Shout out to the waxwork makers, it’s a tough job. Making a like-for-like, human-sized doppelgänger of famous people, using nothing but gloopy wax, often results in disaster. Madame Tussauds might be one of the world’s biggest tourist attractions, but even some of its best works can be borderline creepy. Any waxwork vaguely resembling a celeb should be classed as successful.
But when waxworks go wrong, they go really wrong. Take the recent unveiling of a Beyoncé waxwork, which has been accused of whitewashing. People online have said the figure looks more like Lindsay Lohan, or Shakira, but definitely not the ‘Lemonade’ star.
Beginning with Beyoncé, below you’ll find the most disastrous waxworks of all time.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé fans have described this newly-unveiled 2017 work as “melanin-defunct”. Madame Tussauds defended the sculpture, putting the Daz-white Beyoncé photos down to “lighting,” adding: “At Madame Tussauds, our talented team of sculptors take every effort to ensure we accurately colour match all of our wax figures to the celebrity being depicted.”
Lady Gaga
Just in time for Halloween, this unnerving depiction of Lady Gaga appeared in Peru in October 2017. Attempts to replicate her ‘Poker Face’ fell short. Everyone knows someone who gets a bit too up in your face when having a chat. This Gaga statue is exactly that.
Adele
Adele, here, launching her new, 15th studio album album ’56’ decades ahead of schedule. This appeared at the Panoptikum museum in Hamburg.
Tom Hanks
Nobody fully knows what happened to Tom Hanks’ eyebrows. Some speculate the ‘Castaway’ star lost them on a desert island, others believe they’re still growing, just very slowly. The most likely theory is they disappeared during the making of this waxwork for Deauville Film Festival in France, 1994.
Barack Obama
In fairness, at least this bears a slight resemblance to America’s previous President (please come back, please please please). But sculptors had eight years to make this, for crying out loud. This appeared after his Presidency in March 2017, at Shenyang city, Liaoning province, China.
David Beckham
Even in the heights of his celeb status pomp, David Beckham looked absolutely nothing like this.
Victoria Beckham
No, it’s not teen-era Justin Bieber, it’s the most recognisable Spice Girl! The Beckham waxworks appeared in the Louis Tussauds House of Wax, a museum in Great Yarmouth which celebrates the world’s worst waxworks, and has absolutely no association with Madame Tussauds.
Noel Edmonds
Entry into the Louis Tussauds House of Wax costs £5. A fiver, for the priceless experience of having this ‘Deal Or No Deal’ presenter stare into your soul. Absolute bargain.
Prince Charles
Our next King, ladies and gentlemen. Sporting a military cap and the complexion of someone who hasn’t seen the sun since birth. Another gem from Louis Tussauds.
Donald Trump
Experts believe this sculptor is an exact representation of Donald Trump in four years’ time, when he’s run out of things to say and people to scapegoat. This appeared in a Mexico City wax museum. Perhaps they were preemptively getting their own back for the wall.
Vladimir Putin
When he’s not mounting tigers or trekking up mountains, the Russian President spends most of his time studying karate, as displayed here in a Moscow museum.
Liza Minnelli
Ah yes, Liza Minnelli. Of course. How could you not recognise her in this guise? And how could you not be eternally spooked by this terrifying creation?
