Waxattract/Enter-Tech
Headquarters: Niagara Falls, Ontario
Years Operational: 1960?-1985
Number of Confirmed Projects: 30+
Mid-70's business card featuring the only documented
instance of the company's logo.
Waxattract was the leading wax figure and animatronics design firm in Canada, and were fittingly based in Niagara Falls, ON. The company was owned by (and entirely comprised of) the Dunham family, with Robert Dunham founding the company sometime in the early 60's. His wife Betty as well as their eight children would all go on to become involved in the family business in some way as the company grew. Together they achieved several firsts and milestones in the amusement industry, including the first programmable animatronics outside of Disneyland, the first entirely horror-themed wax museum, the first programmable stand-alone animatronic band, and the first modern haunted attraction, today an over $300 Million USD a year indusrty.
By the 70's the business had evolved to an entire studio, officially taking the name Waxattract and setting up shop in a warehouse on Portage Rd., where the company produced some of the most iconic Niagara Falls attractions to ever exist, including The House of Frankenstein, Castle Dracula, and Circus World, as well as working on several attractions in the U.S. and across wider Canada. As their animatronic technology began to advance, the company moved to Thorold Stone Rd. and rebranded as Enter-Tech - "Entertainment Technology in Motion" (a division of Waxattract) at the dawn of the 1980's, as animatronic entertainment became the new revolution in the amusement industry due largely in part to the company's own innovations.
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Early-80's Enter-Tech Brochure
The company's most popular attractions, and most groundbreaking, were their revolutionary haunted attractions which redefined the industry not just in Niagara but as a whole, and become an integral part of Clifton Hill's development and growth. The company disbanded in 1985 following the unfortunate death of Robert Dunham that year, a huge blow to the Niagara Falls amusement industry. He was working on the planning stages of an interactive, horror-themed blacklight indoor miniature golf attraction which would unfortunately never be completed, but would have been perhaps the first blacklight mini golf course in the world, and certainly the fist with a horror theme or interactive props. Who knows what else Dunham and Enter-Tech would have invented and come up with more time. One thing is for certain, his legacy, and the joy he brought to millions in his short time, will live on forever in Niagara Falls and the amusement industry as a whole, even if people may not know him by name.
Fred (left) and Jeff (right) Dunham build a figure for
"The All Star Mouse Revue" animatronic show, 1980.
The full story of Waxattract and their incredible technological innovations in the industry is a tale far too long to tell on this page, which is why Canadian Amusement History is proud to present the special feature article "Scultping Memories: The Waxattract Story", a deep dive into the company's attractions and legacy written with information sourced directly from the Dunham family. To learn more about perhaps one of the most important companies in the history of this industry, click the link above.
Confirmed Projects
Fantasy Land - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach (1960?)
​Waltzing Waters - Niagara Falls (1962)
Burning Springs Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (1966)
Boris Karloff Wax Museum/Niagara Wax Museum of Fantasy - Niagara Falls (1967)
Movieland Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (late 60's/early 70's)
Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (late 60's/early 70's)
Niagara Belle (tourist paddlewheel ferry boat, non-amusement attraction) - Niagara Falls (1970)
Royal London Wax Museum - Niagara Falls (1970?)
The House of Frankenstein - Niagara Falls (1971)
The House of Frankenstein - Lake George, NY (1973)
​Castle Dracula - Niagara Falls (1974)
Myrtle Beach Speedway (NASCAR track, non-amusement attraction) - Myrtle Beach, SC (1974)
Castle Dracula - Myrtle Beach, SC (1975)
Magic Harbor - Myrtle Beach, SC (1975)
Hound Dog Revue/Country Hound Jamboree - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975)
Haunted Shooting Gallery - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975)
Castle Dracula - Panama City Beach, FL (1976)
Tower of London Wax Museum (figures/props only, relocated from Royal London Wax Museum) - Niagara Falls (1976)
Jungleland Miniature Golf - Niagara Falls (1978?)
Many Worlds of Jules Verne (concept work only, never developed) - Niagara Falls (1979)
​Circus World - Niagara Falls (1979)
Legend Niagara/Great White Water Picture Show - Pyramid Place, Niagara Falls (1979)
Dare Devil Gallery - Niagara Falls (1979?)
Portable Walkthrough Haunted Attractions (produced for travelling fairs and small amusement parks) - (Late 70's?)
W.C. Fields Display (Unknown Themed Bar) - (Unknown American City), (late 70's?)
Ocean World - Niagara Falls (late 70's/early 1980's?)
All Star Mouse Revue - Produced but never installed (see "Sculpting Memories: The Waxattract Story"), (early 80's)
Hillbilly Bear Jamboree - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls (1981/1982?)
Animatronic Salmon Puppet (Travelling educational prop) - Ontario Ministry of the Environment (early 80's?)
Animal Krackers - Huckleberry Junction Playhouse Theater, Genesee, Michigan (early 80's)
Meet Mr. Lincoln - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls (1984)
Pioneer Museum (Name Unconfirmed) - (Exact Location Unknown), P.E.I.
Suspected/Possible Projects
Crystal Beach Wax Museum - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach (early 60's - early 70's)
National Marine Aquarium of Canada - Niagara Falls (1970)
Dark Ride - Magic Harbor, Myrtle Beach, SC (1975)
Boris Karloff Wax Museum - Sportland Pier, Wildwood, NJ (late 70's?)
Movieworld Wax Museum (involvement likely minimal, if at all) - Lake George, NY (1977/1978?)
Castle Dracula (involvement unlikely) - Lake George, NY (1982)
Circus Time Pizza - Flint, Michigan (1983)
Pizza Planet - Buffalo, New York (1983)