SOLUTION

The original Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf was first opened in 1963 and displayed over 270 wax figures. In 2013, Merlin Entertainment signed a multi-year deal to repurpose the Wax Museum Entertainment Complex Building—which was demolished in 1998 and reopened by 2000—to open the world famous Madame Tussauds in 2014.

The large marquee, which extends out above the sidewalk, features arrays of light bulbs that mimic a traditional theatre marquee. The motif of the traditional theatre conjures up notions of entertainment and performance with tourists seeking their next experience. At night, passersby walking along the street are immediately drawn to the bright array of lights along the façade.

SOLUTION

Upon entering the ILLUSIONS OF HORROR exhibit within the Madame Tussauds L.A. location, guests were immediately greeted by Dracula ominous gaze as he poses in the spotlight in front of a faux garlic wall and giant red LED cross. As visitors proceed past Dracula to pose in front of the Rocky Horror-inspired ILLUSIONS OF HORROR sign and ‘lip couch’, they might get startled as Dracula's shadow starts moving as it tries to grab the guest and dissolve into a cloud of bats. Across the entrance is a Mummy experience which features caskets, torches, hieroglyphics and interactive scarabs that were video-mapped onto the floor. Continuing through the space, visitors will notice even more photo opportunities including the Frankenstein feature, the large IT movie installation that features 60 fiberglass balloons, and an oversized poltergeist TV set that displays ghosts and hands that respond to guests’ own movements. Moving along, guests pass the “Hall of Doors” which wouldn’t be complete without the twisted Twilight Zone door, the ‘Shining door’ that features a head-sized hole for posing in, and a 'zombie door' with arms that reach out to grab guests.

SOLUTION

Visitors enter the bar by descending a staircase clad in the Vegas cityscape graphic where they pass by the first iconic feature borrowed from the movie – a life-sized Caesar statue with a mattress impaled on top of statue positioned at the main landing of the stairwell. Upon further exploration into the space, visitors found themselves surrounded by faux concrete walls with custom graffiti and an assortment of custom duct pipe bar tables. The main feature of the bar experience was the custom LED lit bar area with 3D Hangover sign incorporated into the façade of the bar. Flanking the bar was a video loop of the Vegas strip during sunset to help set the mood for the new event space.

SOLUTION

To promote the completion of the Steve Aoki wax figure and DJ booth, a private launch event was held inside the wax museum where Steve Aoki himself and guest appearance, Desiigner, performed a short set to get the crowd excited. In true Aoki-fashion, there was a full birthday cake involved. The DJ booth serves as the focal point of that particular event space.

SOLUTION

Guests enter the exhibit space through a rainbow hallway where they are greeted by a set of rainbow LED angel wings at the end of the hallway. When they turn the corner, they enter into the space held by Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and the Spice Girls which were all supported by interactive installations. 

As they continue into the space, they are presented with a chalkboard wall made of real road cases in which guests can leave their own mark. Next up is the iconic Daft Punk LED installation which features the visually stunning 'real' LED helmets and flown LED tubes to complete the look. 

Lastly, the Madonna figure positioned in front of a color-shifting LED lip installation bids farewell to guests as they continue through the rest of the museum. Throughout the exhibit, guests were given the ability to adjust the lighting colors to create a customized look for their selfies.