Madame Tussauds facts for kids

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

"Tussauds" redirects here. For the company, see The Tussauds Group.

Quick facts for kids
Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds has included the former London Planetarium (large dome to the left) since 2006.
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 popular attractions was the Chamber of Horrors. This part of the museum showed wax figures of people known for dark deeds.

In 1883, the museum needed more space. So, Marie Tussaud's grandson, Joseph Randall, had a new building made. This new location on Marylebone Road in London opened in 1884 and was a big hit. Madame Tussauds became a company in 1889.

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

History of Madame Tussauds
Locations
List of wax figures
Gallery
See also

History of Madame Tussauds

How it All Began

Marie Tussaud was born Marie Grosholtz in France in 1761. Her mother worked for Philippe Curtius, a doctor who 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 of a famous writer, Voltaire, in 1777. When she was 17, she became an art tutor to Madame Elizabeth, who 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 from that time.

Left: Wax figure of Marie Tussaud (sculpting) and right: her memorial plaque at the museum

After Curtius died in 1794, Marie Grosholtz inherited his large collection of wax models. For the next 33 years, she traveled around Europe with this collection, putting on shows. In 1795, she married François Tussaud and took his last name. Her show then became known as Madame Tussaud's.

In 1802, she brought her wax figures to London. She couldn't go back to France because of the Napoleonic Wars. So, she traveled all over Great Britain and Ireland with her collection. From 1831, she set up her show in a place called "Baker Street Bazaar" in London. This became the first permanent home for her 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 it was the Chamber of Horrors. This section displayed wax figures of famous criminals and people involved in dark historical events. People loved to see figures like Nelson and Sir Walter Scott. Other famous people added to the museum included the Duke of Wellington, Henry VIII, and Queen Victoria.

Madame Tussauds quickly became a well-known brand. It was one of the first places to use different kinds 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 in Baker Street also did well because they were near Madame Tussauds. In 1860, the writer Charles Dickens called the museum one of London's most popular attractions. A wax figure of Dickens himself was added in 1873, after he passed away.

Some 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. However, 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, which is now at the museum's entrance. She passed away in London on April 16, 1850.

Entrance sign in London

By 1883, the Baker Street location was too small and expensive. Marie's grandson, Joseph Randall, decided to build a new museum. The new galleries opened on Marylebone Road on July 14, 1884, and were very successful. Later, the museum was sold to a group of businessmen. Marie Tussaud's great-grandson, John Theodore Tussaud, continued to manage the museum and create figures. The first wax figure of a young Winston Churchill was made in 1908.

Growing Around the World

First Mortgage Debenture Stock of Madame Tussaud's Ltd., issued 15 September 1949

In 1970, Madame Tussauds opened its first museum outside the UK in Amsterdam. In 1989, the company opened Madame Tussaud's Rock Circus in London. This exhibition celebrated rock and pop music history with wax figures of famous musicians. By 1997, the London museum attracted almost 2.8 million visitors.

In 1999, the first Madame Tussauds in the United States opened in Las Vegas. It was so popular that another one opened in New York City the next year. In 2000, the London Eye Ferris wheel launched, and Madame Tussauds helped manage it. The London Eye quickly became one of the UK's most popular attractions.

In 2007, The Tussauds Group (which owned Madame Tussauds) was bought by The Blackstone Group. This company merged Tussauds with its other entertainment business, Merlin Entertainments. Since then, Merlin Entertainments has operated Madame Tussauds.

Madame Tussauds Today

Madame Tussauds logo next to a wax figure of Kate Winslet in London

Madame Tussauds has been a major tourist attraction in London since it first opened. In 2006, the London Planetarium was added to its west wing. A fun animated ride called The Spirit of London opened in 1993. Today, you can see wax figures of historical leaders, royal family members, movie stars, sports heroes, and even some famous criminals. Since 2007, the museums are officially called "Madame Tussauds" (without an apostrophe). In 2009, a tiny wax figure of Tinker Bell (from Peter Pan) became the museum's smallest figure ever.

In July 2008, a visitor damaged a wax figure of a controversial historical leader at the Madame Tussauds in Berlin. This caused a discussion about who should be featured in the museum. The figure was later repaired. The original figure of this leader in London was often damaged by visitors. In January 2016, the figure was removed from the Chamber of Horrors section in the London museum after many people asked for it to be taken out.

The first Madame Tussauds in India opened in New Delhi on December 1, 2017. It features over 50 wax models of political figures and entertainers. These include Ariana Grande, Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sachin Tendulkar, Kim Kardashian, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Asha Bhosle, Kapil Dev, and Mary Kom. The museum temporarily closed in 2020 but reopened in 2022.