Madame Tussauds facts for kids

This page is about the wax museum. For the person, see Marie Tussaud.

Quick facts for kids
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds has included the former London Planetarium (large dome to the left) since 2010.
Established	22 May 1835 (190 years ago) (22 May 1835)
Location	Marylebone Road, City of Westminster, London, England
Founder	Marie Tussaud

Madame Tussauds is a famous wax museum that started in London in 1835. It was founded by a talented French wax sculptor named Marie Tussaud. One of its first big attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which was advertised as early as 1843.

In 1883, the original museum on Baker Street became too small. So, Marie Tussaud's grandson, Joseph Randall, had a new building built. This new home for the museum opened on 14 July 1884 on Marylebone Road in London, where it still is today.

Madame Tussauds is a huge tourist attraction in London. It has been popular since the Victorian era. The museum shows wax figures of famous people from history, movie and TV stars, and even popular characters. Today, the museum is run by a British entertainment company called Merlin Entertainments. You can now find Madame Tussauds museums in many cities around the world, across four continents. The first one outside London opened in Amsterdam in 1970.

The Story of Madame Tussauds
Museums Around the World
- Asia
- Europe
- North America
- Oceania
List of Wax Figures
Gallery
See also

The Story of Madame Tussauds

Who Was Marie Tussaud?

Marie Tussaud was born Marie Grosholtz in 1761 in France. Her mother worked for a doctor named Philippe Curtius. He was very good at making wax models. Curtius taught Marie how to sculpt with wax when she was a child. When he moved to Paris, Marie and her mother went with him.

Marie made her first wax sculpture in 1777. It was of a famous writer named Voltaire. When she was 17, she became an art teacher to Madame Elizabeth. This was the sister of King Louis XVI. During the French Revolution, Marie was put in prison for three months. After she was released, she made wax models of many important people who were affected by the Revolution.

Left: Waxwork of Marie Tussaud (sculpting a waxwork) and right: her memorial plaque at the wax museum she founded in London

When Curtius died in 1794, Marie inherited his large collection of wax models. For the next 33 years, she traveled around Europe. She showed her collection as a touring exhibition. In 1795, she married Francois Tussaud and took his last name. She then renamed her show "Madame Tussaud's."

In 1802, she brought her show to London. She couldn't go back to France because of the Napoleonic Wars. So, she decided to make London her home. She traveled all over Great Britain and Ireland with her wax figures. In 1831, she found a permanent home for her museum. It was on the upper floor of the "Baker Street Bazaar" in London. This became the first official Madame Tussauds museum in 1836.

The First Museum in London

Poster for the Tussaud wax figures exhibition, Baker Street, London, 1835

By 1835, Marie Tussaud had settled in Baker Street and opened her museum. A very popular part of her museum was the Chamber of Horrors. Marie herself used this name in her advertisements as early as 1843. This section showed wax figures of people involved in the French Revolution. It also featured figures of famous criminals.

Other well-known people were added to the museum. These included Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Henry VIII, and Queen Victoria. Madame Tussauds quickly became a famous brand. It was known for its clever ways of advertising. Being included in the museum's "Hall of Fame" meant you were truly famous in Victorian London.

Advertising for Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors, London 1877.

Other businesses near Baker Street also did well because of the museum. In 1860, the famous writer Charles Dickens called Madame Tussauds one of London's best entertainments. He said it was "something more than an exhibition, it is an institution." A wax figure of Dickens himself was added in 1873.

Some of the wax figures made by Marie Tussaud herself still exist today. A fire in 1925 and bombs during the Blitz in 1941 damaged many older models. But the original molds survived. This allowed the historical wax figures to be remade. You can see these in the museum's history exhibit. The oldest figure on display is of Madame du Barry, made in 1765. Marie Tussaud made a self-portrait in 1842. It is now at the entrance of her museum. She passed away peacefully in London on 16 April 1850.

Entrance sign in London

As mentioned, the Baker Street location became too small by 1883. Marie's grandson, Joseph Randall, built a new museum on Marylebone Road. This new building opened on 14 July 1884 and was a huge success. Later, in 1889, the business was sold to a group of businessmen. Marie's great-grandson, John Theodore Tussaud, continued to manage the museum. The first wax figure of a young Winston Churchill was made in 1908. The first Madame Tussauds outside London opened in Amsterdam in 1970.

Madame Tussauds Today

Madame Tussauds (spelt without the apostrophe) next to a waxwork of Kate Winslet in London

Madame Tussauds wax museum has been a very popular tourist attraction in London for a long time. Until 2010, it also included the London Planetarium. In 1993, a fun animated ride called The Spirit of London opened.

Today, you can see wax figures of many different people at Tussauds. These include historical figures, members of royal families, movie stars, sports heroes, and even some famous criminals. Since 2007, the museums are officially called "Madame Tussauds" (without the apostrophe). In 2009, a tiny 5+1⁄2 inches (14 cm) wax figure of Tinker Bell was shown in London. It was the museum's smallest figure ever!

In July 2008, something controversial happened at the Madame Tussauds in Berlin. A man damaged a wax figure of Adolf Hitler. This was seen as a protest against showing the dictator next to sports stars and movie stars. The statue was later repaired. The original Hitler model in London was often damaged. In January 2016, the statue of Hitler was removed from the Chamber of Horrors section in the London museum. This happened after many people asked for it to be taken down.

The first Madame Tussauds in India opened in New Delhi on 1 December 2017. It has over 50 wax models. These include political figures and entertainment stars like Ariana Grande, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kim Kardashian, and Tom Cruise. The museum temporarily closed in 2020 but reopened in 2022.