A YouTuber managed to sneak a 3-D printed figure of Hasbulla into Madame Tussauds, where it was left on display for half an hour before security intervened and removed it. Check it out:
Liam Bedford, 25, came up with the idea for a series of videos he made called ‘Reverse Heists’.
Having already pulled off a couple of other ‘reverse heists’ including getting a framed photo of Francis Bourgeois on the wall of the National Transport Museum in London, Liam set his sights on getting a fake waxwork in Madame Tussauds.
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Liam said: “I felt there was a big finale needed for the reverse heists, and eventually landed on trying to a fake ‘waxwork’ into world-famous Madame Tussauds.”
He settled on viral star Hasbulla, as it meant he’d be able to create a life-sized figure but still be able to carry it.
Hasbulla is believed to have a rare genetic condition called Growth Hormone deficiency (GHD).
Liam got a 3-D model of Hasbulla’s head, which he paid to get 3-D printed; he then enlisted the help of his pal Max Benham who was able to paint the head and attached it to a headless mannequin. In all it cost Liam more than £600.
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He said: “I was so anxious about getting through security. The making of the figure went so smoothly that I knew something had to go wrong.
“I knew that it would a proper check and they would have been very confused with me trying to walk into the building with a 3ft model in my bag.
“I actually hid it underneath a couple of pairs of women's underwear and sanitary products in the hope that the security guards would feel too awkward to question me.
“There were proper intense checks to get through to go in. I think my one-off figure was lucky to get through!”
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Liam’s TikTok video of the heist has received nearly three million views, with people around the world calling for Hasbulla to be an actual figure in Madame Tussauds.
He noted that museum visitors were enthusiastically taking photos with his fake figure and that younger children were excited to take a photo with someone closer to their height.
He added: “I need to thank Madame Tussauds for taking the joke well, I didn’t expect it!
“Also I hope they know that if they want the figure in the building, then can - currently, it's just sitting in my room!"
Claire Reid