DANNII, MEET DANNII
Madame Tussauds Sydney unveils first ever side-by-side wax figure with Dannii Minogue
Melbourne, Thursday, 9 February 2012: Today, Australia’s much loved TV personality, author and fashion designer, Dannii Minogue was introduced to her double in Australia’s first ever side-by-side wax figure reveal. Dannii is most recently known for her judging and mentoring roles on Australia’s number one show, Australia’s Got Talent and X Factor UK.
Dannii said “I am so appreciative of the many hours of hand-crafted work that has gone into my figure. This is real artistry. I’m just astounded by the accuracy, fine detail and remarkable likeness. This is such an incredible experience for me as it was a moment in time that holds such special memories when Kris and I had just announced my pregnancy. I can’t wait for my family, friends and everyone to come to the Sydney attraction and see ‘me’ up close. Be careful what you wish for – I think back to all the times I’ve been busy and needed to be in two places at once – wow, now it’s true!”
It took over 800 hours and 60 of Madame Tussauds’ most talented sculptors and artists to handcraft Dannii’s wax figure. Using techniques perfected over the 250 year tradition of Madame Tussauds, quite literally hundreds of Dannii’s measurements were meticulously taken, including the width of her eyes, the length of her fingers and breadth of her face, with each individual hair – including the eyebrows – inserted strand-by-strand.
Adorning the same outfit Dannii wore when she had momentously just announced her pregnancy at the National Television Awards in the UK in 2010; Dannii’s wax figure is dressed in a full skirted vintage black and white prom dress with towering scarlet red shoes.
“To see Dannii’s reaction as she saw herself in wax for the first time was absolutely priceless and now I just can’t wait for the reaction of her fans” said Kristy Enright, Madame Tussauds Sydney spokesperson. “It really goes to show the value of investment from Dannii herself to the painstaking hours invested by our sculptors. We’re thrilled to be able to announce that such a renowned and iconic personality will be joining our star studded line up at Madame Tussauds Sydney.”
Opening in May 2012 in Sydney’s iconic Darling Harbour, Madame Tussauds Sydney is the first of its kind to arrive on Australian shores. The attraction will feature an all-star cast of over 70 figures, including some of Australia’s home-grown legends and, the world’s best known A-list celebrities, as well as sports heroes, rock legends, world leaders and many more. . Dannii Minogue will be joining Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Ray Meagher and Amanda Keller as well as rubbing shoulders with the likes of Lady Gaga and Johnny Depp.
Madame Tussauds Sydney is the 13th Madame Tussauds in the world and the fifth in Asia Pacific - joining its highly successful sister attractions in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bangkok.
Making-of footage and images of the making-of Dannii’s wax figure are also available upon request.
To find out more about Madame Tussauds, visit: www.madametussauds.com/sydney or www.facebook.com/madametussaudssydney
Costing $14 million and featuring 1,800sqm of space, the new Madame Tussauds Sydney in Darling Harbour is the latest addition to Merlin Entertainment’s Sydney attractions – Sydney Tower Eye, Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney and Oceanworld Manly.
MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment, and has seen the most successful and dynamic growth of any company in the sector over the last five years. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 75 attractions, six hotels/two holiday villages in 17 countries and across four continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its 43.6 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 16,000 employees. Merlin Entertainments operates the following attractions - SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, LEGOLAND, The EDF Energy London Eye, Dungeons, Gardaland, LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Blackpool Tower, Heide Park, Earth Explorer, Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney, Sydney Tower Eye and SKYWALK, Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter Underwater World, Oceanworld Manly and WILD LIFE Hamilton Island. All brands which are distinctive, challenging and innovative – and which have great potential for growth in the future. Visit http://www.merlinentertainments.biz/ for more information.