Saturday, March 28, 2009

News- Oscar Goodman Elected to Madame Tussauds

This week, Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas unveiled their newest figure. Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman now has his own wax doppelganger, and is immortalized along with the likes of Robert Schuller, Sammy Davis JR. and Hugh Hefner. The figure (that's it on the left) looks more realistic than the actual man. At least less slouchy.


A close up of the figure giving the thumbs up to everybody. I'm not sure how long they keep local celebrities in their museums, but I'm sure it will be for as long as he is in office.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

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News- Yao Ming Ducks into Madame Tussauds

In some not so recent news, Madame Tussaud's New York unveiled a wax figure of Yao Ming on March 18th. The figure, on loan from their Shanghai location shows the NBA star in full uniform.


It takes two acrobats to equal one Yao Ming.


A close up of the Olympian. They always say that they insert human hair one strand at a time. I guess that also applies to under arm hair.


The figure seem to be a hit with fans. The figure will be at the New York location for six months.

Compare this Yao Ming figure with the San Francisco Wax Museum's version here.

Visit the Madame Tussaud's website here.

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Movieland Wax Museum Figures Remain


A recent article in the O.C. Register states that the city actually owns several of the old wax statues and sets from the Movieland Wax Museum. These figures, which include Shirley Temple on the Good Ship Lollipop, were donated to the city when their sales fell through. According to the article, the city was offered around $75,000 for the collection, but turned it down because they would like to incorporate these figures into whatever new development is planned for the site.

This is incredible! I was under the assumption that everything that sold at the auction was paid for, and that private collectors had these figures. Another amazing fact is that they say the figures are still inside the museum! It's rather spooky. Hopefully this whole issue will be resolved and we will be able to view these wonderful pieces of history.

View the article here.

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Knott's Berry Farm- Barber Shop

There's been a lot of concern lately with Knott's Berry Farm's demolition of some of their famous Main Street Ghost Town buildings. The company claims that they are not removing the buildings, but are remodelling them due to damage associated with age. The reason many old time Knott's fans are worried is because in the past few years many of the atmospheric attractions have been removed and replaced with roller coasters. Gone are the Mystery shack, the Church of reflections (moved to outside the park), and the old pan for gold area. The Boot Hill graveyard now has an ugly roller coaster blocking the view of the giant old west mural. Hopefully these buildings will come back better than ever.

This view is of the barber shop, but there's more than meets the eye here, as the outlaw one eye Ike is sitting in the chair while a wanted poster hangs above.


The outside of the building with a few slats for guests to peek in.


A closer shot of the two figures. These obviously are not wax figures, but have the same function as the traditional figure. These wooden characters have to last out in the elements, and these often hot buildings.


The barber should be sporting a cigar, as evidenced by the space between his lips. Even without it, I enjoy the expression on his face.


Another character sitting off to the side.


Sorry for the blurry sign. Here's what it says:

Barber Shop
Typical of tonsorial establishments of the Old West is this old time barber shop. Notice the rack of old mugs. . . Each individual customer had his own private mug and personal soap. Note also the cow's tail hanging on the wall. An early day barber cleaned his comb by dragging it down this cow's tail.

Having a shoe shine boy in a barber shop was a common practice in the old days, bringing the miner and cowboy a touch of the sophisticated life in the big city.

Our barber looks a bit apprehensive because he has just realize that he is about to shave that notorious desperado, One Eyed Ike.

Visit the Knott's Berry Farm website here.

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Sunday, March 01, 2009

Potter's Wax Museum- William I

(1027-1087)
Here we see the figure of William I "The Conqueror" of Normandy. The wax sculpture is dressed in elaborate royal clothing, and is a nice figure all around. The history of William I is filled with betrayals, war and Crusades, but it was his conquest of England that is so often remembered.


A close up of the King. These old wax figures from Potter's Wax Museum have such a higher quality than many of the older figures from other museums. The detail that went into them over fifty years ago serves as a testament to the passion of George L. Potter.

Visit the Potter's Wax Museum's website here.

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