about Babetta
Wax Museum
The Hollywood Wax Museum Opens
with the Witch in Wax
Halloween Night, 1976
At the famous Hollywood Wax Museum with search lights illuminating the night sky, the crowds held back by velvet ropes are anxiously waiting the arrival of a long, black limousine. In the limousine is Babetta, the Witch of Hollywood. As the limousine slowly makes its way through the traffic Babetta sits and thinks of how it all began.
The spell seemed simple enough but obviously an enormous challenges. Since, in order to obtain a place in the Wax Museum a person had to be either rich or famous, both of which, at this point, Babetta was not.
Using only a post card of the front of the Wax Museum, a yellow candle for success and an aid in focusing, a picture of a man sitting behind a desk which represented the owner, some Commanding incense and the rest, creative visualization, the spell was done. The visualization was simple: It was that of the first (and only) witch to be accepted anywhere as part of a world-known wax museum's display. It was this mental repetition of the image of walking into the museum, asking to speak to the owner and the idea being accepted which paved the way for the contact which was made soon after. For as Babetta knows full well, true magic is the power of belief in the self and in one's abilities to accomplish in life. It was shortly thereafter that Babetta was taken and introduced to the sculptor, a small man looking much like a cartoon version of an elf. He was widely acclaimed as a master sculptor and had been commissioned to re-do many of the figures in the Wax Museum because they did not look precisely like the original stars.
He began working in clay from a photograph of Babetta but soon found that something was missing from her beautiful likeness. He then phoned her for an appointment to come down and sit for the sculpting. It was in the first sitting that Mr. Louie caught the essence of the witch: Her incredible warmth and charm that she is famous for.
Two months later the statue stood completely finished with long ravenous curls falling over her shoulders, the exceedingly long red nails and the fluttering eyelashes all unmistakably Babetta, a modern-day witch. It was not until the final evening that Babetta, working on last minute touches on hair and make-up that Babetta herself breathed life into the lips of the statue. She hoped to convey to all who see the statue the positive energy that is the truth of the real Witch.
Finally the gala night arrived amidst a star-twinkling sky in Hollywood. The air is fresh and clean, charged with its own special energy of Halloween. Out of the limousine stepped Babetta's entourage: First were two other beautiful witches and one as a dancing nature-spirit, a magician clad in silver robes, then Dennis Michael Moore, the High Priest, dressed in the traditional purple robe of High Magic. Finally, to a shrieking crowd, Babetta herself covered in a long, dazzling sequined gown slit up one side to the thigh and carrying in her hand a small replica of a 16th century broom, greeted the many well-wishers.
She stopped at the door where a microphone was waiting and welcomed the crowd. Beaconing the crowd inside she led the way for the momentous unveiling of the wax figure. People began to crowd past the velvet ropes into the Wax Museum in order to get a glimpse at the festivities that await them inside. Now with the inside filled to capacity. Babetta stands on the platform with the statue of herself, with a coven of witches around her. The beautiful Witch is also surrounded by four statues of ghoulish demons.
It is now midnight and Babetta begins her speech to the crowd along with a spell of everlasting Banishment of all demons which have been associated with Witchcraft. As she does her Banishment there is a bang, a puff of smoke and the four demons which were standing around her come to life and run away. As they scurried off of the platform the crowds began howling and cheering. Babetta then restored order, gave a blessing to all on that Halloween night and wished all well for a Halloween is the beginning of the Witch's year.
In 1980 on a fateful night reminiscent of the scene from the movie 'House of Wax' a mysterious fire broke-out and raged through the main part of the museum. A week before Babetta had been called to settle a dispute on where to move the statue. Some felt that a witch in the main room so long after Halloween would be a negative influence, but that the horror chamber would be more appropriate. Babetta, disgusted by the idea said, "Fine, put her in the horror chamber among all of the ghoulish and macabre figures in history and one thing will stand out; that witchcraft and witches were never ugly or grotesque. Then when people visit here they'll say 'Why would a witch be here?'" And so she stands there today, totally unscathed by the fire, with one foot in a dark ages of her past and the other in the modern-day philosophy which she lives today.