EAL Student Activity Pack The images shown depict wax figures created and owned by Madame Tussauds Facts and figures Because wax shrinks, figures are made 2% larger than the celebrities they portray. Each figure weighs up to 25 kilos. Each strand of hair is inserted individually, taking approximately five weeks to complete each head. More than 250 precise measurements and photographs are taken to accurately All celebrities’ vital statistics are kept create a wax figure. confidential – despite repeated requests from both the public and the media. The number of hours to: More than 500 million people have visited Sculpt a figure 350 hours Madame Tussauds – that’s more than the Mould a figure 175 hours population of North America and Australia Insert and style hair 140 hours combined. Make a pair of eyes 14 hours Make a set of teeth 28 hours Colour a head 49 hours Costume a figure 35 hours Who do you want to meet? The images shown depict a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds How we create our figures at Madame Tussauds 3. Separate moulds are made of the head and the body and a hot wax mixture is poured into the mould and allowed to cool and harden. 4. Teeth, hair and eyes are added and the colour is applied to the wax skin 1. Detailed measurements and photographs using oil based paints. of the subject are taken by the sculptor. Several layers are applied to create realistic skin tone and texture. 2. The sculptors then use these measurements to create a clay model of the subject’s head. A metal skeleton is also made of the body. Sculptors then form the shape of the body over the frame using clay. 5. The finished figure is now ready to display at Madame Tussauds. Who do you want to meet? The images shown depict a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds and owned by Madame created The images shown depict a wax figure Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 1 Can you find the names of the following celebrities in our word search below? The names are written horizontally, vertically and even backwards. Albert Einstein Now you have finished the word search, discuss what you think each person is famous for. Leonardo DiCaprio Andy Warhol Aishwarya Rai Boris Johnson Nicole Kidman The images shown depict wax figures created and owned by Madame Tussauds www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 2 Choose one of the names from the list of 8.00 celebrities. Now write an imaginary diary entry for that person. Think about how your chosen 9.00 celebrity might spend a normal day. 10.00 For example Wayne Rooney might begin the day with a training session. 11.00 Here are some personalities you might like to include in the game: 12.00 Brad Pitt 13.00 David Beckham 14.00 Jennifer Lopez 15.00 Prince William Spiderman 16.00 Orlando Bloom 17.00 Wayne Rooney Keira Knightley 18.00 Leonardo DiCaprio 19.00 Queen Victoria 20.00 Adolf Hitler Fidel Castro 21.00 Aishwarya Rai 22.00 Johnny Depp Beyonce Steven Spielberg Madame Tussaud Barack Obama www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? The image shown depicts a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 3 Actor Jim Carrey was born on 17th January 1962 Write five questions for one of your classmates to in Ontario, Canada. He started out as a stand-up answer based on the information you have read. comedian and soon became very successful. In the early 1980s he moved to Los Angeles, USA and worked at a famous comedy club called The Comedy Store. Many famous comedians started their career at this venue. He also appeared on the popular TV show Saturday Night Live, which showcased up and coming comedians. Jim Carrey started to delve into movies, and starred in a few small budget films. In 1994 he hit the big time by starring in the globally successful comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Following the success of Ace Venura, Carrey then went on to star in The Mask (also starring Cameron Diaz) and Dumb and Dumber. He Question A. Now test your memory. Working played the Riddler in the film Batman Forever with a partner, take it in turns to read the followed by Ace Ventura 2: When Nature Calls. information and ask each other questions about Jim Carrey. Since then Jim Carrey has starred in numerous films, including a handful of non-comedy roles – Question B. Imagine you are a journalist sent such as the Number 23 and Eternal Sunshine of to interview Jim Carrey. Write a list of questions the Spotless Mind. you would like to ask him that are not covered in the background information above. The image shown depicts a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 4 Chamber of Horrors Activity 1 Leering at the entrance to the Chamber of Horrors Working with a partner, try to answer the with a wooden stake in his hand is Vlad Tempes, following questions from memory. better known as Vlad the Impaler. The stake looks sharp but in fact he preferred them blunt. That way his victims had a longer, more painful death. 1. In his wax portrait, what does Vlad the He once ordered 20,000 people to be impaled in Impaler have in his hand? a single demonstration of violence. On another 2. Why did Vlad prefer to use a blunt stake? occasion, he sat down for breakfast in the middle 3. How many people did Vlad impale in one of a field and impaled peasants. order? Vlad ruled 4. Where did Vlad rule? Walachia and 5. What did Vlad do to the Turkish Emissaries? fought the Turks. When Turkish Emissaries Activity 2 came to his The Chamber of Horrors is home to some of the camp in search world’s most notorious killers including Dennis of peace, he Nilsen, who confessed to murdering 16 people had their clothes nailed to their when he was arrested after human remains bodies. His father had the title of Dracul. That, had been found blocking the drains outside his and Vlad’s fondness for drinking the blood of his house. victims, helped create the story of Dracula. But it seems that the reality of Vlad the Impaler was far, Working with a partner, use a role play to act out far worse than any fiction. the interrogation of Dennis Nilsen by the police. www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 5 Who do you want to meet? Activity 2 Activity 3 Using the notes you have made above, write a letter Write a newspaper article about the launch of to Madame Tussauds, advising them why they should Activity 1 your chosen figure at Madame Tussauds. Which celebrity do you think should be consider making a wax figure of your chosen celebrity. included at Madame Tussauds London? Give reasons for your answer. The Daily Wax See inside for more news from Madame Tussauds The image shown depicts a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 6 The History of Madame Tussauds Activity Complete the sentences: Read the following text about the history of In 1794 Curtius died and Marie was left to run the exhibition. However the exhibition struggled in Madame Tussauds and answer the questions. a) In Marie moved with her mother the economic decline following the revolution --------- and Philippe Curtius to where Marie Grosholtz (later to become Madame and Marie decided to take the exhibition to ---------- Tussaud) was born in 1761 in Strasbourg, England where it was a great success. Marie ---------opened his first exhibition. France. Her mother worked as a housekeeper and her husband, Francois Tussaud, toured the for Philippe Curtius, a doctor who was skilled British Isles with the exhibition for 33 years. b) However the exhibition struggled in at modelling wax to create anatomical the ----------- following the --------- and Marie figures. Marie learned the skill of At the age of 74, Madame Tussaud decided to take the exhibition to ------------- wax modelling from the doctor. decided to settle the exhibition where it was a great success. permanently at the Baker Street Bazaar, In 1767 Marie moved with her c) At the age of , Madame Tussaud mother and Philippe Curtius very close to the present site. --------- decided to settle the exhibition permanently to Paris where Curtius Marie continued to work opened his first exhibition. at the exhibition until her at the --------------, very close to the At a time when visual media death in 1850. present site. such as cinema and TV did not exist, people flocked to the Her sons and grandsons exhibition to see for themselves continued the business and in what the famous people of the time 1884 decided to move the exhibition looked like. to its present site on Marylebone Road. The image shown depicts a wax figure created and owned by Madame Tussauds www.madametussauds.com Who do you want to meet? Madame Tussauds London Student Pack Worksheet 7 A A A Spot the difference Study the images on this page. There are three differences between each picture. Can you spot what they are? In the spaces provided, list how picture A is different from picture B. B B B 1.