When you arrive at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, you notice the art right away. To enter the museum you must grab on to a human arm to open the door. (Actually it's just made of wax.) As if that weren't amazing enough, once you actually go in, the famous comedienne and movie star Whoopi Goldberg greets you both as a wax figure and on television, introducing people to the museum.

The wax figure of Whoopi seemed to be getting a lot of attention from both museum-goers and passers-by, who might have mistaken her for a live celebrity. The statues seem to be as famous as the celebrities they represent. People are willing to pay about $20 a person to see their favorite star in a wax museum that's only filled with 100 figures. Charlene, a first time visitor to Madame Tussaud's, said, "It gives you a chance to get closer to the celebrities you love and see how they actually look up close."

At the beginning of the exhibit, the first thing you see is RuPaul, movie star and talk show host, poised on top of a fountain. Standing around as if for a Hollywood party are other famous actors and directors such as Brad Pitt, Woody Allen, Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta.

The wax museum is broken down into two sections: statues of the most recent times and historical people and events. There are also several displays in the exhibit halls that describe Madame Tussaud and how difficult her life was during the French Revolution of the 18th century. Even though at times things were rough for her, she enjoyed doing what she loved: making wax figures. Other historical figures represented in the wax museum include Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King and Pope John Paul II.

The waxwork and artistry are so realistic that many visitors are fooled by the "ordinary people" wax figures that are scattered throughout the museum as a prank.

Fame takes money. "It costs about $250,000 per wax figure," said Jennifer Mann, public relations coordinator for Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. "The models are made of beeswax and paraffin. It takes several months just to make one wax figure." The figures are made in the actual scale and size of the celebrities, but what is most difficult for the artist is to find hair that matches closely the hair of the celebrities. All of the hair crowning the wax figures is real, donated and bought by the museum, Ms. Mann added.

Other aspects visitors to the museum will find fascinating are the clothes the figures wear. "Most of the clothing the wax figures wear is from the actual celebrities that donate their clothing from movies or an appearance they've made," said Ms. Mann. "The fashion designers of the stars make the clothing that the stars aren't able to donate."

The best thing about the museum is that it's hands-on. You can touch the figures if you want to pose for a picture with them or if you just want to examine them.

I examined the figures myself, and I can tell you that after a while you don't know who is real and who is frozen in time. That's how real the wax figures look. The woman to thank for bringing the stars and historical figures closer to us is Madame Tussaud.

You can find the complete history of Madame Tussaud at www.madame-tussauds.com. However, here are some of the highlights of her life. Born in 1761, Madame Tussaud was actually named Marie Grosholtz. A man called Philippe taught Madame Tussaud how to do wax modeling; he soon became her mentor and guardian. She became extremely good at wax modeling and started making portraits of famous men and women. One of the most famous figures was that of Benjamin Franklin, who posed for her in 1783. He can also be found in the museum along with Madame Tussaud.

The original Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum is located in London. The New York offshoot, located in Times Square (42nd St. between 7th and 8th Avenues), expects to host about one million visitors in the year 2001. "Now, two hundred years after her death, the spirit and craftsmanship of Madame Tussaud has come to Manhattan, giving a whole new audience the chance to experience the unique skills of this remarkable woman," reads the Madame Tussaud web site.

Madame Tussaud official web page