Allee Willis' legendary all-gal pajama party gets a 2025 remix
Plus: competitive shenanigans with Allee and Paul Reubens, with that golden bull caught in the middle
Knock knock, it’s meeee…Willis Wonderland. (Yes, the house.)
What I’ve got for you today is a tale of legendary pajama parties past, and a new one that just happened.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Allee Willis hosted not one, but three all-gal pajama parties here. I remember them like it was yesterday!
Now, all these years later, the tradition lives on. Because a good idea is a good idea.
Allee Willis wasn’t just known for her wild style and hit songs. She was also proud to be called a party thrower. In fact, she’s said it was her most important title. And if you ever attended one of her legendary Night of the Living Negligee pajama parties, you know she meant it.
Then…
Back in 1989, when Allee threw the first one. One hundred women (“on the nose”) were invited, including Julie Brown, Sandra Bernhard, and the one and only Carrie Fisher. It was wall-to-wall fabulous.
Everyone got boas Allee crafted from toilet paper with pink feathers glued into every perforation. Jewelry fashioned out of plastic babies and vintage sanitary belts. Glamour gowns made from Hefty trash bags, styled by Pierre Ooh La La (aka Stanley DeSantis). Tres chic. (Yes, a handful of men were allowed, but only as staff.)
The games were iconic. In particular, the Tampon Toss involved stuffing tampons with halved Super Balls and launching them into tiny toilets hung from my palm trees.
And then came the kicker. Everyone gathered in the living room to watch a clip from the Arthur Murray Dance Party, a 1950s TV show where a dreamy young Tab Hunter jitterbugs his way to victory. He wins a trophy and a carton of Kent cigarettes. Just as the video ends, the doorbell rings and in walks Tab himself, holding a trophy and a carton of Kents.
“The girls sceamed and swooned and the ‘We’re not men, We work here’ servants handed out cans of Tab for a toast.”
—Allee Willis
This wasn’t just a slumber party. It was a masterclass in kitsch, camp, and collective joy. And I’m proud to say I was the backdrop for all of it.
Now…
Cut to this past Saturday night. Nearly 200 women in the music industry turned up and turned me into a pajama party playground. Hosted by the non-profit Push Up Bra LA, they made beaded friendship bracelets, got their portraits drawn, struck poses in the photo booth, got henna tattoos, danced to four different DJs, noshed on pizza, tacos, and cool customized cookies, and cheered on Miss May’s burlesque number to Donna Summer’s “Let’s Dance” (watch here… potentially NSFW!). There were slinky nighties, flannel pajamas, a fleece dino onesie, and more poolside selfies than I could count.
A different vibe, same spirit. It was a full-circle kind of night.
And, as promised, straight from my archives, here’s Part 2 of the saga with Allee and Paul Reubens. This is bonus footage from The World According to Allee Willis. It’s less about going thrifting and more about playful rivalry over their finds, with a golden Sascha Brastoff bull caught right in the middle. (If you missed Part 1, that’s right here.)
Ta ta for now,
—Willis Wonderland
P.S. I’m not just a pretty façade. I’m available to rent for the right kind of gathering. If you’ve got something special in mind, I’m all ears.
P.P.S. If you’re in L.A. or heading this way, don’t miss seeing me (and Allee and Allee’s celeb friends) on the big screen for Pride Live! Hollywood. Lookie:
Big thanks to the Willis Wonderland Foundation for giving me a voice.
They honor the legacy of Hall of Fame songwriter and creative powerhouse Allee Willis by empowering the next generation of creatives. Be sure to see what they’re up to with their Musical Wonders music education program. If you’d like to support what they’re doing (trust me, you do), please go ahead and make a tax-deductible donation today.
Share the magic, not the whole script.
Look, I adore being talked about. That’s how stories spread and legacies live on. So yes, share a photo, a GIF, a quote (just a snippet, not the entire post please). Just be sure to credit the Willis Wonderland Foundation and link back. All images and GIFs are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. That means you can share them with credit, just not for anything commercial.
I swam in that pool before it was gone. Actually, I remember diving off the diving board!
Oh to have been able to be there. What a dream.