A few weeks ago we visited Madame Tussauds Blackpool and found it much more interesting than the London version! There was so much that was of interest to the children, more characters they recognised, and a much more relaxed vibe than the over-crowded, tourist-field version down south, which seems more interested in 3D, 4D, etc etc experiences and away from its roots. So why was Madame Tussauds Blackpool so good?
(We're not sure if this was the same ET being passed around or if they have one in each site.)
Tatiana was fascinated by the models, particularly when they were suspended at amazing angles like Torvill and Dean. She wanted to touch everyone's hair and clothes and faces, and was definitely much more interested in the concept than she had been 8 months before.
There were still lots of questions about who people were, but until there is a waxworks devoted exclusively to CBeebies presenters and children's TV or film characters, that's probably inevitable from anyone under the age of 12! But at least some of them were more recognisable!
What we really liked was that the hands-on bits were simple. Lift a car like Hulk, play the drums, kick a ball like your favourite footballer. Simple stuff. There are no fancy rides/screenings etc, and I think all the better for it.
Lara loved the football bit and spent ages trying to beat her last score on goals. Meanwhile, her sisters were craftily lifting the World Cup trophy. No need to play that this summer, then.
The girls haven't watched soap operas before, but they really liked the Coronation Street bit anyway, perhaps because it was more 'real' people. They loved going into the Rovers Return pub area and kicking back with their water bottles (wild and crazy stuff!) Explaining the loop tape of dramatic soap opera moments was hard work though. But why do people watch other people being mean on telly, Mummy? Um...
The next section is all about music with several booths where you can stand and listen to hits from the past five decades. Sophia developed a rather worrying liking for a One Direction song! But what she liked most of all was Shirley Bassey's sparkly dress and feather boa combo.
The girls loved playing the drums, and managed to get a decent rhythm going.
Of course, they have no idea who Lady Gaga is (their mama wouldn't know her in a line up either!), but they loved all the outlandish headgear they could pose in in these picture frames.
Having lost her head in a Lady Gaga photo, Sophia now lost it for real on the guillotine. Cue a great little French history lesson, which both Lara and Sophia were fascinated to hear about. We read about the eponymous Madame Tussaud, and her role in the aftermath of the revolution. A tiny but strong woman, who survived an awful marriage and other perils to live to a ripe old age.
Lara was fascinated by the whole process of making a waxwork, and watched this video of Alan Carr having his measured, created and finished countless times.
The summer festival area was really fun, with karaoke to sing, huge wellington boots to climb in and on, and lots more. Sophia was delighted to spot her hero Darcey Bussell in the Best of British section, and marvelled at the waxwork model being allowed to wear her real tutu and slippers, while Lara was delighted to see her comedy heroes, Sooty, Sweep and Richard in both models and video.
While we were in Blackpool, we visited Madame Tussauds three times, the girls were that fascinated by it. And on the third visit, we found that the new Marvel superheroes exhibit had opened, which the girls (and Steve) loved. I'm so glad we went back in and were able to see it open, it's really well done.
Sophia couldn't retrieve Thor's hammer, but was able to lift a car like Hulk!
While Tatia did her mean face, and Steve was petrified...
We highly recommend Madame Tussauds Blackpool if you are on holiday or looking for a day out this summer. The perfect place to while away your time if it rains!
Madame Tussauds Blackpool is open every day 10am-5pm. It is located right on the sea front at 89 Promenade Blackpool. Adult tickets are £18 per person. Tickets that combine 2 or more Blackpool-based Merlin attractions are also available. You can get discounted tickets here.
(We're not sure if this was the same ET being passed around or if they have one in each site.)
Tatiana was fascinated by the models, particularly when they were suspended at amazing angles like Torvill and Dean. She wanted to touch everyone's hair and clothes and faces, and was definitely much more interested in the concept than she had been 8 months before.
There were still lots of questions about who people were, but until there is a waxworks devoted exclusively to CBeebies presenters and children's TV or film characters, that's probably inevitable from anyone under the age of 12! But at least some of them were more recognisable!
What we really liked was that the hands-on bits were simple. Lift a car like Hulk, play the drums, kick a ball like your favourite footballer. Simple stuff. There are no fancy rides/screenings etc, and I think all the better for it.
Lara loved the football bit and spent ages trying to beat her last score on goals. Meanwhile, her sisters were craftily lifting the World Cup trophy. No need to play that this summer, then.
The girls haven't watched soap operas before, but they really liked the Coronation Street bit anyway, perhaps because it was more 'real' people. They loved going into the Rovers Return pub area and kicking back with their water bottles (wild and crazy stuff!) Explaining the loop tape of dramatic soap opera moments was hard work though. But why do people watch other people being mean on telly, Mummy? Um...
The next section is all about music with several booths where you can stand and listen to hits from the past five decades. Sophia developed a rather worrying liking for a One Direction song! But what she liked most of all was Shirley Bassey's sparkly dress and feather boa combo.
The girls loved playing the drums, and managed to get a decent rhythm going.
Of course, they have no idea who Lady Gaga is (their mama wouldn't know her in a line up either!), but they loved all the outlandish headgear they could pose in in these picture frames.
Having lost her head in a Lady Gaga photo, Sophia now lost it for real on the guillotine. Cue a great little French history lesson, which both Lara and Sophia were fascinated to hear about. We read about the eponymous Madame Tussaud, and her role in the aftermath of the revolution. A tiny but strong woman, who survived an awful marriage and other perils to live to a ripe old age.
Lara was fascinated by the whole process of making a waxwork, and watched this video of Alan Carr having his measured, created and finished countless times.
The summer festival area was really fun, with karaoke to sing, huge wellington boots to climb in and on, and lots more. Sophia was delighted to spot her hero Darcey Bussell in the Best of British section, and marvelled at the waxwork model being allowed to wear her real tutu and slippers, while Lara was delighted to see her comedy heroes, Sooty, Sweep and Richard in both models and video.
While we were in Blackpool, we visited Madame Tussauds three times, the girls were that fascinated by it. And on the third visit, we found that the new Marvel superheroes exhibit had opened, which the girls (and Steve) loved. I'm so glad we went back in and were able to see it open, it's really well done.
Sophia couldn't retrieve Thor's hammer, but was able to lift a car like Hulk!
While Tatia did her mean face, and Steve was petrified...
We highly recommend Madame Tussauds Blackpool if you are on holiday or looking for a day out this summer. The perfect place to while away your time if it rains!
Madame Tussauds Blackpool is open every day 10am-5pm. It is located right on the sea front at 89 Promenade Blackpool. Adult tickets are £18 per person. Tickets that combine 2 or more Blackpool-based Merlin attractions are also available. You can get discounted tickets here.