Michael Jackson at GUINNESS

Guinness Museum of World Records
San Francisco, California

(click the pictures for full-sized High Definition images)

Enjoy this BAD picture of the King of Pop? Ever get to visit San Francisco's Famous Fisherman's Wharf's short lived Guinness Museum and found it to be a THRILLER? Does it really matter that this picture is in BLACK or WHITE? There's still a few Guinness Museums and Attractions so if you get a chance to visit do it, and if you don't like my advice, BEAT IT! Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!

 Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~

GATLINBURG’S CHRISTUS GARDENS 

TO CLOSE



(from tripster.com by Travel Expert Ashley - January 7, 2008)

Christus Gardens, a 47-year landmark located in the heart of Gatlinburg, will soon cease operations and if a pending sale of the property goes through, redevelopment of the land could begin in 2008.
Sevier Countians are invited to visit the attraction free of charge during its last two days of operation on Jan. 12 and 13, 2008.
Millions of people have visited the attraction which dramatically portrays the life and death of Jesus Christ, but 71-year-old Ronald Ligon of Franklin, Tenn., who conceived and built Christus Gardens, said that due to his age, poor health, and a lack of interest among family members to continue operations, he made the decision early last year to sell the property.
“I think it’s best to get some things worked out before something happens to me and I leave that responsibility to someone else,” Ligon said.
As for the displays which include a six-ton marble carving of the face of Jesus, paintings depicting the parables of Jesus, and an heirloom Bible collection, Ligon said, “We will move it all into storage and hope that someone comes forward who will be interested in taking the business and moving it elsewhere. I’ve gotten too old to start over somewhere else.”
Stan Sorey, a Gatlinburg developer, has an option to buy the 8.5-acre property located at 510 River Road if his final site plans receive approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and Gatlinburg City Planning Commission. Sorey said he wants to memorialize Christus Gardens in the new development.
“There will be three buildings with a total of 192 two-bedroom condos located where the Christus Gardens building is located. I have asked (Ligon’s son Matt) if he would mind that we do some memorial to Christus Gardens to show that it was here because it has been a landmark for so long.”
The proposed development is tentatively named River Road Condos, and will probably be a $45- to $55-million project that includes three seven-story buildings with parking beneath, another building for offices, indoor and outdoor pools, and manmade waterfalls. Sorey said the units will sell for $299,000 and $375,000.
“It will be a good benefit for Gatlinburg because it will bring in a lot of new jobs, provide a long-term tax base for the city, and the customers that the project attracts will also patronize shops and restaurants in Gatlinburg,” said Sorey.
Reminiscing about the business he opened Aug. 13, 1960, Ligon said he conceived the idea as a young man while undergoing treatment for tuberculosis.
“I spent a lot of time on my back in the hospital, so I had a lot of time to think and plan, and I did that. After I got up and going I began looking for the right opportunity to present itself,” said Ligon.
Originally, he planned to build the attraction in Florida, but after a visit to Gatlinburg during which he fell in love with the mountains, Ligon said he determined the mountains would be a good place for it although there weren’t many other attractions or tourists. “Pigeon Forge was nothing but farmland; I’ve often said that I made a mistake in building Christus Gardens. I should have bought Pigeon Forge instead,” he said, while laughing. Being the first outsider to come in and try to buy land, Ligon said most folks wouldn’t sell to him.
“I paid $150,000 for (the land Christus Gardens occupies), and I was told then that it was the highest price ever paid for a piece of land in Sevier County. People laughed at me then, but those same people today would say that I stole the land. … It’s been a wonderful 50 years; I’ve made a lot of good friends out of it … a lot of my friends have gone on now,” he said.
During the years that Ligon planned Christus Gardens, he said he traveled widely in Europe in search of displays and stumbled upon the “biggest and best” display in the attraction; the marble carving of Jesus’ face.
“I met a man in Italy who owned a quarry, and he remembered that before World War II someone had commissioned this concave face of Christ carved from marble, but World War II had ended that commission. He took me deep into this back room where this huge thing was buried beneath all these things piled on it. When they pulled the covers off, I felt very fortunate to be able to obtain this thing – it ended up being one of the most popular things at Christus Gardens.”
While Christus Gardens had good attendance every year, Ligon said, “Attendance probably is not as much as it was in the earlier days, but back then about the only two attractions in town were the chair lift and us; there was no Dollywood or anything else, so the competition was not there. The most visitation we had in any one year was about 200,000 to 250,000.”
Ligon said he has felt fortunate that he had the support of the community in his business. “When we’ve had marketing surveys, we’ve found that word of mouth has always been the number one way people found us. We feel that a lot of folks in the county and the community recommended that people come see us and we always appreciated it.”Asked if he feels sad about closing Christus Gardens, Ligon struggled to compose himself, then said, “When you’ve done something this long, it’s like it’s another child. Yes, I do feel sad about it.”
Information courtesy of The Mountain Press

Enjoy this inspired trip back to 2008? Miss Christus Gardens? Well good news is it's artistic director helped open a new museum in the same building: CHRIST IN THE SMOKIES MUSEUM AND GARDENS! Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!
Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~

FIDEL CASTRO at Madame Tussaud's
London, England, United Kingdom

"Fidel Castro, the president of Cuba has been immortalized in London. A wax figure of the Cuban leader is now standing among kings and pop stars at Madame Tussaud's.







The ambassador of Cuba unveiled the wax figure to celebrate the president's 73rd birthday. Fidel Castro overlooks the crowds in London. But he's not there to make one of his long speeches. This Castro is made of wax - the latest addition to Madame Tussaud's wax works museum. The wax figure was unveiled by the Cuban ambassador who was there with his wife. The wax figure wears the well known green army fatigues - donated by Fidel Castro himself. The fatigues and boots were brought to London by the sculptor, Steve Swales. Swales visited Havana last year to take the hundreds of measurements needed for the wax copy of the old revolutionary. As for the real Castro, he was reported to have welcomed his wax incarnation, saying, "It has been for me a great honour, much more than I deserve." After six months of sculpting the wax Fidel Castro is expected to be seen by some 2.6 (m) million tourists who visit the famed wax museum every year. The wax likeness took six months to complete and cost around 30,000 U-S dollars. Madame Tussaud's said that Castro was chosen after recent media coverage and his long presidency. The wax museum says that most national leaders were included among the wax figures to appeal to the numbers of tourists who visit the museum."

* from AP ARCHIVE 08/13/1999 *

Big fan of wax museum's? There's no need to have a "CRISIS"! Though this wax figure of Fidel was originally unveiled in London he now has joined US President and First Lady John & Jacqueline Kennedy at Madame Tussauds Washington DC! Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!
Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~


THE FOUR EYED MAN

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum

St. Augustine, Florida

(click the pictures for full-sized High Definition images)


Liu Ch'ung, or Liu Min, as he was sometimes known, was born with double pupils in each eye. This strange feature did not in the least deter this active man who loved wine and gambling.
He became Governor of Shansi, Minister of State and through intrigue with the Dowager Empress had his son proclaimed heir apparent.

This wax figure, shown in St. Augustine, was created by acclaimed artist and doll maker Lewis Sorensen for the original Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum with copies being shown in Niagara Falls, Chicago, San Francisco, Estes Park and Blackpool.

The photograph was taken by Gene Aikens and is shared from a postcard from the late 1960's. 

You don't have to have four eyes to see how cool a visit to a vintage wax museum must have been? Though this wax figure of Liu Ch'ung has been replaced with a more modern interpretation, a visit to RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! ST. AUGUSTINE is definitely still a great choice! Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!
Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~




WALTER'S INTERNATIONAL 

WAX MUSEUM

~ 1964/ 1965 New York World's Fair ~



From the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES comes this dedication guide for the WALTER'S INTERNATIONAL WAX MUSEUM that ran at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. 

Established by brother Lou and Manny Walter, the exhibition expanded upon the hugely successful PARIS SPECTACULAR WAX MUSEUM the pair showed at Seattle, Washington's Century 21 Exposition in 1962. Following this dedication on October 1, 1963, the brother's would commission famed American wax sculptress Katherine Stubergh (who ironically created a competing wax museum during the Seattle Fair) to sculpt dozens of wax figures to add during the museum's two years in New York. John F. Kennedy, Frankenstein, Frank Sinatra and Jesus were but a few that would join the original display's created by Pierre Iman's of Paris, France (which can be seen in the photographs of this book). Walter's International Wax Museum would end up being one of the most popular pavilions at the Fair and the display would later be moved to Anaheim, California. 


(click the pictures for full-sized High Definition images)

  




Enjoy this fair trip through time? Though the New York World's Fair might have ended decades ago you can still explore and relive some of it's highlights at the amazing NYWF64.COM! Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!

 Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~




THE CHAMBER OF HORRORS

~ Madame Tussaud's London ~


For centuries a visit to Madame Tussaud's famed waxwork Exhibition meant an opportunity to experience the grandeur of Kings, Queens, Heroes, Statesmen and the Famous. It also allowed a chance to decent into the darkest world of the infamous in the CHAMBER OF HORRORS. Here, since it's first incarnation documented in 1802, could be found instruments of torture, rogues and murders who caught the headlines of their days and haunted our dreams. Founder Madame Marie Tussaud, very early in her life and career, was tasked with the grisly obligation of making death masks of decapitated aristocracy during the French Revolution. After the Guillotines stopped falling Marie, in an attempt to increase public traffic through her waxworks exhibition, opened the "Separate Room" - for an added price.



Sadly, the CHAMBER OF HORRORS was removed and replaced in April 2016 with an interactive game based off of Sherlock Holmes. Luckily, we have this postcard set, once available in the London Wax Exhibitions Gift Shop, here to share and remember part of it by. 

(click the pictures for full-sized High Definition images)


(An alley in Victorian London where the infamous Jack the Ripper has struck again)

(The Bell from Newgate Goal Prison)

(Real Historic Instruments of Torture)

(Dr. Crippen and Ethel Le Neve, an American Doctor and his English Mistress who both were convicted of the murder and mutilation of his wife and noted as the first suspects to be captured with the aid of wireless telegraphy)


(Bruno Hauptman - convicted killer of Charles Lindbergh's baby, as he prepares for his execution by electric chair)

(George Joseph Smith, the "Brides in the Bath" murderer)


(The Garrote)

(The heads of French Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI - with the blade that ended them)

(The Guillotine: Preferred instrument of justice during the French Revolution)

(Few during the French Revolution were more feared than that of Robespierre until he, much like the thousands he sent before him, too felt the slice of the Guillotine's blade. 


Enjoy this trip through time and terror? Even though the CHAMBER OF HORRORS might be gone why not visit the current MADAME TUSSAUDS LONDON? Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!

 Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~

SCARLETT JOHANSSON @ MADAME TUSSAUDS NEW YORK

~ New York, New York ~



Madame Tussauds New York unveils Scarlett Johansson wax figure at Madame Tussauds on July 30, 2015 in New York City. (FameFlynet, Inc - Beverly Hills, CA, USA)


(click the picture for full-sized High Definition images)


Enjoy this trip to the BIG APPLE and to the heart of Time Square? Why not visit the current MADAME TUSSAUDS NEW YORK? Just tell them WAXIPEDIA sent you!

 Or if you want more daily fun and excitement join WAXIPEDIA's always exciting FACEBOOK GROUP!


Dedicated to preserving the history of Wax Arts, and the unique stories of all those involved in its development, WAXIPEDIA strives to be the number one source of information on the subject of Wax Museums and their role in the attractions and entertainment industries. Through the sharing of photographs, brochures, movies and stories we hope to enlighten, engage and entertain all who discover us. 

As a resource, the WAXIPEDIA ARCHIVES was established in 2014 as a repository for physical examples and information pertaining to these educational goals. Consisting of thousands of items (ranging from century-and-a-half year old guidebooks to life-sized wax figures) the ARCHIVES are the backbone of WAXIPEDIA's mission. Anyone interested in supporting these efforts through donating are encouraged to visit patreon.com/WAXIPEDIA and contact us at waxipediaofficial@gmail.com. Items donated will be digitally scanned, photographed and eventually restored to be credited to their specific donors and made available to future generations of artists, designers, historians and fans. 

~ Thank You ~