The latest attraction to set-up shop in Australia has given us even more reason now to go for a holiday. Exact destinaton? Madame Tussauds, Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Where else would you be able to openly stalk celebs such as Keith Urban, Dannii Minogue, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Delta Goodrem, and Miranda Kerr in the same space? And not get reprimanded for it?
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum that hails from London, founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud more than 200 years ago.
Yes that’s her – or at least a wax figure of her. As creepy as it is.
It. is. a. MAJOR. tourist attraction. So much so that by now, they have branched out to quite a sizable amount of major cities all around the globe. And it’s all because the museum is a place to not-really-but-kinda come up close and personal with your favourite icon. Be it a historical or royal figure, movie star, artiste, or sportsperson.
Or even an infamous murderer, if you may.
Personally, we prefer Prince William over Adolf Hitler any day.
In this day and age, however, it almost feels wrong to call it a “museum” judging by how it has become such a significant part of pop culture. The many Madame Tussauds-es can be found at these locations:
- Las Vegas
- Hollywood
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- Europe
- Amsterdam
- Berlin
- Blackpool
- London
- Vienna
- Bangkok
- Hong Kong
- Jakarta (Slated to open in late July 2012)
- Shanghai
- Tokyo
And after months of intrigue, hype (get it, get it?) and anticipation, the latest addition, Sydney.
The branch officially opened its doors to the public on the 16th of April, 2012 (Monday) after 56,000 hours of work was invested into creating the 70 figures on display.
Wait. 56,000 hours that’s..about more than 2,000 days.
Amongst the figures on display are Australian personalities Delta Goodrem, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman (of course), alongside international icons such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Barack Obama, and Lady Gaga.
When asked, Hywel Mathias (General Manager of Madame Tussauds Sydney) said, “It took 60 artists about 800 hours to create a single figure, from beginning to end. I’ve got a dedicated team who literally spend all the time re-touching, making it perfect, and keeping it 100 per cent right.”
“Madame Tussauds is synonymous with history, heritage, and fine artistry. We’re so excited that we can finally welcome such an iconic attraction to Sydney”, he added.
He also added that each figurine is worth about $220,000 (RM697,400). Gulp.
All said and done, we’re happy for Madame Tussauds. We’re just wondering, when’s our turn?
Right?
For more information, visit Madame Tussauds Sydney’s official website or their Facebook page.
