Madame Tussauds entity ceased to exist. On 17 July 2007, as part of the financing for the Tussauds deal, Merlin sold the freehold of Madame Tussauds to private investor Nick Leslau and his investment firm Prestbury under a sale and leaseback agreement. Although the attraction sites are owned by Prestbury, they are operated by Merlin based on a renewable 35-year lease. Madame Tussaud's wax museum became a major tourist attraction in London, incorporating (until 2010) the London Planetarium in its west wing and a large animated dark ride, "The Spirit of London", opened in 1993. Today's wax figures at Tussauds include historical
Madame Tussauds New York poured into the mold, creating the figure's head. Then, the teeth and eyes are fitted and each piece of hair is inserted individually. The process of hair insertion takes about two weeks to complete. Once this is finished, Madame Tussauds' artists cut and style the hair and apply the figure's makeup using several shades of oil based paints to build the exact colors and tones. Once these steps are finalized, the figure can then be dressed and accessorized. In May 2015, Madame Tussauds New York officially unveiled the wax figure of soccer icon and star forward for FC Barcelona Lionel