Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds
World's Greatest Wax Museum

How their Wax Figures are Made

About 800 Hours Each

MADAME TUSSAUDS HOLLYWOOD ROOFTOPHOW THEIR WAX FIGURES ARE MADEMADAME MARIE TUSSAUD
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MADAME TUSSAUDS

NUMBER OF HOURS:
Approximately 800 hours to make a figure
Sculpt a figure350 hours
Mold a figure175 hours
Insert hair & style figure145 hours
Make a pair of eyes15 hours
Make a set of teeth30 hours
Color a head50 hours
Costume a figure35 hours
We are not associate with Madame Tussauds. We are just big fans of their museum in Hollywood [https://www.madametussauds.com/hollywood/]

Updated: April 2026
Posted: March 2026

MADAME TUSSAUDS

The Sitting Session


A sitting with a celebrity takes two hours, in order to take measurements, photos, costume donation, hand cast, hair samples, eye color matching and a signature.
  • Upwards of 250 precise measurements of the subject's head and body are taken to give Madame Tussauds' sculptors the information they need to accurately create a wax figure. The subject stands in pose on a turntable and 180 photographs are taken of the celebrity from every angle with different lenses and lighting
All celebrities' vital statistics are kept confidential - despite repeated requests from the public and media

Madame Tussauds Face Measuring

Face Measuring

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Calipers

Beyonce Sitting

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Sculpting


An armature acting as a skeleton' to support the clay body is constructed from metal tubing and wire. The sculptors have anatomical knowledge to ensure every bone, muscle and tendon is replicated correctly according to the pose.
  • The clay head and body are sculpted using the measurements and photographs taken at the sitting. Abuut 330 pounds of clay is used to sculpt one figure and it takes six weeks to sculpt a head for a figure in clay before it is molded. The head is sculpted 2% larger than life to allow for wax shrinkage.
Madame Tussauds doesn't just create wax people; they've made dogs, horses, tigers, monsters, robots, rats, birds, and cartoon characters

Madame Tussauds Armature Skeleton

Armature Skeleton

All their figures are sculpted to the true size of the celebrity.
Over 250 measurements are taken to ensure they are as realistic as possible.

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Sculpting

Beyonce Knowles

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles Head Sculpture
Madame Tussauds Beyonce Cast

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Molding


It takes 170 hours to mold a figure. The finished clay body is molded and cast into fiberglass and a 13 piece plaster mold is made from the clay head
  • Madame Tussaud's special mixture of beeswax and Japan wax is heated to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, and is poured into the head mold. The wax cools inside the mold and then the plaster sections are removed to reveal a hollow wax head. The celebrity's hands are also molded, cast into wax and colored
A wax head weighs as much as an actual head, approximately 10 pounds, and 4 pounds 5 ounces of wax is used for a pair of hands. The typical weight of a whole figure is 55 pounds

Madame Tussauds Molten Wax

Head Mold


A multi-piece, plaster head mold, which fits together exactly, ready to be filled with molten wax.

Madame Tussauds Removing Mold
Madame Tussauds Head Mold

Madame Tussauds Plaster Mold

Plaster Mold


Neil Patrick Harris

It takes 330 pounds of clay to sculpt a standard figure.



Madame Tussauds Wax Hand

Wax Hand and Hand Mold


Hands are cast from life, creating a silicon mold with a plaster jacket. The wax hands are then cast from this mold and colored to match the skin tones of the face.
Madame Tussauds Hand Mold

Madame Tussauds Hand Cast

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Hair Insertion


It takes 140 hours to insert the hair on an average wax head, including eyebrows. Each strand of hair is inserted individually into the wax head by hand, using a forked needle, taking approximately five weeks to complete each head.
  • Hair samples are taken at the sitting and carefully matched to real human hair
When the hair insertion is complete, the hair is washed, cut and styled

Madame Tussauds Hair

Hair

Madame Tussauds Wax Figure Hair

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Coloring


It takes 50 hours to color a head. Oil paints are used to build up layers of color on the face to give a translucency to the skin and a realistic texture.
  • At the sitting a palette is taken matching the skin tones, and later this is used to choose the wax color.
  • Artists use a palette of over 20 different colors to recreate lifelike skin tones
Tattoos are meticulously hand painted. Every freckle, mole, wrinkle and dimple is accurately reproduced on the figure

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles Coloring
Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles Wax

Tattoos are meticulously hand painted
Every freckle, mole, wrinkle, and dimple is accurately reproduced on the figure

Madame Tussauds Oil Paints

Oil Paints

Madame Tussauds Hand Painted

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Eye & Teeth Making


The subject has their eyes matched for color at the sitting. The eyes are individually made from acrylic resin and every tiny detail is duplicated.
  • Each iris is hand painted using gouache, and veining is added to the whites of the eyes with fine silk threads. It takes 15 hours to make a pair of eyes and no two pair of eyes are the same.
  • Where possible a cast of the subject's teeth is taken. Each tooth is replicated using dental acrylic and is accurately color matched. This process takes 30 hours.

Madame Tussauds Eyes and Teeth

Eyes and Teeth

Madame Tussauds Eye Matching

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Wardrobe


Many of the celebrities donate their own clothes for their figure to wear.
  • Their figure stylist plans the costumes following extensive research and a team carefully assembles the costume.
When the costume is not donated their wardrobe teams go to great lengths to source historically accurate, authentic looking props and clothes.

Madame Tussauds Accessories

Accessories

Many celebrities donate clothing and other items for Madame Tussauds to dress their figures with, including Joan Rivers who donated her personal nail polish in 2009.

MADAME TUSSAUDS

Finishing


Finally, the head and hands are fitted to the fiberglass body and the completed figure is dressed.
  • Before the figure leaves the studio for the attraction it is taken to the photography studio and critiqued by the principle production staff. The figure is then photographed in the style of a celebrity photo shoot.
Maintenance teams inspect and primp each figure on a weekly basis. All figures have their hair washed and make-up retouched regularly.

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles

Beyonce Knowles

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles Wax Figure
Madame Tussauds Beyonce Back

Madame Tussauds Beyonce Knowles Close-Up