In 1835, the French wax sculptor Marie Tussauds established her first permanent exhibition in London’s Baker Street. More than 180 years later, the museum has become a major tourist attraction in London and has inspired commercial wax museums across the globe, from Paris to Hamburg, Amsterdam, and San Francisco.
While in the 19th century, people flocked to these destinations to discover lifelike replicas of infamous historical figures, the current allure of this museum is to provide visitors with a similar experience to a meet-and-greet with (the manufactured version of) their favorite celebrities.
Unfortunately, not all of them are worth the ticket price. Here are some of the most bizarre waxworks that have failed to honor the true likeness of world-renowned stars:
#1 Sylvester Stallone
The Rocky star looks like he was punched in the face in the ring right before the Hollywood Wax Museum took his measurements for the statue.
We can all agree that everything, from his extremely slim face to his lifeless eyes and the piece of rope in his hand, is rather bizarre.
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85points
#2 Celine Dion
For some reason, the employees at the Hollywood Wax Museum decided to add two inches to the Canadian singer’s forehead.
It also seems like they found a five-year-old who was really eager to experiment with shimmery eyeshadows and let her take over the makeup.
Poor Celine. She deserves better.
77points
#3 Beyonce #1
It doesn't come as a surprise to know that the Beyhive wasn’t pleased with this waxwork of Queen B unveiled at a Louis Tussaud Waxworks in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
“Yall... I went to a wax museum in Canada and they thought this was Beyoncé. I'm hurt,” the author of the photo posted on X in 2017.
This isn’t the first time that fans have slammed a wax museum for failing to capture the Love On Top singer’s essence. Previously, her devoted followers accused a Madame Tussauds location of exhibiting a “white-washed” version of the pop star, as the replica’s skin is noticeably lighter than in real life.
“Me still looking for the real Beyonce wax figure cause this ain't it,” a fan wrote online.
68points
#4 John Travolta
It’s fair to state that the Grease star has looked better.
This is meant to depict Travolta as Vincent Vega, his Pulp Fiction role that revitalized his career and garnered him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
While the outfit closely matches that of the hitman, we’re still not so sure about the gang sign he’s throwing.
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66points
#5 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
The Rock’s newly unveiled wax figure at Paris’ Grévin Museum had social media users in extreme confusion. Fans specially criticized the smooth, fair-skinned aspect of the statue, highlighting that it didn’t match the Fast and Furious star’s appearance.
Even Johnson took to Instagram to ridicule the waxwork: “For the record, I'm going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris, France so we can work at 'updating' my wax figure here with some important details and improvements—starting with my skin color.”
Following the widespread disapproval of the statue, the museum crafted an updated version, calling the original one an “honest mistake” and admitting that it was “whiter than it should’ve been.”
64points
#6 Leonardo Dicaprio And Kate Winslet In "Titanic"
Titanic fans will have to close their eyes for this one.
Unveiled at the Hollywood Wax Museum in Oct. 2003, this recreation of the iconic romantic scene from the James Cameron film has circulated around the internet and been dubbed a fail by many.
Let’s only hope that the Celine Dion you’ve seen above wasn’t featured on the soundtrack.
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62points
#7 Prince William And Kate Midleton
If you happen to find yourself in Krakow, Poland, and you have a few spare hours, you can visit the two-star-on-Tripadvisor Wax Museum, which probably makes for a similar experience to visiting those haunted houses with dressed-up actors doing jumpscares during the Halloween season.
A TikTok user who visited the museum documented her peculiar journey in a viral video that gained 1.9 million views.
Among the bizarre wax replicas that you can find are the likenesses of Prince William and Kate Middleton. While the Prince looks like he went heavy on the contour powder, the Princess of Wales seems to have less hair—and bigger teeth—than in reality.
60points
#8 Angelina Jolie As Lara Croft
Whoever was responsible for this Angelina Jolie wax statue probably resented the talented Hollywood actress.
If it wasn’t for Lara Croft’s signature look, consisting of a black tank top, short shorts, combat boots, and a holstered leather belt, nobody would be able to tell the horrifying statue unveiled at the Hollywood Wax Museum depicted Angelina.
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56points
#9 Naomi Campbell
How does one make a supermodel look bad? This sculptor who ruined ‘90s icon Naomi Campbell might have the answer.
This wax figure was unveiled in 2005 at the Grévin Museum in Paris.
Based on her startled expression, it’s almost like the waxwork knew what fate it awaited.
Let’s pray that poor Naomi never saw this.
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54points
#10 Barack Obama
The years of Obama’s tenure have certainly taken a toll on him, judging by this wax figure exhibited at the Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam in 2017.
The stiff posture and exaggerated facial expression on the replica seem to belong to an actor from a toothpaste commercial.
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46points
#11 Jennifer Lopez
Unveiled in 2004 at New York City’s Madame Tussauds, this red carpet waxwork shows Jennifer Lopez in a stunning wedding gown. Back then, many fans posed with the sculpture, wrapping their arms around her or holding a bouquet of roses for the shot.
However, many years later, this slimmed-down version of J-Lo has ignited controversy on the internet, with multiple people pointing out it bears absolutely no resemblance to the pop star who, in real life, has a curvier figure.
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42points
#12 Jimmy Fallon
We’ve already seen a rather stiff statue of Barack Obama, but this waxwork of the legendary late-night host takes the cake.
Sat behind his desk in his preppy suit and striped tie, Fallon seems to have stopped by the surgeon and gotten his fair share of botox injections.
For someone who’s been hosting The Tonight Show for nearly a decade, there has to be a better way to honor his work.
37points
#13 Nicolas Cage
Nicolas is sometimes mocked on social media for his acting skills. So much so that the star capitalized on this meme for his film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Sadly, this terrible waxwork, which looks like it exposed itself to the scorching Miami sun in July with no SPF, might make the actor the butt of the joke once again.
35points
#14 Meryl Streep
In this case, two people would be right to sue the museum: the critically acclaimed actress and Lanvin, who designed the elegant golden gown that Meryl wore to the 2012 Academy Awards to collect her Best Actress statuette for The Iron Lady.
It’s safe to say that this is not the best statue you can find at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood.
34points
#15 Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts’ wax statue at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood could be anyone with brown hair in an updo and subtle makeup.
In fact, if you don’t read the name on the tag, you’d probably have no clue who the likeness is supposed to depict.
27points
#16 Nicki Minaj
If you follow Nicki Minaj, you might remember the rapper’s Anaconda music video from 2014. This is the depiction of that famous jungle look at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany.
Social media users think it’s not even close, and many voiced their opinions about the controversial waxwork.
“Listen, I’m not even die hard Nicki Minaj fan but she can RAP & ppl don’t give her talent the credit it deserves,” one person wrote. “That’s not Onika Maraj [her birth name]. Does Google not exist? They looked at that mess & said ‘yeah, we got it’. No, you don’t.”
Another said: “The Madame Tussaud’s wax figure of Nicki Minaj looks more like Amy from Waterloo Road, try and change my mind.”
24points
#17 Jessica Alba As Susan Storm
This Jessica Alba wax figure could easily be a superfan cosplaying as the Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman for a Comic-Con event.
We’ve certainly seen worse on this list, but the actress’ statue at London’s Madame Tussauds definitely has room for improvement.
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23points
#18 Lil' Wayne
The look on the face of the rapper’s wax artwork is nothing short of unsettling.
In fact, fans questioned whether the poorly made statue was created by AI.
“Man looks like when a kid spills all the cereal and mom walks in so he hits her with the ‘wouldya look at this mess that I certainly was not responsible for,’” someone wrote on X about the Hollywood Wax Museum statue.
The American rapper agrees. “Sorry wax museum but dat sh*t ain’t me! You tried tho and I appreciate the effort,” he posted Oct. 23.
21points
#19 Russel Crowe In "Gladiator"
Imagine you’ve bought your tickets for the Hollywood Wax Museum and waited in line for half an hour. After you’ve finally crossed the main entrance, you set your eyes on this.
Those wanting to take a fun photo souvenir with the Gladiator star were sure to leave the museum disappointed.
20points
#20 Beyonce #2
Madame Tussauds is really doing the Grammy winner a disservice with these sculptures.
Fans believe that this waxwork from her Single Ladies days, styled with the famous pompadour hairstyle, hoop earrings, and black catsuit, failed to capture the singer’s likeness.
One very confused member of the Beyhive shared his experience visiting the Hollywood museum: “I have been to Madame Tussauds and not all the statues look perfect. That doesn't even look like Beyonce.”
“Do Beyoncé's wax figures look an awful lot like ... Mariah Carey?” another baffled fan asked.
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18points