Welcome to the ALL NEW AnnetteConnection.com

Hi everyone, welcome to the all new AnnetteConnection.com!

First, I would like to thank you all for your patience during this period of transition and transformation; as we have grown, updated and reorganized our web presence - a primary goal of ours throughout 2017.

Early last year, while assessing future goals, the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases (AFRFND) Board of Directors was delighted to come to the realization, that thanks to the generous support of so many of you, the organization had grown to a point that warranted its own independent home online. As a result, AFRFND.org was created as the new, official site for Annette's non-profit; while the existing AnnetteConnection.com website was to remain open and continue to be maintained as a place to celebrate the life, career and legacy of this courageous and legendary star.

Today we complete this year-long transition, as AnnetteConnection.com is relaunched with a fresh, updated design and new features just in time to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Annette's birth!

You can look forward to regular updates to the blog, galleries and other areas throughout this milestone year - including a new timeline feature set to debut later this month. There will also be opportunities for you to take part and contribute to the site itself in the months ahead! Until then, I hope you enjoy browsing what has been prepared so far. I look forward to receiving your comments and celebrating with you, the life of one of entertainments greatest sweethearts.

Until next time...

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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: The Annette Cheerios Cereal Box

When it comes to Annette cut-out dolls, it's fair to say that among the rarest isn't one of the brightly colored doll books produced by Whitman Publishing for retail markets between 1956 and 1962...but rather an Annette doll offered for free on the back of a cereal box! In 1958, General Mills included an Annette cut-out doll on the packaging of Cheerios breakfast cereal. The doll, doll stand and a few outfits and accessories were printed directly on the back and left-hand side panel of the box, ready to test one's scissor skills and provide hours of playtime fun. While vintage, uncut cereal box panels with the Cheerios doll will surface from time-to-time on the collectors market, surprisingly, the front panel featuring unique and charming artwork of Annette promoting the doll included with purchase was rarely if ever preserved. Even rarer are complete, fully assembled boxes which are nearly impossible to find today. Given it's scarcity, I feel especially f...

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