Today in Las Vegas Magazine

It’s Raining Men at Madame Tussauds

Daniel Craig (the latest actor to play fictional character James Bond on the big screen) is the newest addition to the growing number of hunks at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.

Craig’s launch is in time with the opening of “Quantum of Solace,” in movie theaters not only across the country, but worldwide. “He’s our first ‘James Bond,’ not counting Sean Connery, who is displayed as himself and not as Bond. There are only three sites with Daniel Craig. Our London branch, which launched three or four weeks earlier; our New York location, and then Las Vegas,” says Kurt Moseley, Marketing Manager for Madame Tussauds Las Vegas.

This recent launch is testament to how the attraction strives to always be in-step with what’s new and what’s hot - either locally, here in Las Vegas; nationally, in the U.S., or globally. Just recently, they launched the figures of Zac Efron (star of High School Musical) and Alvin and the Chipmunks. While the popularity of both is more US-centric, Zac Efron does represent a huge fan base, being “the biggest teen star (and heartthrob) in America” today. As for the chipmunks, while they each measure less than a foot, Madame Tussauds spared no expense and labor to produce these three ‘figures;’ where about 1,800 man hours were spent on its production. The attraction is working on setting-up a microphone by this display, to allow visitors to be able to sing like Alvin and chipmunks. Las Vegas, by the way, is the only location to feature them.

But where else in Vegas can you hobnob with the likes of such hunks as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Harrison Ford and Johnny Depp – all under one roof?

“We’ve actually had Harrison Ford for a long time, but he’s been in storage for about three years, because his figure was damaged. One of our in-house artists took the project on and fixed him up,” Kurt adds.

One more up-and-coming launch is that one of President-Elect Barack Obama, scheduled for sometime in January next year, in time for when he takes office. This seems to be an on-going tradition at the attraction, that all U.S. Presidents will be represented. By the way, we already asked if there are plans to feature the rest of the ‘first family,’ or even McCain, Hillary or Sarah and there are no plans to date. We suggested that perhaps the Obama figure will be slightly more favored than that of President Bush, referring to past instances where “Dubya” was tipped over on more than one occasion, Kurt jokingly replied, “Well, give him time…” Like everything else with this presidency, we’ll just have to wait and see.

There are other ‘launches’ to look forward to, early next year, such as one of an “iconic Vegas figure,” which has got everyone guessing, but no amount of wheedling from our part got us an answer. In February, the attraction will also be celebrating “Black History Month,” and they will be ‘borrowing’ Denzel Washington from the New York attraction.

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas has also just revamped its website and visitors who book their tickets online will receive a ten percent discount off the general admission price.

Of course, at the end of it all, you, the visitor will always have a say. The attraction regularly conducts on-site surveys on which celebrity or personality visitors want to see the most. Kurt shares those requests that have remained popular throughout the years, such as The Beatles, Bill Clinton, Justin Timberlake and Leonardo DiCaprio, among others. What are you waiting for? Get in there and make sure your vote is heard.

-Rachel M. Sugay

Madame Tussauds Las Vegas
Venetian Hotel, by the outdoor walkway. Tel: 702-862-7800. Open daily, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; till 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday. Tickets are $25 (adults), $18 (senior citizens and students – ages 13-18), $15 (children ages 7-12) children 6 and under, free. Book online and receive a 10% discount on all standard tickets. No Booking fees apply. Discount and promotional vouchers/coupons cannot be used when purchasing tickets online.