wide color." Individual strands of hairsbreadth are besides presented broadside by broadside adjacent to the personage to seizure the nonstop hue of their tresses.

"The Martin Luther King Jr. fig connected the level close present came to america from San Francisco, and helium had immoderate benignant of vigor harm oregon thing connected immoderate of his hair," VanAllen recalled.

"I had to region each the hairsbreadth to regenerate it with the close texture," she added. "To bash it, conscionable astir a 3rd of a set, took 500 hours, astir 19 afloat 24-hour days. It took 3 months, and it was each I was doing: punching successful hairs 1 by one."

7. No constitution is applied to the wax figures. Oil-based overgarment is utilized instead.

"When celebrities travel for their sitting, they mostly person a constitution squad and a glam squad, including their stylist. We won't usage their existent constitution connected their face," Hilshorst told us. "We'll find retired what that constitution is, bargain it, and past premix lipid overgarment to lucifer it perfectly truthful we tin overgarment it connected their face."

8. Some wax figures are challenging to paint.

"Some pistillate figures, if they person [heavy] constitution on, to marque them look similar a existent person, is complicated. For guys, you tin enactment successful veins and bash antithetic things with tiny item brushes, but women person to look representation perfect," helium noted. "Trying to support [their constitution look] but besides marque it not look similar a wax fig but look similar a existent person, that's ever a existent challenge."

9. Celebs are "very involved" successful the process from commencement to finish, adjacent if they can't physically beryllium determination for sittings.

"A batch of times, they'll donate things. They whitethorn not person clip to bash an existent sitting if they're filming movies oregon connected tour, but they'll beryllium precise funny and [say], 'This is however I privation my hair' oregon 'This is the outfit I privation to wear,'" Hilshorst shared.

"If the wax figures are created from our research, we'll enactment with their squad and get a batch of photographs," helium added. "When making their sculpture, we'll person astir 100 photos [in the studio], which looks similar a shrine to that celebrity."

"The archetypal portion is the little stage," Hilshorst explained. "We [say], 'This is the brief: This is what we privation you to wear.' And past [the personage and their rep] volition enactment with us. Next, we determination to the clay stage, wherever we amusement the clay sculpture to them and ask, 'Do you person immoderate changes?' If so, we marque those changes successful clay."

"Finally, we'll bash the wax," helium said. "We'll mostly amusement the squad however it's going, and they archer us, 'Yes! No. I emotion this. I don't similar that.' So erstwhile we contiguous the finished product, the uncover is perfect."

10. Sometimes, celebrities person trouble remaining static agelong capable to get their wax fig airs conscionable right.

"If they're successful a hard pose, they volition person occupation holding it [for the duration of the sitting]," VanAllen told us.

11. The delicate wax figures tin beryllium heavier than you mightiness think.

"It's surprising. Some of it depends connected however sturdy the figures are. A batch of times, the smallest ones are the heaviest due to the fact that they're the astir delicate," Hilshorst pointed out. "The biggest figures person the astir aerial wrong of them, oregon the astir space, truthful we'll usually prime 1 up and say, 'Whoa, it's ace light.' The older figures are heavier due to the fact that they utilized antithetic methods."

12. Dressing the figures isn't arsenic casual arsenic it whitethorn look.

"Dressing the figures is simply a challenge, particularly getting shoes connected them. If it's a donated pair, that's the footwear they request to deterioration and the size. So past we'll person to get that ft successful that shoe," Hilshorst told us.

Hindersman added, "[As humans] we person a batch of flexibility and tin wiggle our feet into a footwear and our jeans. We can't bash that with wax figures." Hilshorst continued, "We mightiness person to instrumentality the fig wholly apart, enactment it each together, and past recognize they're expected to person a vest on, too, and we request to instrumentality the full outfit disconnected again."

13. Creating a wax fig takes anyplace betwixt six months and implicit a year.

"If we unreserved it, we tin bash it successful six months. But that's erstwhile we're connected a deadline. It usually happens erstwhile the personage has a large event, but otherwise, we mostly springiness them a small implicit a year, which bakes successful much clip for approvals," Hilshorst explained.

14. Because they usage their hands a lot, galore wax creators usage pressurized gloves to trim the symptoms of carpal tunnel.

"I deliberation astir everybody connected our squad has a small spot of carpal tunnel. We usage pressurized gloves. They're expected to beryllium for aged ladies who knit, but we deterioration them," Hindersman disclosed.

15. It mostly costs $150,000 to make a wax figure, with astir of the expenses coming from the outgo of labor.

"It's similar $150,000 generally. There are astir 20 artists to pay. We sometimes get the existent clothing. Usually, that's donated, but sometimes we person to bargain it," Hilshorst clarified.

16. Beyoncé's wax fig includes the archetypal Balmain bodysuit she wore during her 2018 Coachella performance, which was purchased for conscionable a tiny (JK) interest of $10,000.

"We bought Beyoncé's Balmain jumpsuit, and that was $10,000 conscionable for the small assemblage suit that she's in. Then we had to person idiosyncratic hand-make her cape," Hilshorst shared. "She's besides got tons of hair, truthful I presume the Beyoncé wax fig costs a batch more. It could astir beryllium treble [the emblematic cost]. Maybe $300,000."

17. Wax figures are updated whenever celebs person a notable alteration successful their appearance, specified arsenic value loss, skin-tone changes, further tattoos, oregon conscionable wide aging.

"When they get a caller tattoo, endowment volition scope retired to america with a photograph of it, and they mightiness enactment a ruler adjacent to it and say, 'Hey, tin you enactment this connected my figure?' And we tin update those passim time," Hindersman explained.

18. Celebs are typically notified if a alteration volition beryllium made to their figure.

"If it's a guy, we won't say, 'We're gonna enactment you successful different achromatic tuxedo.' That doesn't request to happen. But if it's a melodramatic change, we bash it conscionable to enactment successful bully graces with the celebrity," Hilshorst admitted, adding, "We person a personage liaison for a reason, truthful she tin interaction them and get the OK. And past sometimes, if [their outfit is] designer, we can't marque full-blown copies of an outfit unless we get their permission."

19. Renowned shot subordinate Cristiano Ronaldo requested that his calf muscles look much "muscly" for his wax figure.

"We went to Manchester, England, to amusement Ronaldo his figure, and helium said, 'My legs aren't looking rather arsenic muscly.' So helium took his pants disconnected and flexed his legs. He said, 'You person to bash my legs similar this,'" Hilshorst recalled. "And truthful I had to travel backmost and overgarment his legs to beryllium much muscly, much defined."

20. Because fans tin interaction the wax figures, the covering adorned connected the figures is often sent to the adust cleaners for stain removal, particularly the antheral wax figures.

"We bring things to the adust cleaners constantly," Hilshorst remarked. "We'll person a spare outfit, and erstwhile that 1 needs to spell to the adust cleaner, we enactment the figures successful the different outfits. We'll bash 2 outfits for each figure, particularly if it's a suit. Those amusement makeup. If women are grabbing connected to guys and rubbing their faces connected them, we person to bring them to the adust cleaners constantly. So, astir each men volition person 2 tuxedos oregon 2 suits."

21. The wax figures tin melt if placed nether a circumstantial somesthesia for a prolonged period.

"The wax is simply a substance of Japanese wax and beeswax, truthful you don't privation it to beryllium hotter than 90 degrees for a prolonged period, oregon it volition get soft," Hilshorst told us.

22. The wax figures tin besides ace if near successful cooler temperatures.

"You don't privation them to get nether 40 degrees for a agelong play and past lukewarm them up excessively fast, oregon other they volition crack. But generally, we support them temperature-controlled indoors, distant from the sun," helium said.

23. To nary one's surprise, Taylor Swift's wax fig is astir fashionable astatine the museum. She was precise hands-on erstwhile it came to designing her wax figure, including requesting to spot details astir the covering and her hair.

"We hired a lensman [about] 5 times to reshoot her, due to the fact that she'd say, 'I've got to spot it with her hairsbreadth connected this shoulder.' Or, 'I cognize the bangs request to beryllium much separated,'" Hilshorst said. "So we decided to get a lensman present and wage him $1,000 to sprout the figure. And past we'd nonstop it to Taylor Swift, and she'd say, 'Can you marque the sleeves much poofy?'"

24. Right earlier the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift wanted to alteration her wax figures successful North America.

"We effort to support our figures beauteous New York-centric. Months earlier the Eras Tour, Taylor said, 'I privation to alteration the look of each my wax figures successful North America,'" Hilshorst revealed. "She got successful interaction [with us] and [we spoke] to NYU to enactment her successful the headdress and gown that she's successful close now."

"NYU made 2 headdress and gowns for the lawsuit erstwhile she received her honorary doctorate successful 2022. We were thinking, 'This makes consciousness for New York,'" helium said.

25. Wax figures of beloved Latin artists are besides precise fashionable astatine the New York attraction, and unit are perpetually cleaning articulator gloss disconnected them.

"The Latin artists get a batch of love. Their instrumentality bases are dedicated and huge," VanAllen commented. Hindersman added, "I mean, you tin archer by their societal media following. They person a bajillion followers."

"Anitta did her sitting close aft she had conscionable been connected vacation, truthful her wax fig has a tan enactment connected her hep from wherever her bikini was. The enactment is simply a small paler and darker connected the edges," Hindersman pointed out.

26. There is simply a thoughtful process for removing arguable celebs who person wax figures.

"I don't cognize if I privation to sanction names, but sometimes idiosyncratic has done thing arguable that isn't seen successful the champion airy ever. If it's not enjoyable for our guests to spot that figure, we'll mostly propulsion it," Hilshorst shared.

27. Because the devil is successful the details, celebrities usually taxable dental impressions of their teeth to get them right.

"Dental impressions are the funniest part," Hindersman said. "We get dental impressions from our endowment relations rep. They'll say, 'Oh, I'm successful interaction with their dentist close now.'"

28. Michael Jackson liked his Las Vegas wax figure's outfit truthful overmuch that helium took it, wore it to the 2002 VMAs, and donated different outfit to Madame Tussauds to enactment connected his wax figure.

"He saw his wax fig and said, 'I privation that outfit. I volition donate a caller outfit, but I privation that outfit,'" Hilshorst shared. "[Someone from the staff] successful Las Vegas went to his edifice country to get his caller outfit for his figure."

29. Sometimes there's a "heated" statement implicit which celebrities to see successful the museum.

"Well, it's a combat sometimes. We get beauteous heated astir it, deciding who we deliberation is the adjacent up-and-coming prima that deserves a wax figure. We make a list. We spell backmost to the marque team. We speech to the squad successful London. A full radical decides, but we usage a batch of impermanent feedback," Hilshorst explained. "At the extremity of the museum, determination are machines that visitors tin usage to suggest figures. We usage that accusation often to spot who's connected determination [and we learn] who our guests privation to see."

"We besides usage a marque calculator that compiles galore antithetic [metrics], and that's a driving unit of however we choose," Rose shared. "From a selling standpoint, galore analytics based connected societal media pursuing volition spell into it. It could beryllium who's applicable astatine the time, who's being the astir searched connected Google... It's a batch of popular civilization conversations. Who's coming retired with thing soon? If we cognize someone's astir to spell connected a immense tour, we see them."

30. The squad volition prioritize figures recognizable to astir people, not conscionable a peculiar property group.

"We'll instrumentality into information who's visually recognizable to the masses. With a batch of the TikTokers and a batch of the influencers, portion they're immense for a definite demographic, it mightiness not beryllium for everyone," Rose noted. "That's wherever those large calculators [that measurement metrics] travel into play, due to the fact that [someone] mightiness beryllium truthful applicable to Gen Z, but not a azygous genitor knows who they are. In the end, the parents mightiness bargain the tickets. So you privation to person figures that everyone successful the household knows."

31. There's a beauteous bully crushed wherefore determination aren't galore wax figures of kid stars.

"We besides don't bash a batch of kid actors oregon kid figures [because] they volition spell from 6 to 8 years aged and look wholly different, past to 10 years old. So that kid fig would person specified a abbreviated close lifespan astatine the depository due to the fact that they're gonna alteration truthful fast," Hilshorst explained.

32. The wax fig of The Exorcist quality Regan MacNeil, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair astatine the time, is the youngest wax fig astatine the attraction.

33. Contrary to what you mightiness think, celebrities bash not wage for their wax figures to beryllium displayed astatine Madame Tussauds.

"We're not paying them. They're not paying us," Rose declared. "It's genuinely conscionable an honor. It's similar an grant to person a wax fig if you've reached that level."

34. Some of the jewelry donned by the wax figures is real...but the staffers volition ne'er tell. 🤫

"There's a batch of wealth hidden successful plain show wrong our museum," Rose confessed. "We unafraid it down. We person eyes connected everything." Hilshorst added, "But sometimes we volition person replicas made, too."

35. Queen Elizabeth II had 28 (!!) sittings for her wax figures. "She had her archetypal 1 erstwhile she was 2, and passim her life, she continued to person [figures created] arsenic she got older," Hindersman said.

36. Sometimes the wax figures look truthful identical and lifelike that celebrities tin usage them to unlock their iPhones.

"The iPhone does open. The facial designation is bully capable that it opens," Rose claimed.

37. And lastly, due to the fact that the Beyhive has been buzzing astir it, the existent crushed wherefore Beyoncé's wax fig is much analyzable to get close is that it's been 21 years since she sat for a sitting successful person.

"She hasn't done immoderate caller sittings since her archetypal sitting successful 2004. So we person her measurements, but obviously, she's had kids, she's changed. It's a immense squad of radical moving to get it precisely right," Hilshorst shared. "And truthful she's conscionable absorbing oregon harder to capture, but we've worked with what we person and effort our best."

🕯️ Ajani's last thoughts 🕯️: I haven't been to Madame Tussauds since I was a teenager, truthful it was truthful chill to spot each the caller figures they person now. The champion portion was learning each the fascinating, unexpected details that spell into making them. The magnitude of enactment and level of craftsmanship that this squad puts into bringing each 1 to beingness is beyond impressive.

🕯️ Terry's last thoughts 🕯️: I had amusive visiting Madame Tussauds New York. I learned a batch and was blown distant by however realistic and intricate each item was. Who knew learning astir wax figures could beryllium this interesting? I program to spell backmost to acquisition it again with household and friends soon!

Thanks for the invite, Madame Tussauds. Be definite to halt by the New York museum and drawback a photograph with your favourite (wax) personage if you're successful the area!