Wax Paris Hilton released from fashion jail

By Elizabeth Daley

June 27, 2007

A life-sized wax statue of Paris Hilton will be freed from the shackles of prison orange and slip into something more comfortable in honor of the heiress' release from prison, San Francisco Wax Museum curator Curtis Huber said Wednesday.

"She is so popular in her jumpsuit dripping with rhinestones," Huber said, "She will stay like that 'til after the Fourth of July holiday."

Currently, the Hilton statue stands in the lobby of the museum in Fisherman's Wharf with wax replicas of Barry Bonds and Carlos Santana. She is wearing jewelry and cinching the waist of her outfit was a rhinestone belt, the curator said.

Huber admits this is "not the way Paris would really look in prison," but he thinks the outfit, complete with an orange and black bandanna, has been a crowd pleaser.

The San Francisco Wax Museum is home to 270 wax figures, many of them celebrity replicas.

Huber said that while artists try to make all figures anatomically correct, those dressing the statues won't see anything like the infamous Hilton sex tapes when they help the Hilton statue don the celebrity's customary red gown. He said Hilton's wax statue looks "a little bit like Barbie in the lower nether regions."

The San Francisco Wax Museum displays the likenesses of Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and a young Queen Elizabeth.

Huber said the museum's latest wax projects include an update to reflect the age of the Queen, who is no longer 36 as she appears in her statue. Some years will be added to the Prince Charles statue as well.

As for new additions, in 2008 Huber said the museum might have a wax mold of Prince William and one of slain rap star Tupac Shakur to display.

"English royalty and rap royalty," said Huber of the potential statues.

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