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Travis Barker’s new head tattoos were a 911 situation for the Madame Tussauds team.

Just as the Blink-182 drummer’s wax figure was being shipped to Las Vegas for its unveiling in 2023, he got fresh ink. The 49-year-old, famous for his body art, holds the title of the most tattooed wax figure in the museum’s United States collection. While his team sent photos of the new art to Kim Schrader, the regional studio manager for Madame Tussauds North America, it was a last-minute emergency she needed to navigate before the big reveal.

“Since it would take weeks to repaint the tattoos, there simply wasn’t enough time to complete them before,” Schrader tells Yahoo. “The evening of the launch, before Travis saw his figure in person, I talked with him and explained that I didn’t have time to redo the tattoos, but that they would be completely redone by me personally. He was very understanding [and said], ‘Take your time. I know it’ll look great.’”

That level of dedication is standard for the process. During the design phase of his model, 182 measurements were taken of Barker in just one sitting. Each of his 100-plus tattoos, which cover approximately 70 percent of his body, was documented using 3D scan data and reference photos. It took two weeks to stencil and color the tattoos on his head and another seven weeks for the ones on his body — all before any post-unveiling updates.

When Barker saw his statue for the first time, he was stunned by the accuracy, calling out the “Blessed” tattoo on his face and a tiny freckle on his ear. He said it felt like he was “staring at myself.”

Bringing a celebrity wax figure to life, strand by strand

Millions of tourists line up each year at the 20 Madame Tussauds locations around the world for selfies with the lifelike replicas of celebrities, world leaders, royalty, superheroes and even horror icons like Pennywise.

Behind every one is an elite team of artists at each site who sculpt, paint and oversee costume and hair design — an undertaking that costs anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000 per creation. Schrader, one member of the team whose responsibilities include working side by side with celebrities to create their mirror image, spoke to Yahoo about how it comes together.

“Our ultimate goal is getting the person involved in the figure-making with us,” Schrader says. “We’ll reach out to their team, work with them on the look and pose, so we have a collective agreement on how the figure will stand and what they’ll wear.”

They arrange a time for the star to pose for the team. Typically, they rent a photo studio, but they’ll meet the talent anywhere that’s convenient — the star’s home, a hotel room, a conference space and, on occasion, the museum.

At a sitting, the star arrives with their costume — which they typically donate for the model — as well as their glam team (makeup artist, hairstylist, designer). Sometimes they even have family and friends in tow.

“It turns into a little party,” says Schrader.

Over 200 measurements are taken of the celebrity’s head and body, with reference dots applied to their faces to ensure accuracy. The same number of photographs is captured from every angle while the celebrity is on a human-size turntable, striking their “master pose” — a signature stance they hold for the duration of the three-to-four-hour session.

“Sometimes they have so much fun they don’t leave, and it ends up being twice as long,” Schrader says. “We’re more than happy when they do that.”

Megan Thee Stallion ended up staying for 14 hours because the rapper had “two quite different poses” to complete. Despite being perched for so long, “she was so professional,” Schrader says. Mariah Carey stayed for twice the expected time, with the team “staying into the morning. We had so much fun.”

Artists work out fine details like skin tone and eye color, selected from a tray of eerily realistic eyeballs.

The hair — which is ethically sourced from humans — is especially time-consuming.

“We insert each hair one by one, especially on the face — the beard, the eyebrows,” Schrader says. “The head hair typically is individually inserted as well unless it’s a complex hairstyle — like Amy Winehouse — where we also incorporate wigs.”

Sometimes a celebrity will allow their personal hairstylist to snip a lock of their hair to hand over to ensure a color match. Typically, though, the artists work from a ring of hair samples.

“Sometimes they’ll request things like, ‘Can you make me a little grayer? By the time the figure comes out, I think I’ll have more gray.’ Then we’ll incorporate that,” Schrader says.

To build the figure, artists first construct a metal framework, then sculpt the body out of clay. The head is sculpted separately using the same material.

Next, plaster molds are made. For the head, wax — made from a mixture including beeswax and sumac — is poured inside and then drained, leaving a hollow head — into which the hair, teeth and eyes are inserted. Madame Tussauds works closely with the celebrity’s dentist to get the teeth right. The artists then apply 10 layers of oil paint.

The bodies are typically made with fiberglass, ensuring their longevity.

Then it’s time to accessorize. The museum works with the A-lister’s jeweler and other members of their team to perfect the details. For instance, the hands of Jennifer Hudson’s figure were sent to Chicago so that her nail technician could match the singer’s manicure. They recently commissioned their first custom grillz for Lil Nas X’s replica.

They even get the star’s eye prescription to ensure the specs are identical.

“If [the star is] nearsighted or farsighted, the eyes will look smaller or bigger,” Schrader says. “So we want to capture that as best as we can.”

Celebrities aren’t paid for their involvement. While most agree to collaborate, sometimes, if it’s, say, the president of the United States, they may not have time. In that case, a model may be made using reference data. President Trump, who was a well-known figure before becoming a politician, actually sat with Madame Tussauds in 1997.

There are also celebrities who are “too humble” for the wax treatment, Schrader says. One of them is Keanu Reeves, who politely declined. The Matrix star remains on Schrader’s wish list.

Taylor Swift gave hers a cap and gown, while Kris Jenner took one home

Even though Madame Tussauds has been in the wax figure business for 250 years, the team is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

In July, the company rolled out 13 new Taylor Swift figures across its global locations, each representing one of the singer’s eras. The project, which took 14 months to complete, was the brand’s most ambitious undertaking in its history.

Currently, there are more wax Swifts on display around the world than any other star.

The 35-year-old singer sat for Madame Tussauds at age 14, and that early data and updated research helped guide the design of the new figures, which appear in three poses. The team worked with top fashion houses like Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Versace and Christian Louboutin to re-create Swift’s iconic looks.

“We try to keep the conversation going with the celebrities,” says Schrader.

The ongoing relationship with Swift led to personal contributions: She donated her New York University honorary graduate outfit to the museum’s New York location, as well as a guitar from her tour.

A highlight of Schrader’s 16-year career was working with another big star — Michael Jackson.

“You would think he’d be a little shy and standoffish, but no. He got into my space, my bubble. He was amazed by the work that we do.”

Jackson was so impressed, he asked about obtaining wax figures of other celebrities for his personal collection. He wasn’t the only one to ask, but Madame Tussauds only creates figures for its attractions.

Well, with one exception: Kris Jenner has a wax figure in her home, thanks to her long-standing relationship with the brand.

When it comes to fan favorites in the U.S., the most sought-after figure is always whichever one they’ve most recently taken off display for maintenance, Schrader says with a laugh.

“Whoever we pull off the floor is always the one people specifically came to see,” she says. “We have an Aaliyah in Vegas and when we’ve pulled her, we’ve had people cry. They had come to Vegas specifically for that. Of course, we feel bad and offer them tickets for another day.”

Maintenance is ongoing — repainting, refreshing costumes, restyling hair and fixing limbs — to ensure every figure stays photo-ready in the era of selfies and social media.

“We encourage guests to touch the figures,” she says. “Hug them. People kiss the figures.”

So go ahead — count the tattoos, admire the flawless manicures and tally the diamonds on the grillz. After all, that’s exactly what all their work is for.