Denver Wax Museum- Project Mercury

The Denver Wax Museum was located on Bannock street (between 9th and 10th) in Denver Colorado. Focusing on the historical, the museum presented tableaux on everyone from Mark Twain to Eddie Rickenbacker. The scene here represents Project Mercury, The United States' foray into manned spaceflight. Inside the spaceship are the Mercury Seven. From left to right; Alan Shephard (1923-1998), Wally Schirra (b. 1923), Scott Carpenter (b. 1925), Gordon Cooper (1927-2004), John Glenn (b. 1921), Gus Grissom (1926-1967), and Deke Slayton (1924-1993).

Another view that shows five of the astronauts. This display is not an accurate representation of the program. Instead, it is a scene that expresses the spirit of the Mercury project.

A close up of Scott Carpenter climbing out of a hatch.


John Glenn "floating" above the other astronauts.

Gus Grissom and Deke Slayton. Slayton was the only one of the seven to never fly in space during Project Mercury. Perhaps that is why Grissom is smiling and he is not.

A close up of Gus Grissom in living color. He died in 1967 in a launchpad fire during training for Apollo 1.

And a color shot of Slayton. He died from a brain tumor in 1993.

Many figures from the museum moved to the Forney Museum of Transportation. See them here.

Find more information on Project Mercury here.

Tags: Denver Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Astronaut Project Mercury

News- Beckham and Beckham at Madame Tussaud's

Madame Tussaud's is at it again. This time the New York branch has borrowed the figures of Mr. and Mrs. David Beckham from the London museum. The figures will be on display for a couple of weeks as a tribute to the soccer star's arrival in the United States. The scene features the couple being greeted by President Bush.


A close up of David and Victoria Beckham. Is it just me, or does his figure look so much more realistic than hers.


A shot of the three figures that make up the scene. The whole set is pretty low budget. Hopefully Americans will recognize the two English stars.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's New York website here.

Learn more about David Beckham here.

Tags: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax David Beckham

American Heritage Wax Museum- Lincoln Assassination

(Apr 14 1865)

The American Heritage Wax Museum was located in Scottsdale Arizona, and focused its collection mainly on American historical events. Its location in the western United States meant that the museum had a large collection of western themed exhibits. However, significant events not in the west also were represented. Here, we see the assassination of President Lincoln. This tableau depicts the event just seconds before the infamous shot was fired. The president was watching the play Our American Cousin when John Wilkes Booth entered the box and shot him. Lincoln died the next day. During Booth's escape from the theater, he uttered the famous lines, "Sic semper Tyrannis".


A close up of the scene. Lincoln, and his assassination are popular subjects for wax museums. This is one of the best representations.

Tags: American Heritage Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Abraham Lincoln Assassination

News- American Idol Experience At Madame Tussaud's

You can always count on Madame Tussaud's for wax museum news. For the second time in a week they have unveiled new attractions. This time the Las Vegas museum has created an American Idol interactive experience. Guests can sing karaoke song and have Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell judge their performance.


Visitors can see this figure of Cowell feign interest in their performance.


A close up of Seacrest's forever happy face.


A different angle of Simon makes him seem angry.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas website here.

Tags: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Ryan Seacrest Simon Cowell American Idol

Southwestern Historical Wax Museum- Van Cliburn

(b. 1934)

Van Cliburn is most famously known as the Texan who won the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in 1958. This tableau displays exactly what he was famous for, playing piano. The very simple set does not need any ornamentation because of the simplicity of Van Cliburn's contribution to society. If only they made his wax figure with taller hair, then it would be more accurate.


A close up of Mr. Cliburn. He has won many prestigious honors from both the United States and Russia.

View more information on Van Cliburn here.

Tags: Louis Tussaud's Southwestern Historical Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Van Cliburn

News- Kylie Minogue Figure at Madame Tussaud's

On January 10th, Madame Tussaud's in London unveiled a new version of Kylie Minogue's wax figure. This is the fourth figure of the musician to grace the halls of the famous wax museum. Her previous figure was a little more risqué, bending over on all fours. This version serves to promote both her new tour and her new perfume. Only the Queen's wax figure has been updated more times.


A close up of the Australian musician.


These Fake Roman soldiers are here holding bottles of her new perfume "Darling". The Roman garb highlights the Frivolity of all of this I suppose.


Ahh, the smell of rubbing alcohol and Beeswax. Is there anything else that says Celebrity more accurately?

Visit the official Kylie Minogue website here.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's London website here.

Tags: Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Kylie Minogue

Hawaiian Wax Museum- Exterior

Today's post is on the exterior of the Hawaiian Wax Museum. If this shot is any indication, then this place must have been really cool. The Polynesian architecture fits completely with the spirit of the island and the museum. Of course this is a posed shot; showing the beautiful hostesses welcoming visitors to the museum, and the happy tourists making their way inside. I figure that one challenge the museum faced was that it competed with the beauty of the island itself. The State of Hawaii has so many attractions that the museum may have not have been able to draw enough people away from the beaches and volcanoes. On a side note, the sign in front of the building shows a scene from the museum featuring Hawaii's early settlers.


A close up of the museum's Hostesses.


No, they're not tourists at all! What would ever give anyone that idea.

The Hawaiian Wax Museum focused its collection on Hawaiian history from the early settlers (around 500 A.D) to annexation by the United States of America (1898).

Tags: Hawaiian Wax Museum Exterior

Disneyland-Shrunken Ned

Doctor Nedley Lostmore lost more than he expected during his trip to the wilds of Adventureland. But as a result, guests at Disneyland can receive a personal diagnosis and a souvenir prescription card for only 50¢. Great detail has gone into the construction of Ned's head. It combines both realism and caricature, which makes it fairly tame for something that would otherwise seem pretty gruesome.


This machine sits inside the Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost/Adventureland Bazaar building in Adventureland. Similar Machines inside the park have included Fortune Red in the Pieces of Eight shop and Esmeralda in the Penny Arcade. (Plus a new less detailed Esmeralda like fortune teller also inside the Penny Arcade)

Visit the official Disneyland website here.

Tags: Disneyland Shrunken Ned Adventureland Figure

Hollywood Wax Museum- King Kong

Outside of the Hollywood Wax Museum stands several displays that tourists can view for free. These scenes offer a glimpse into the wonderful world inside the museum. This scene represents the 2005 motion picture King Kong staring Jack Black (b. 1969) and Naomi Watts (b. 1968).


Jack Black is Carl Denham showing off his find; Exploiting Kong for personal gain. He seems perfectly calm for having Kong breaking through the wall behind him.


Naomi Watts is Ann Darrow, whose love affair with Kong is quite unnatural.


Her figure doesn't quite look like her, but I would look a little disheveled too if a giant ape just busted through a wall with me in his hand.


The King. Kong here, has been a fixture in the museum since before the new movie came out.


Here is the reverse angle of Ann and Kong's hand. The gift shop is directly below. They sell basically the same fair as the other shops in the area.

Visit the Hollywood Wax Museum's website here.

Tags: Hollywood Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax King Kong Naomi Watts Jack Black

Paris Spectacular Wax Museum- At the Court of an Egyptian Queen

"This scene represents a drawing-room in the Royal Palace of Egypt during the reign of Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy Auletus, who had granted the throne to her and to her brother on the condition that they should marry one another. The favorites of young Ptolemy banished his sister and when Caesar conquered Alexandria, Cleopatra slipped into the palace in a parcel of old clothes and seduced the General. Caesar, withheld by his affairs and his love for Cleopatra, remained a few months in Egypt. Here we see Caesar beseeching the Queen to accompany him to Rome, promising to have her statue placed in the Temple of Venus."


The Queen herself, Cleopatra VII, in her court. Unfortunately, the figure of Caesar beseeching her is out of the shot. Perhaps her expression is enough to convey his attitude.


Nice monkey.


Is she about to drape Cleopatra in sheer linen , or is she doing the dance of the seven veils?


I think I like her expression the most. It's probably the eyebrows.

The Paris Spectacular Wax Museum was part of the Century 21 exposition, better known as the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The museum housed 26 tableaux covering a variety of subjects, from the ancients to Literature to History to French women fighting.

View more information about the Seattle World's Fair here.

Tags: Paris Spectacular Wax Museum Wax Figure Wax Cleopatra World's Fair