Beyoncé wax figure debuts in Berlin to confused reaction from fans: ‘So close yet so far’

A new Beyoncé wax figure has unveiled at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, but its “uncanny valley” appearance has people doing a double-take.

The iconic wax figure museum debuted its version of the Grammy-winning singer and performer earlier this week at Madame Tussauds in Berlin, Germany. The wax figure captured Beyoncé wearing a geometric black and white minidress with thigh-high boots, similar to an outfit she wore during her On the Run II tour with Jay-Z in 2018.

The Beyoncé wax figure is also seen sporting the singer’s classic long blonde waves in a sleek half-up half-down top knot.

Madame Tussauds Berlin shared clips of the new Beyoncé wax figure on Instagram, set to her viral song "Cuff It”. However, fans were quick to share their mixed reactions to Queen Bey’s likeness.

To capture Beyoncé in wax figure form is no small feat, and some social media users praised Madame Tussauds Berlin for being able to do what many wax figure museums have yet to accomplish.

“Yes finally y’all did it right,” commented one Instagram user.

“Best one yet,” said another.

One person wrote, “It looks so real,” while another said: “OMG it looks just like her. They did a wonderful job!!!!”

On the other hand, some believed the wax figure looked similar to Beyoncé. Still, something about it was a little off.

“They were so close yet so far,” tweeted one fan.

“So THIS is what people mean when they say ‘uncanny valley,’” said someone else.

“This looks like a person that isn’t Beyoncé but looks kinda like Beyoncé,” another user wrote, while one person said: They should melt this and try again.

Others felt the statue had a closer resemblance to fellow singers Jennifer Lopez, Tori Kelly, Leona Lewis, or Shakira.

“BEYONCE? Beyonce? Beyonce? …that’s Tori Kelly,” replied one user.

“That looks like if Beyonce and J-Lo had a child,” another said.

“Leona Lewis would be so happy,” joked one person.

“Shakira???” asked another.

Despite some of the mixed reactions, many fans agreed that the Beyoncé wax figure was better than some of the attempts in years past. In fact, Madame Tussauds has historically failed to accurately depict Beyoncé for more than a decade.

Throughout the early 2000s, the museum unveiled many iterations of its Beyoncé wax figure, complete with bad wigs and an inexplicable raised arm pose. Madame Tussauds in New York also faced backlash for its Beyoncé depiction in 2017. Many critics believed the artists had lightened Beyoncé’s natural skin tone, making it look more like Jessica Simpson than the Houston native.

Finally, Madame Tussauds seemed to hit the mark in 2019 when they showed off their new Beyoncé wax figure in London wearing the “Formation” singer’s outfit from her 2018 Coachella performance.

Beyoncé isn’t the only celebrity to have faced a wax figure failure recently. An image of a Michael B Jordan wax figure went viral in July 2022, as many people commented how “strange” the Black Panther star looked.

In response, one person joked: “Do they make these wax figures from memory or?”

Just one month prior, a Billie Eilish wax figure from the Hollywood Wax Museum was immediately trolled by fans over its appearance, with one user commenting: “They need to stop making these wax figures.”

Madame Tussauds London also unveiled a disappointing wax figure of Euphoria star Zendaya last year.