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With Walt Disney's first live-action musical, Babes in Toyland hitting theaters the holiday season of 1961, children had plenty of wonderful film-inspired toy options to enthuse over and select from for their wish lists to Santa that year; but what for the parents?  No worries! As a star of the popular Yuletide family film, Annette had them covered as well, with a selection of great gift ideas perfect for mom and dad in this advertisement published within the pages of Movie Life   magazine.   Lets take "a closer look"... * Click on images to view larger Annette Funicello, now starring (with Ray Bolger, Tommy Sands and Ed Wynn) in Walt Disney's Babes in Toyland , completes her Christmas gifts with one of Max Factor's sophisticated, golden-wrapped Hypnotique Fragrance sets.  This beautiful package, accented with black and white, contains a 2-ounce Parfum Cologne, atomizer and 1/8 ounce Perfume in a striking set box at $4.50 plus tax.  Annette her...

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...

Annette Sings Anka (1960)  was Annette's second LP following her self-titled debut album released the year before. Looking to duplicate the chart-topping success of her hit rock 'n' roll single "Tall Paul" (1959), the accomplished young singer/songwriter (and in Annette's words: "musical genius"),  Paul Anka was invited on-board by the legendary composer/record producer, Tutti Camarata to write and compose material for Annette's new album.   At the time, both Annette and Paul were among young Hollywood's most popular teen idols, and at the same time, also happened to be among the nations hottest (rumored or otherwise) teen couples.  The relentless speculation of the press on the status of their purported romance certainly helped to drum up  interest in this collaborative musical effort, which would ultimately prove to be the highest charting LP of Annette's career. The appeal for these recordings was not limited to those living...

For this first in a new blog series dedicated to taking "a closer look" at Annette Funicello related merchandise and memorabilia, we're going to compare three different editions of the Walt Disney's Zorro: The Spaniard's Secret comic book; the United State's release, the Australian release and the Mexican release. While all three versions contain the same 26-page story that combines the three consecutive episodes Annette guest-starred in on the Zorro television series ( The Missing Father, Please Believe Me and The Brooch ), there are notable differences in their presentation and method of release. Lets take a closer look... * Click on images to view larger You may recall the story of how Walt Disney presented Annette with a script to appear in the popular Zorro series opposite her crush Guy Williams for her sixteenth birthday. Walt Disney's Zorro: The Spaniard's Secret is a retelling of those three episodes that Annette guest...