Madame Tussauds Launches First Ever Digital Media Stars With Red Carpet Treatment

Madame Tussauds reveals wax figures of digital comedy powerhouse and YouTube sensations SMOSH at the Hollywood premiere of SMOSH: The Movie

SMOSH's Anthony Padilla (left) and Ian Hecox (right) pose with their Madame Tussauds wax selves at the premiere of SMOSH: The Movie. Photo credit: Chelsea Lauren.

SAN FRANCISCO--()--Madame Tussauds revealed the wax figures of digital celebrities Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox, the duo behind powerhouse comedy brand SMOSH, on the red carpet at tonight’s world premiere of SMOSH: The Movie at The Village Theatre in Westwood, CA.

The SMOSH wax figures will next make appearances at VidCon in Anaheim, CA July 23-25 at the Defy Media suite and The Viewseum, sponsored by Taco Bell, before touring through Madame Tussauds locations across the US, staying 3 months at each location: San Francisco, New York, Hollywood, Orlando, Las Vegas and Washington D.C.

“What an honor it is to be recognized and chosen for Madame Tussauds first YouTube wax figures in their 250 year history. To have the big reveal take place on the red carpet at the premiere of our first movie just made this eventful day even more memorable,” commented Anthony and Ian of SMOSH. “We’re excited to bring them along to VidCon and can’t think of a more fitting venue to show off our wax selves!”

Ranked the #1 celebrities among teens in a survey commissioned by Variety Magazine and supported by over 30 million subscribers across the brand’s multiple top-ranking YouTube channels, SMOSH represents a new, community-driven sector of digital entertainment.

Kieran Lancini, Global Head of Media Relations for Madame Tussauds commented, “The inclusion of SMOSH as our first ever YouTube stars to launch in our history remains true to Madame Tussauds commitment to its heritage - as a showcase of those who have made an impact in the ever changing contemporary cultural landscape. We are thrilled and honored to feature SMOSH and have no doubt that their legion of fans will love interacting with their figures across the country.”

The figures will kick off their world tour in Madame Tussauds San Francisco, clothed in items personally donated by Hecox and Padilla. Fans may choose between numerous SMOSH-centric backdrops and can even add exciting graphic elements to enhance their unique photo experience. Images and videos taken will be available to fans via email or text to share and preserve their experiences with the figures.

B-roll can be accessed via Dropbox. Additional photos available upon request. Real-time updates will be maintained through Madame Tussauds’ and SMOSH’s social media platforms.

About Madame Tussauds San Francisco

Madame Tussauds San Francisco offers guests the unique opportunity to meet incredible wax likenesses of some of the city’s and world’s most famous stars. Only at Madame Tussauds San Francisco can you get up close and personal with Hollywood A-listers, music superstars, TV personalities, sporting heroes and cultural icons.

Visit www.madametussauds.com/SanFrancisco for more information.

The attraction is open at 10 a.m. 365 days a year, located in Fisherman’s Wharf at 145 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, CA 94133.

About Merlin Entertainments Group – North America

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location-based, family entertainment. Europe’s Number 1 and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates 100 attractions, 10 hotels/3 holiday villages in 22 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its almost 60 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and more than 20,000+ employees.

Merlin has twenty attractions and one hotel in North America, including two stunning LEGOLAND Resorts: LEGOLAND Florida theme park and water park, and LEGOLAND California theme park and water park; SEA LIFE aquarium and themed hotel; Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions in New York, Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Hollywood and San Francisco; LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Westchester, NY and Toronto, ON; and SEA LIFE aquariums in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Dallas/Fort Worth; the Mall of America in Minneapolis and Charlotte-Concord, NC – underlining the company’s position as the world’s biggest global aquarium operator. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.

About SMOSH

Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox are the duo behind the powerhouse digital comedy brand SMOSH, which debuted on YouTube in 2005. SMOSH catapulted to YouTube’s #1 most subscribed channel in 2013, ranks among YouTube’s Top 3 most viewed channels of all time with more than SEVEN BILLION lifetime views, and counts over 35 million combined channel subscribers and 30 million social followers. Time Magazine called SMOSH the “SNL of the Internet”, Forbes named Padilla and Hecox “A New, Purely Digital, Breed of Celebrity”, ranking the duo in their Hollywood ’30 Under 30’ two years in a row, and a recent survey commissioned by Variety ranked SMOSH as the #1 most influential figures among American teens, beating out traditional celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Seth Rogen.

SMOSH's multi-faceted enterprise, based around its flagship YouTube channel and highly trafficked website, includes multiple record-setting channel spinoffs, including SMOSH Games (ranked among YouTube’s fastest growing channels ever) and Shut Up Cartoons, along with top-charting musical endeavors, merchandising, magazines, comic books, mobile, OTT and gaming apps – and, coming in Summer 2015, the brand’s first feature length film SMOSH: The Movie.

Contacts

Los Angeles Media Contact:
Digney PR
Jerry Digney, 323-785-2404
jerry@digneypr.com
or
San Francisco Media Contact:
Spritz Marketing
Beth Schnitzer, 415-221-2875
beth@spritzsf.com

Release Summary

Madame Tussauds launches wax figures of SMOSH at the red carpet premiere of SMOSH: The Movie, in the first ever digital media celebrity wax figure release.

Contacts

Los Angeles Media Contact:
Digney PR
Jerry Digney, 323-785-2404
jerry@digneypr.com
or
San Francisco Media Contact:
Spritz Marketing
Beth Schnitzer, 415-221-2875
beth@spritzsf.com