Liz Taylor, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Barbra Streisand, Tom Cruise, The Beatles, Princess Diana, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy Among the Stars, Athletes and Historical Figures To Be Offered to the Public for the First Time.
Calabasas, CA, April 2, 2009 – For the first time in its 44-year history, the world-famous Hollywood Wax Museum is offering hand-sculpted wax figures and original costumes for auction. Over 200 figures, including top stars, musicians, athletes, and historical individuals that have been seen by millions of visitors in Hollywood, CA and Branson, MO from the 1970s to present will be sold by Profiles in History, the world’s leading Hollywood memorabilia dealer, on Friday, May 1, 2009. Worldwide bids can be placed either in person, via mail, phone, fax or live on the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Authentic costumes including Robert Englund’s “Freddy Krueger” costume; Jason Voorhees’ costume from Freddy vs. Jason; Irene Ryan’s “Granny” hat from The Beverly Hillbillies and an original Cats costume on a life-size display figure will be available. These items also come from the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum, under the same ownership.
The Hollywood Wax Museum’s famous figures were meticulously crafted by its previous team of wax sculptors, artists and costumers as tributes to the most iconic people and the most cherished moments in classic and current entertainment.
Now the longest running attraction of its kind in the nation, the Hollywood Wax Museum was created by storied entrepreneur Spoony Singh, and all three locations continue to be owned by and operated by his sons and grandson. Their company, Kuvera Attractions, recently retired the figures and original Hollywood costumes available in this exclusive auction through Profiles in History while making renovations in the Hollywood and Branson museums.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said Partner Tej Sundher, Singh’s grandson. “We are putting the finishing touches on our largest renovation of the Wax Museum in Branson since we opened it in 1996, and our focus is solely Hollywood-centric. We are no longer showcasing athletes and historical personalities at any of our Museums. We are also providing more opportunities for visitors to get into the sets with the stars for incredible pictures, so we are working with a different team of artists who are using new techniques to create life-like figures that are somewhat less fragile than the older ones.”
According to Joe Maddalena, President and CEO of Profiles in History, “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a true piece of Hollywood’s history. Millions of people from all over the world have visited the Hollywood Wax Museum and seen these amazing wax figures, each of them a piece of art in itself. Profiles in History is honored to be selected by the wax museum to handle these treasures and to pass them on to collectors.”
Each figure comes with a signed certificate of authenticity from the Hollywood Wax Museum. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to assist in the ongoing effort to preserve the historic Walk of Fame.
Highlights of the wax figures being offered include:
Film / TV Stars:
Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise, Barbra Streisand, Charlie Chaplin, Clint Eastwood, Will Smith, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wizard of Oz cast, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Henry Winkler, Seinfeld cast, MASH cast, Lucille Ball, The Three Stooges, Don Johnson, Star Trek cast
Musicians:
The Beatles, Cher, Elton John, Sammy Davis, Jr., Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash
Athletes:
Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Mike Tyson, Mark McGwire, Hulk Hogan
Historical Figures:
Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton; Princess Diana; The Last Supper / 12 Apostles
A downloadable catalog of all the available wax figures will soon be available at www.profilesinhistory.com.
About Profiles in History:
Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts. Profiles in History has held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia. Their auctions include costumes, props and set pieces from both vintage and contemporary film, television, and rock ‘n roll. Profiles in History’s location in Calabasas Hills, CA- virtually a stone’s throw away from every major Hollywood studio – ensures a constant flow of fantastic and rare collectibles. With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions, they are proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history.
Prior Profiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); a King Kong six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); the Command Chair from the “U.S.S. Enterprise” ($304,750); the original “Robot” from Lost in Space ($264,500); Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber ($240,000), the Black Beauty car from The Green Hornet ($192,000); George Reeves’ Superman costume from The Adventures of Superman ($126,500); the H.R. Giger designed Alien creature suit from Alien ($126,500); a full-scale T-Rex head from Jurassic Park ($126,500), the Leaping Alien Warrior figure from Aliens ($126,500), Christopher Reeve’s ‘Superman’ costume from Superman: The Movie ($115,000), C-3PO’s helmet $120,000, The Wizard of Oz ‘Winkie’ Guard Costume ($115,000); a “Ming the Merciless” cape from Flash Gordon ($115,000) and the Hydraulic screen-used Velociraptor from The Lost World: Jurassic Park II. ($115,000).
