Disney's mouse ears a rite of passage

Actress Annette Funicello died on Monday at age 70. Before her beach party movie fame, she was one of the original members of TV's "Mickey Mouse Club," and defined the term "Mouseketeer" long before Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake. She definitely made those mouse ears look cool. They've been a symbol of Disney ever since. In her honor, iReporters told us how much those ears, and the world of Disney, mean to their lives.

Allison Dasso of Chicago runs the fan site Walt Dated World, and took her first trip to Walt Disney World at age 4 in 1978. That first time, she didn't bring her mouse ears from home. "I ended up buying a Donald Duck cap with a beak that squeaked. To this day when I look at the pictures, it just doesn't seem right when I see a duck on my head instead of a mouse. It felt like I was cheating on Mickey." She more than made up for it on future trips, wearing her many different mouse ears with pride.

Jen Cook grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, loving Disney and Mickey Mouse. "It was my first stuffed animal and I still have him. He's in rough shape but was always with me ... in the hospital, at college and even now as a parent," she says.

In 2000, Cook had a Disney-themed wedding in Chicago, complete with mouse ears for everyone. "For my husband, he also had a huge love of Disney, and has worked for the company for 15 years now."

The couple's love of Disney, of course, extends to their two children, who both had their first haircut at Walt Disney World.

Amanda Olinger took a trip to Walt Disney World as a high school senior in 2008. It was the park's "Year of a Million Dreams," and Olinger won a special set of ears as part of that campaign. "I was 18 and I had never visited before. When I won those ears, I realized that the magic can happen at any age, and that you are never too old to experience childhood joy."

Photographer and Disneyland annual pass-holder Austen Risolvato just had to capture a friend's son's first visit to the park. "The mouse ears to me are an iconic image. They represent a message to me that nothing is impossible."

Nicole Eisenchenk of Big Pine Key, Florida, sees Disney as a way to relive her childhood. She grew up on Disney and still watches the films. Even at 23, she felt like a kid again on this Walt Disney World trip with her friends.

Jay Callaghan's family went to Walt Disney World in 2009 and returned two years later, with the kids' mouse ears making the return trip. "Somehow they managed to survive the two years in the house with ears taken off," said the Peterborough, Ontario, resident. "We managed to get some shots with them wearing the ears, but by far my favorite shot is the one of them at the Disney All Star Movies Resort while they were all tuckered out from a full day at the Magic Kingdom."

Dana Simone Stovall of Aurora, Illinois, felt truly blessed to take her family on a Disney cruise last year. To her, "Disney and the mouse ears symbolize excellence, perfection and a true commitment to making 'magical' life moments." A bank examiner, Stovall attends the company's Disney Institute ever year. The program teaches "leadership, management excellence, and customer service in the way each one of their (Disney theme park) cast members personify it every day."

Lifelong Disney fan Elizabeth Doda of Meredith, New Hampshire, had high expectations for her 14-month-old son's first mouse ears photo in February. She wanted "the perfect Disney picture of Joey in his Mickey ears with the castle perfectly centered in the background. Well, we got the picture, but Joey wanted to play with the Mickey ears, not wear them." Even so, it made for a great memory.

Kathi Cordsen's 8th birthday was a dream come true. The Fullerton, California, resident got to go to Disneyland all by herself. Years later, in 2005, she acquired these treasured golden mouse ears for Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

Angela Miller of Toledo, Ohio, got this photo of her daughter at the end of a big day at Walt Disney World. It was their family's first trip. "My daughter had a fantastic time and collapsed on our way back to the hotel on our final day," she said.

HIDE CAPTION

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

Disney's mouse ears a rite of passage

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

The mouse ears and Disney's legacy intertwine

For Disney fans, mouse ears mean memories

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(CNN) -- It all started with those Mickey Mouse ears.

Annette Funicello was a teen icon of the 1950s and '60s, beginning her career as the most famous member of the original "Mickey Mouse Club."

Aside from paving the way for future Mouseketeer stars like Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, Funicello made the mouse ears something that every kid wanted to wear, and a symbol of Disney fandom for generations.

Whether they're fans of the movies, the theme parks or both, the lovers of all things Disney trace some of their fondest memories to the moments they were wearing those mouse ears, and in many cases, they've passed this down to their children as a rite of passage.

Check out the gallery above for Mickey Mouse ear memories through the years from CNN iReporters.