Berlin: Barack Obama's wax doppelganger took office in several European capitals Thursday — five days before the real-life Obama takes over in Washington.
In Amsterdam, Obama's predecessor George W Bush was booted to the sidewalk, complete with baggage.
Standing in Berlin between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Madame Tussauds' newest museum, the president-elect is shown smiling broadly with his arms crossed across his chest.
"He looks very happy and like he might be in for a reality check," said Nancy Green, events coordinator for Democrats Abroad in Berlin.
A similarly beaming Obama figure was on display in the window of Madame Tussauds' in Amsterdam, while Bush had been bundled out the door, surrounded by suitcases.
"We're not taking him back here," said museum spokeswoman Annemick Dolfin of the Bush figure. "He's going in the archive."
The departing Bush remained on the sidewalk outside the museum on Dam Square for about 90 minutes.
In London, Obama was installed Thursday amid a mock-up of the White House Oval office. Neither the Berlin nor London branches said they had any plans to remove their Bush figures from display.
Berlin's Madame Tussauds made headlines on its opening day last July when one of the first visitors ripped the head off a wax figure of Adolf Hitler. The museum anticipates a much smoother reception for the next American president.
"He's quite popular in Berlin," said spokeswoman Natalie Ruoss. In July, Obama spoke to a crowd of more than 200,000 in the German capital.
The first wax Obama was unveiled in February in Washington, D.C. Figures in New York and Las Vegas were also to be unveiled on Thursday, while those in Hong Kong and Shanghai will appear on Obama's actual Inauguration Day, January 20.
The figures are created using professional sculptors and more than 300 detailed measurements, at a cost of roughly €200,000 ($260,000) each.
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