Willis Wonderland Foundation

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Willis Wonderland Foundation

✨❤️ Empowering the next gen of creatives 🎶🎨
Honoring Hall of Fame songwriter and creative visionary Allee Willis

09/10/2026

"She wrote the songs you know. She lived a life you won't forget."

Big news for our friends in Australia & New Zealand!

The World According to Allee Willis starts streaming September 10 (today in Aus/NZ!) on DocPlay.

08/27/2026

Like everyone else, we're heartbroken over the loss of Dolly Parton. In the middle of the sadness, we were surprised and charmed to learn that Allee Willis had a secret connection to her, thanks to a message from one of her nephews, Mike Frost.

Back when Allee was fresh out of college and copywriting at CBS Records, she wrote liner notes for many albums. For fun, she gave writing credit to her nieces and nephews instead of herself on several albums.

At just 11 years old, Mike got the credit on Dolly's 1972 "The World of Dolly Parton" album, because Allee knew he was a fan. "The writing is all Allee Willis," he told us.

Thanks, Mike, we appreciate you reaching out and giving us the excuse to share this fun story.

08/17/2026

Willis had a favorite. This black velvet painting of a conga drummer THAT LIGHTS UP was it. She always said she'd never sell it.

Lot 135, Julien's Auctions

Video by Rusty Blazenhoff

08/16/2026

James Brown visited Willis Wonderland in the mid-1980s and gave Allee Willis an unexpected compliment: "He always told me my music was so hot and picked up [her church] fan to 'cool himself down.'" Naturally, Allee took that as a sign. She'd been collecting vintage African-American church and funeral fans since the late 1970s, but after that, she bought every one she found.

The collection really took off when Allee started writing The Color Purple Musical in 2001. Anyone listening to the music got a fan in hand, especially during the Church Ladies song, including these folks fanning themselves in Allee's music studio.

Lot 142, Atomic Kitsch: Julien's Auctions

08/15/2026

"Fasten your seatbelts!" -- Allee Willis

Disco memorabilia, Lot 317: Julien's Auctions

Video by Rusty Blazenhoff

08/14/2026

This is crackers. Literally!

Prudence Fenton, Allee Willis’s longtime partner, created a portrait in crackers, pasta, and chips of Allee.

If you know Prudence's work (and you do) – Pee-wee's Playhouse, Liquid Television, Peter Gabriel music videos, three Emmys, a Grammy, a Clio – you understand that this is exactly the kind of deeply creative person who, confronted with a pile of crackers, sees a portrait waiting to happen.

She calls it Crackerature. Or Crackature. The name is still up for debate, and honestly, we think that's part of the charm.

Now it can be yours! Lot 177. juliensauctions.com

08/13/2026

Allee Willis always said she outbid Jennifer Aniston for this avocado green rocking chair, an original Lee Woodward design from around 1970. Here's what we know: Allee co-wrote the "Friends" TV theme song, Jennifer visited Willis Wonderland, and the two worked together on Jenn's website, JennX.

When Jenn first came over, she didn't know Allee had written the "Friends" song, "I'll Be There for You," and was taken surprised to see the sheet music and gold record hanging on the wall.

Lee Woodward rocker, Lot 293
"Friends" theme gold record, Lot 96
Julien's Auctions

08/12/2026

Billie Eilish spent the day at Willis Wonderland for a photoshoot in 2019. A plastic waffle on a flower-shaped plate that Allee Willis and Paul Reubens found together on one of their thrifting trips made it into one shot.

Now they can be yours!
Lot 226, Atomic Kitsch: The Allee Willis Collection at Julien's Auctions

Proceeds benefit The Allee Willis Foundation

Photo by Kelia Anne for Variety

08/11/2026

Storytime! Allee Willis made up an art-alter-ego: Bubbles. Now, Bubbles was, by Allee’s design, an intentionally bad artist. She painted straight from the heart and never once showed up to her own gallery openings. Allee gave herself permission to have fun by creating Bubbles!

People ate it up. Big names collect her work including Lily Tomlin and RuPaul who vie for the title of being Bubbles Biggest Superfan.

And a lot of those big names weren't just collectors, they were subjects too. Bubbles loved painting Allee's friends and collaborators right into the work: an Isaac Hayes plate, Maurice and Verdine White tiles, a Sandra Bernhard ceramic plate, and more. Bubbles even created a tongue-in-cheek portrait of her mentor... Allee.

Deep Bubbles lore: Bubbles wouldn't exist without eBay. Allee got so hooked on the site when it launched (she was once interviewed by LA news as an eBay "addict") that she stumbled on outsider artist GF White. One look at his work and she thought, "I could do that." Bubbles was born.

Allee was already your favorite artist's favorite artist. Bubbles took it even deeper.

We've got several Bubbles pieces up for grabs in Atomic Kitsch, including one of "The Gracious Lily Tomlin." Four of GF White's original pieces are in Julien's Auctions too. Help us give Bubbles the sendoff she deserves!

Link to all the Bubbles and GF White pieces in the comments.

Address

Global
Los Angeles, CA

Website

http://alleewillis.org/, https://linktr.ee/alleewillis, http://theworldaccordingtoalleewillis.com/, https://www.hulu.com

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