From the Disney Studios Lot

Filled with handwritten assignments from her years of schooling in the "little red trailers" on the Disney Studio lot; two of Annette's school binders were on display at the Annette Funicello Research Fund booth at D23 Expo 2015. Just like any teenager, Annette decorated these notebooks with doodles and the names of her favorite "famous" crushes of the day.

This 14k gold and jeweled horse pin was gifted to Annette by her costume designer at the Walt Disney Studio, Gertie Casey. Annette and Gertie shared a mutual admiration for horses.

Following her marriage to rancher and horse breeder, Glen Holt in 1986, Annette had the pin redesigned by her jeweler as tie tack for her husband.

These dance shoes from Annette's years as a Mouseketeer were discovered in the attic of Annette's childhood home in Encino while packing up the house for her parents' move to Palm Springs. Almost thrown away, the shoes were saved by Annette's husband, Glen who crafted two plexiglass cases to protect and display one of each of the four pairs of shoes. One shoe display decorated the livingroom of Annette's home in Encino.....while the other was kept at the ranch home in Bakersfield. Unfortunately, one of these displays was among the casualties in a fire that destroyed Annette's Encino home, along with a wealth of her career memorabilia in 2011.

Fortunately, the second display still survives. The photo above shows Annette with this very presentation at her ranch home in Bakersfield, CA.

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Annette Funicello: Tributes from Fans and Friends

It's simply not often enough that I have the opportunity to alert our readers of a brand new Annette related product, but finally, the long dry spell between such releases has come to an end with the book, Annette Funicello: Tributes from Fans and Friends . Rita Rose, former president of Annette's international fan club, has compiled the personal memories and reflections of over forty individuals who are related to, have met, worked with or befriended this most likable star. While Annette is famously remembered for being the same person in her daily life as she appears on screen, this book takes you deeper and reveals some of the lesser known dimensions of her character and personality. Find out what it was like to encounter Annette as a fan, to be a guest in her home, to collaborate with her in the recording studio and attend to her on-set or on one of her early promotional tours in the '60s. Some share how they first learned and reacted to the news of Annette...

NEWS: Bikini Beach and Pajama Party Debut on Blu Ray

Just in time for Christmas, MGM is releasing two of Annette's classic AIP films on Blu ray - a wonderful gift to fans this Holiday season! BIKINI BEACH (1964) and PAJAMA PARTY (1964) are both currently available to order at major retailers online and are scheduled to ship by December 5th. Those familiar with the MUSCLE BEACH PARTY, BEACH BLANKET BINGO and HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI Blu Rays can attest to the beautifully enhanced image and sound quality revealed in those releases. It is assumed we can expect the same level of improvement over the old DVD's for these latest titles as well!

A CLOSER LOOK: Bob Hope's Thanksgiving Special Promotional 33 1/3 rpm

Beginning in 1950, the legendary comedian and Hollywood personality, Bob Hope began making television specials for NBC. For these shows, Hope was joined by a variety of celebrity guests and other talent who performed and participated in skits consistent with the incredibly popular variety show format of the time. Hope's specials were considered must-watch television and were a popular draw through the mid- '80s. Annette Funicello's fans across the country felt especially blessed the Thanksgiving season of 1964 when it was announced that she would be appearing on Hope's upcoming holiday special. Annette made the appearance to promote her latest picture, Pajama Party (released November 11, 1964) and her Annette at Bikini Beach record album - which she performed two songs from on the show. I've always found vintage promotional ephemera to be especially interesting... seeing how the creatives of entertainment chose to promote their latest offering t...

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