The Tussauds Group is now part of
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is the largest operator of amusement parks and other attractions in Europe, and the second largest operating globally after Disney....
, the world's second largest leisure group, second only to Disney. It is based in Poole, Dorset from where it manages a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions including the famous
Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. It was formerly spelt "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used.-History:...
waxworksA wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax figures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses....
,
LegolandLegoland is a chain of Lego themed theme parks:* Legoland Billund * Legoland Windsor * Legoland Deutschland * Legoland California -Attractions:...
Parks, Sealife Centres,
GardalandGardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe and is between Peschiera and Lazise, at Lake Garda in Italy. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda at Castelnuovo del Garda, the park opened on July 19, 1975. It has expanded steadily in both size and attendance, topping 1 million visitors...
in Italy, The Dungeons and the highly successful
London EyeThe Merlin Entertainments London Eye , at a height of , is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over three million people in one year...
,
Alton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in...
,
Thorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded with the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
, and
Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures is a theme park and zoo in south-west London, England. It lies 12 miles from Central London, close to the A3 and M25...
in the UK.
Between 1900 and 1977,
Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. It was formerly spelt "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used.-History:...
was the main asset for the Tussauds group.
The Tussauds Group is now part of
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is the largest operator of amusement parks and other attractions in Europe, and the second largest operating globally after Disney....
, the world's second largest leisure group, second only to Disney. It is based in Poole, Dorset from where it manages a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions including the famous
Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. It was formerly spelt "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used.-History:...
waxworksA wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax figures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses....
,
LegolandLegoland is a chain of Lego themed theme parks:* Legoland Billund * Legoland Windsor * Legoland Deutschland * Legoland California -Attractions:...
Parks, Sealife Centres,
GardalandGardaland is the third-most-popular theme park in Europe and is between Peschiera and Lazise, at Lake Garda in Italy. Built on the eastern shore of Lake Garda at Castelnuovo del Garda, the park opened on July 19, 1975. It has expanded steadily in both size and attendance, topping 1 million visitors...
in Italy, The Dungeons and the highly successful
London EyeThe Merlin Entertainments London Eye , at a height of , is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over three million people in one year...
,
Alton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in...
,
Thorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded with the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
, and
Chessington World of AdventuresChessington World of Adventures is a theme park and zoo in south-west London, England. It lies 12 miles from Central London, close to the A3 and M25...
in the UK.
History
Between 1900 and 1977,
Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was set up by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. It was formerly spelt "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used.-History:...
was the main asset for the Tussauds group. This changed in 1978 when the business was acquired by S. Pearson and Son, now
Pearson PLCPearson plc is a London-based education and media conglomerate. It is the largest book publisher in the UK, India, Australia and New Zealand, and the second largest in the US and Canada. Marjorie Scardino has been CEO since 1997. The headquarters for Pearson is at 80 Strand, the former Shell Mex...
.
Chessington ZooChessington World of Adventures is a theme park and zoo in south-west London, England. It lies 12 miles from Central London, close to the A3 and M25...
was already owned by Pearson and became a Tussauds attraction. In the same year
Warwick CastleWarwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a cliff overlooking a bend in the River Avon. Warwick Castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the...
was acquired.
Rock CircusMadame Tussaud's Rock Circus was a walkthrough exhibition celebrating the history of British rock & pop music.The attraction was operated by Tussaud's Group and took up the top four floors of the newly refurbished London Pavilion building at Piccadilly Circus, London.
The exhibition was opened...
opened in the London Pavilion in 1989. Several small acquisitions were made before 1990, when
Alton TowersAlton Towers is a theme park and resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. It attracted 3.1 million visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited theme park in the UK after Pleasure Beach Blackpool. Alton Towers is the 11th most visited theme park in...
was bought for £60 million.
In 1995,
PortAventuraPortAventura is a theme park in the resort of Portaventura, Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain, on the Costa Daurada , approximately an hour south of Barcelona. It was conceived and built as a joint effort by the Tussauds group , Anheuser-Busch and Universal Studios...
in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
opened, in which Tussauds had a 40% stake and managed the theme park. The stake was sold in 1998 to enable the purchase of
Thorpe ParkThorpe Park is a theme park located in Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom. It was built in 1979 on the site of a gravel pit which was partially flooded with the intention of creating a water based theme for the park. The park's first large roller coaster, Colossus, was added in 2002...
, in South East England - management of PortAventura ceased with its sale.
In 1999, after being part of Pearson for twenty years, Charterhouse Development Capital acquired the group. In 2000, the
London EyeThe Merlin Entertainments London Eye , at a height of , is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe, and has become the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over three million people in one year...
launched, owned by
British AirwaysBritish Airways plc is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport and is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations. Its second hub is London Gatwick...
but managed by Tussauds. In 2001 the group purchased
Heide ParkThe Heide Park is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony. With an overall area of over 850,000 m², it is one of the biggest German Amusement Parks and the biggest in Northern Germany....
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, and
Rock CircusMadame Tussaud's Rock Circus was a walkthrough exhibition celebrating the history of British rock & pop music.The attraction was operated by Tussaud's Group and took up the top four floors of the newly refurbished London Pavilion building at Piccadilly Circus, London.
The exhibition was opened...
was closed.
In 2005, the group was sold to
Dubai International CapitalDubai International Capital is the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, a holding company and sovereign wealth fund of the government of Dubai and its ruling family...
for £800 million ($1.5 billion). In 2006, the group purchased the London Eye outright.
In March 2007, the group was sold to the
Blackstone GroupThe Blackstone Group, L.P. is an alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as mergers and acquisitions , restructuring, and fund-placement advisory services.Blackstone's...
, in a £1Bn deal. DIC will hold 20% of the combined group. The company will be combined with the
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is the largest operator of amusement parks and other attractions in Europe, and the second largest operating globally after Disney....
Group and is completing a harmonisation process. The Tussauds Group will proceed as
Merlin EntertainmentsMerlin Entertainments Group Ltd is the largest operator of amusement parks and other attractions in Europe, and the second largest operating globally after Disney....
Group. The group will add two new hotels to its portfolio in 2007 - Safari Lodge in Chessington, and Port Royal in Soltau, North Germany.
As of May 22, 2007 the merger with Merlin Entertainment has been completed and The Tussauds Group has ceased to exist as a separate entity.
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