The story of the Gozsdu Celebrity Panoptic started with Robert De Niro, when his wax figure was the first to arrive in the stylishly refurbished basement display room of Gozsdu Udvar. As time went by (it takes several weeks to create each wax figure), E.T., Albert Einstein, and Michael Jackson joined the Oscar-winning actor. Amongst the well-known international celebrities, Magyar notables soon joined the crowd – Hungary’s founder, King Stephen, sits on his throne in the back of the room. The maximum number of figures will be around 40, and the Gozsdu Celebrity Panoptic management encourages visitors to make recommendations about which luminaries should be recreated here next.
Some of the wax figures are made here in Hungary, while others are ordered from America, and each of them cost a fortune. The final price depends on how detailed the figure is: the scarred figure of Freddy Krueger was relatively easy to create, but can you imagine trying to sculpt Marilyn Manson with her iconic billowing skirt? One thing is certain: Hugh Jackman’s upper body is realistically muscular, and his arms sure are hairy.
Interestingly, after scrolling through hundreds of photographs, the sculptor makes the wax figure out of special plasticine, and after a few other phases, a stylist, a hairdresser, and a make-up artist add the finishing touches to it. Children and child-hearted adults will be happy to hear that you can shoot selfies with cartoon characters: SpongeBob and Snoopy patiently await their fans. It’s important to add that all the figures are all posed as the centerpieces of individual scenes with special settings made for them. If you arrive alone, the staff is happy to help you take pictures, and in the future they’ll also organize guided tours.
Our favorites were Jack Sparrow and Einstein, but everybody should decide for themselves how much each sculpture resembles the “original” celebrity. Entry costs 2,500 forints, which includes a slice of pizza. You can also buy drinks, and sweets at the small souvenir shop. Also, we’ve heard it through the grapevine that before the premiere of the new Star Wars movie, Yoda will arrive here, too.
Watch out, the place is no longer operating.
