There was a time when wax figures rarely had any resemblance to the celebrity they were based on. Now, the artists who create them work with the star to make sure everything is as accurate as possible. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some misses on display. Some of the most iconic Black stars in the world have received wax figures, so let’s take a look at the best and worst of the bunch.
Madame Tussauds New York is celebrating Queen Bey’s record-breaking Renaissance tour with a new wax figure featuring her iconic 2018 Coachella Homecoming look.
The Emmy winner’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York is identical to the Pose star and showcases his memorable blue jumpsuit and curtain from the 2020 Grammys.
Fresh off being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Tupac is being celebrated at home, in Oakland, Calif. With the return of his wax figure to Madame Tussauds San Francisco. The rap legend’s figure was one of the first added to the Northern California location in 2014 and has also been featured in the Hollywood museum. When it was originally created, the figure took artists six months to bring to life.
Vice President Harris’ term is full of firsts. Though we’re betting that being the first US Vice President with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York was probably not on her radar.
The Rock looks like he was chiseled out of actual stone, so it makes perfect sense that he has four wax figures. They are featured at Madame Tussauds New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Orlando. They look so much like him, I’m waiting for one to hit a Rock Bottom on somebody.
While no wax figure can imitate Lil Nas X’s effervescent personality, his statue is a spot on replica of the Grammy-winner. In fact, it was so well done, he pranked his friends by using the figure to FaceTime them.
The “Diamonds” singer has multiple wax figures at various museums around the world. Her newest one, based on her 2018 Met Gala look, can be found at Madame Tussauds New York. She will also have a figure based on her Super Bowl LVII look revealed later in the year at Madame Tussauds Orlando.
Honestly, if Angela Bassett ever needs to take a break from photo lines or has to do a dangerous stunt on 9-1-1, she can just send in her figure. The resemblance is spooky.
The EGOT-winner’s statue is at Madame Tussauds New York – Times Square. The talk show host participated in a “sitting” where “more than 200 measurements were taken to capture the singer and actor’s exact features.” Having her involvement in the figure’s creation certainly made all the difference.
There’s only one Beyoncé. However, this version from Madame Tussaud’s Berlin is probably the best figure we’ve seen of Queen Bey.
When Nicki Minaj’s wax figure was unveiled in 2015 at Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas, fans were immediately upset about the fact that a Black woman was put in a questionable position. Mirroring a scene from her “Anaconda” video, she was on all fours, with her butt in the air. The pose inspired visitors to take sexually suggestive photos. Turns out Nicki was in on the whole process and was fine with the figure.
Naomi Campbell is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Seems like it would be a slam dunk to make her look gorgeous. Somehow Musee Grevin in Paris managed to mess it up.
Michael Jackson had several different looks in his long career, so there have been countless figures made of the superstar. The more recent ones seem to look more like him, as artists always had problems with his darker skin tone.
The Grammy-winner just unveiled her figure at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in January, The interactive display is based on her 2019 BET Awards performance and sits on top of a giant wedding cake.
Let’s be honest: LeBron totally wishes he had the hair his wax figure at the Museo de Cera in Mexico City has.
This statue of America’s favorite weatherman isn’t that bad, but no wax figure will ever capture Al Roker’s infectious positivity and enthusiasm.
This is very close and Serena seems happy with the finished product. But, if I’m being honest, the Madame Tussauds New York figure looks more like Venus than Serena.
Madame Tussaud’s London has a whole Royal Family display. When they decided to step down as senior royals, the museum removed Harry and Meghan from the attraction. However, in 2022 the couple was back in the picture. It’s always something with those royals.
