Justin Bieber’s long awaited waxwork at Madame Tussauds Vienna was unveiled on Friday.
Despite not being a perfect rendering of the 19-year-old pop star, it’s not wildly dissimilar.
News that a wax of Bieber was being prepared by Vienna sculptors was first revealed in May.
At the time, Arabella Kruschinski, Director at Madame Tussauds Vienna, said a flash mob of fans would dance in the city’s main square to mark the presentation (June 21).
“We wanted to organize something special for our young fans,” the director said .”Therefore we are trying out this new concept for the unveiling of the wax figure. It’s all about taking part. Its not about how good you can dance.”
To help fans attending the event, a training video for the flash dance mob was posted to Madame Tussauds’ website before the big day.
Fans were also invited to write a love letter explaining why they adored the teen heartthrob.
Submissions were then entered into a competition and the lucky winner would unveil the Bieber waxwork and get to pose with the figure.
In the end, the prize went to a 15-year-old girl who is unnamed on the Vienna website. The teenager described her delight at winning the competition, saying [translation]:
“I am extremely [happy] about the fact that as a huge Belieber I could present the wax figure. This is an experience I will definitely never forget.”
The waxwork of Bieber has been styled in black pants, a black hooded top and a light silver-gray jacket. The hair echoes the “Boyfriend” star’s current pompadour, but the sides are not as closely shaved.
The model’s expression and features aren’t a perfect fit for the real version, but it’s undoubtedly an honor to be waxed and fans will very likely appreciate it.
The new Bieber waxwork brings his current count (including Vienna) to seven. Madame Tussauds New York, Hollywood, London, Las Vegas, Bangkok and Berlin, are the other sites.
A non-franchise wax figure of the teen singer was also installed at the Madrid Wax Museum work in Spain in October 2011.
Kruschinski revealed the piece had been commissioned in response to demand from fans.
“The requests for a wax Justin [were] overwhelming and the feedback on the creation of his wax figure is incredible,” the director explained. “This shows us that we have met a great wish of many teenagers.”
She also thanked the fans who took part in the flash mob on the day Bieber’s waxwork went public. The dance event took place Friday afternoon in Riesenradplatz, Alamande Belfor, Vienna.
Dancers performed to the pop star’s recent release “All Around the World.”
Back in March 2011, when the London reveal of the Biebs figure took place with the then 17-year-old singer, UK media heavily criticized it and said the waxwork bore only a faint resemblance to the pop star. It remains to be seen what the verdict will be on this latest model.
So what do you think? Is the Vienna waxwork a decent replica of Justin Bieber , or not so much?
Update : Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. installed a brand new Bieber waxwork on June 26.
[ Image via Madame Tussauds Vienna ]