I did a search for a Punky thread but came up with nothing.

This was one of my favorite kid shows growing up. Too bad Soleil got humungo boobs and thus needed a breast reduction.

I know there are other Punky fans. I loved the Punky Power, Margaux going "People!" whenever she didn't get her way, and that cute little dog Brandon! Hell, I even loved Henry, even though he had a rough façade a lot of the time.

This was one of those shows that my sister and I loved that our dad absolutely hated, and we honestly couldn't figure out why.

Who else LOVED Punky's room? I begged my entirely non-artistic parents to let us do a mural on the walls of our bedroom, but alas, it never came to be.

Ooh, she had a rainbow on that mural, didn't she? Now I have to find the pictures of her room.

Speaking of unique artistic talents, I loved the opening credits, you know, with the kid-writing "PUNKY BREWSTER" slowly appearing on the screen. It was so cool.

I was reading about the series finale, and Brandon got married off to Brenda, another dog? And then it was a clip show summarizing how they grew over the last four years? I must have blocked it out for an entire decade, because that just sounds stupid.

Ooh, another episode that makes me cringe, a decade after watching the repeats?



The episode guide.

I absolutely loved this show. I have to say that the episode where Punky gets stuck inside the abandoned refrigerator scared the pants off of me. Now that's a life lesson.

I remember watching the show and loving it, so did my family. Punky Brewster did a very good job at the time dealing with real life situations as a pre-teen to early teen. The cast was great and the story lines were pretty well written. I unfortantly was not able to watch the last two seasons in syndication due to my family's cable deal at the time. Oh well.

Yay I am so happy!!

Next Tuesday ya'll.

Ooh! The DVDs! I am so buying these. I wonder if they'll have the lead-ins to the commercials intact, like Punky would say something like, "Keep your feet off the furniture!" or was that Henry?

IIRC, Cherie got stuck in the refrigerator, not Punky. Punky, Alan, Margeaux etc. use the CPR lessons they learned in school earlier that day to get Cherie breathing again.

I was 2 when this show began its run, and for some reason I just fell in love with Punky. I still have some of the cartoons and a live-action episode or two on tape somewhere. Love her. Love Soleil. Can't freaking wait for Tuesday. Man, am I a nerd...lol.

From what I've heard though, I don't think the DVDs have commentary, which I'm personally sad about. It would be interesting to have a cast member or two comment on the episodes now -- or even David Dulcon.

One of my favorite Punky lines is from the episode where Cherie gets a "boyfriend", I think his name was Donald. He was played by Bumper Robinson -- and when Punky finds out his last name is Sotta, she shrieks out "So if you married him, you'd be Cherie Sotta(cherry soda)!!!" No idea why it cracked me up so much as a kid, but hey.

Punky Brewster on DVD! Of all the shows I've grown up with, this is the one that needed DVD treatment the most, as it's been of my airwaves here for years. My brother and I loved this show, I have memories of it being on Sat. evenings, around the same time as "Puttin' On The Hits", that old lip-syncing contest with the Star Search presentation.

Punky was the same age as me and she was my brunette heroine, which I needed in a decade where blondes ruled. I was a very self-conscious kid. I dressed up as her for Halloween one year, when I was 9 or 10.

I also loved Punky's room! Especially her bed, that was made from a carriage or something. The only episode I can really remember is the one you guys have mentioned, when Cherie locks herself in the old fridge. Probably because I was also terrified after seeing it. IIRC, at the end, the cast made a little public service announcement about the dangers of playing in airtight spaces, primarily refrigerators. I remember just being relieved to see that Cherie was okay!

Another vague memory is of an episode in which Punky sets up an Italian restaurant in the living room for Henry, and Cherie and Alan help out. I don't remember why they did, I just remember the restaurant because I tried making one in my basement. Ah, memories.

There are two episodes that stand out the most for me. The first one is when Punky wanted to be an astronaut but then the Challenger shuttle explodes and she is scared away from her dream. However, after a talk with Buzz Aldrin, she begins to believe in her dream again. The second episode is the one where Punky, Cherie, Alan and Margeaux are all trapped in an old Indian (Native American) cave and all these supernatural things start happening. I remember that one the most because I was really scared at the time.

I used to love this show so much that to this day I even remember the words to the theme song.

Dang it! I knew I was going to get it wrong, and I even tried to check the episode guide, but I couldn't find it. Ah well, I suppose my Punky memories are not quite that accurate. No matter who was stuck in the fridge, it still scared the pants off of me. That's up there with the "I'm so excited" episode of Saved by the Bell in the ranks of VSEs that I actually remember to this day.

from the episode guide:


It's all good, monkeypants! My Punky memories are a bit fuzzy as well. I was all out of sorts when the family channel stopped airing episodes in the 90's -- so glad the DVDs are coming out!

Some info on the dvds from Amazon.com:

PUNKY POWER!!!

Gah! Figures. I was skimming right before I left work last night (that's what I get for being on TWoP at work) and must have missed it. Oh well.

Okay, I totally remember the drug episode with the girls and their fake gang, but I totally don't remember the Just Say No! rally Soleil Moon Frye marched in. Apparently the footage was at the end of that episode.

God, what was the girl's club name? The Chiclets? Or something stupid like that? Or maybe I'm thinking of the drugs they have to take...they looked a lot like Chiclets.

Nope, you're right. The club was called the Chiclets. Might have been spelled Chicklets, but I don't remember. They let Punky and Cherie be a part of the club, I think on a probationary basis, because Punky had a treehouse and they wanted to use it for meetings.

I got an autographed picture of Punky Brewster when I was a kid. I wrote her my very first fan letter. Yes, I am emberassed about it now. ::drops eyes::. Back then, though, it was a big deal. I wanted Punky's rainbow horror of a room, too. She just seemed to have way more fun that I did.

You know one thing that really unnerved me, even when I was 7? There was an entire episode dedicated to Allen moving away, and Punky had to deal with the loss of a friend. I mean, I know he was semi-important, but still, a whole episode of "Allen moves away?" Just dumb, I think.

I guess they were trying to mirror the way some kids find it hard to get over it when their friends move away? Maybe the writers all had blocks and they hadn't had an Allen storyline in a hot minute. I mean, it's not like Cherie was leaving. Most of the time when it came to Allen, all they really did was roll their eyes at him when he said something stupid(which happened often, don't get me wrong). He was kind of the Screech to their Kelly, Jessie and Lisa(except instead of a Brain, we had a spoiled brat). Basically just a punchline kid.

All I know is that I had the official Punky Brewster doll...and it rocked my world. I ruled the neighborhood with my punky power.

IMO, the infamous refrigerator episode was the best. episode. ever. After watching it I distinctly remember being afraid of refrigerators-- like one would jump out at me in a dark alley. The refrigerator of terror!

OMFG Tequila Bailey, you just made my week. I'm totally buying that on Tuesday!

The CPR episode stands out the most (big shocker, check out my screen name.) I also loved the five part episode where Henry is in the hospital and Punky gets sent to live with that rich family. All I remember was she tried to eat a raw oyster and it slipped out of the shell and went down her dress instead. She went to visit Henry in the hospital and he told he he had a bleeding ulcer and she asked him if he could just swallow a band aid. Anyone else remember the one with the mentally challanged janitor who played some kind of musical instrument or the one where she wanted to race those remote control cars with the boys? Or when Cherie visits her parents grave, (boy did I cry when I saw that one.)

Ok, time to get out of the way-back machine before I get carried away and recap every single episode. Anyone know if there are any plans to show this on cable tv regularly anytime soon?

Margaux was such a pretty pretty princess. And who were they fooling, anyway? Did they name her after Margaux Hemingway? Wasn't she a supermodel at around the time Margaux would have been born?

And it's sad, because I didn't find Margaux at all pretty, just princess-like. She totally reminded me of a Cabbage Patch doll.

I loved this show! My favorite episode is when the guys go to camp and everyone goes to the "make-out" rock. But the only one who get a kiss is Punky when she she is hunting for worms. The boy was really cute.
In the later episodes didn't she work at a diner?

I don't remember that. I do remember Samantha from Who's The Boss? having a job in a diner, though. But it's been a decade. Punky may have. I don't remember.

Both Punky and Cherie did some waitressing time at "Punky's Place" -- the restaurant Henry opened in (I think it was) the second to last season of the show. He originally wanted to call it Warnimont's World of Weenies or something to that effect. There were a few storylines centering around the restaurant so that might be what you're thinking of.

This thread brings back so many memories! I used to watch it every week with my brothers and I also loved that Punky had brown hair like me. I remember Soleil had an interview in Barbie magazine where she gave beauty tips. The only one I remember was to never, ever use a rubber band in your hair.

The refrigerator episode was a script contest. Does anyone else remember this? Kids could send in their own scripts and that was the one that won. They had the boy on at the end with Punky. I was annoyed because he was either my age or a little younger and there he was getting a script on Punky Brewster. Some of my favorite episodes were the Butter Lettuce Baby episode ( I wanted a Cabbage Patch doll so bad, but I never got one), the one with the girl who was kidnapped by her dad, the "over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder" episode (I was at the library the day after that one was on and overheard two boys snickering over it), and the one where they imagine what they will be like when they are 80.

These DVDs will be going on my Netflix queue!

I bought the DVDs this afternoon; I've watched the first two episodes. It's so cute! Just how I remembered. Now, though, Cherie is a bit too shrill for my liking. I loved how each of the episodes started out with the NBC logo, with the N and the fourteen feathers.

The first story arc is three episodes long, so I really want to see the final act again (when I stopped, Punky had just received help from Lisa and Mary by locking the guard out on the window ledge; Punky runs away, ostensibly to see Henry).

I'm such a nerd...I cried a little, I was so excited. Ran to Best Buy in the frickin' pouring rain to get my DVDs. I'm just about done with Disc one...watched the episodes(there's a little glitch for me during I think it's the courthouse scene of part 3 of "Punky Finds A Home",can someone let me know if it's on theirs, too?) AND the cartoons.

Watching the interview footage now -- there are interviews with Cherie Johnson and Ami Foster, as well as David Duclon spread throughout the DVDs. Disc one has Cherie and Ami interviewed together, and Cherie. Is. Wearing. A shirt. That I want!!

Sorry. I HAVE to add that it is SO great that they included the different versions of the opening credits -- syndication only showed one or two versions, but I remembered a bunch of different edits from when they first aired.

I am so happy right now! Definitely worth the money to get the DVDs.

Can I WORD your entire post, Miss Aquarius? I also went to Best Buy in the rain after work and yes, I noticed a tiny glitch in the courtroom scene. Hopefully that will be the only snag on the discs.

I watched the entire first disc already and I was really happy with the interviews. Yeah, Cherie's shirt was fantastic and very appropriate! It was good to see Ami, she hasn't acted in anything since the early 90's that I know of. David Duclon had some interesting things to say, I had no idea that it had THAT much of a following among children at the time. I didn't start watching Punky until the late 80's, when it was in syndication.

So glad they brought back this kick ass show. I hope they are speedy with releasing Season 2.

Not only that, but there was a glitch when the interracial couple came to adopt Punky, but got Mary instead. Did anyone else have that?

I'll have to go back and check to be sure, but I believe I had it as well. Also, I wasn't paying full attention by the time the second cartoon aired, but when I selected "Play All", it might have skipped the last couple of minutes and gone directly to Cherie and Ami's interview, because I don't recall the credits rolling.

Thanks, Leelee51 and TheCustomOfLife, for responding about the glitches! I'm thinking we should probably contact someone -- either the Sony Quality Assurance Dept, or Shout! Factory. The Shout! Factory site has a contact link and an email address -- I'm going to drop them a line when I finish watching the set, so I can see if there are any other glitches in the rest of the DVDs. I'm going to look for a link to the Sony Quality Assurance Department -- I know I have it somewhere. Though the glitches are minor(and I'm ridiculously happy to have the show on DVD, period), I hope that when Season 2 comes out we won't have glitches to compare. :)

My DVD wish list is already way too long, but it's Punky! Remember when Cherie used to see a cute boy, her eyes would cross and there would be a boing sound? I used to imagine doing that as a kid. Yeah, I was sad.

I'm assuming there are glitches on the DVDs because it looks like they've been transferred from old copies of the show aired overseas, or just old copies from when the show was sold on VHS. Either way, the quality is still quite good. The only time I felt the quality wasn't that great was when I was watching the cartoon. And seriously, was that The Go-Gos singing the theme song? I mean, I remember the live-action show from syndication, but The Go-Gos singing the theme from the Saturday Morning cartoon? I'm pretty sure that's from before I was born, never to be seen again.



Miss Aquarius? Leelee51? Are you both me? Or at least do you both live in the South? Because that's exactly what I did for the Punky DVDs. I didn't want to ask the really hot receptionist guy where the Punky DVDs were, though, so I had my best girlfriend do it. I was too embarrassed to admit that I loved this show; well, at least in front of the hot guy, anyway. I'll go cast myself out of the Punky Power Train.

I have some episodes of the cartoon from when they were released on home video, and the sound quality was actually better. The picture quality is about the same -- NBC cartoons pretty much all had that slightly blurred effect, from what I remember -- Kissyfur, Punky, the Alf cartoon, and the first few seasons of Alvin and the Chipmunks all had it.

You bring up a good point about the glitches, though. I always assumed that the DVDs were made from the masters from the network or production company, but you might be right. Plus Punky was recorded on videotape vs. being filmed, which automatically reduces the shelf life of the masters.

Here's hoping they get Soleil to do interviews for season 2...it'd be especially great to see Ami, Soleil and Cherie all together. I'd also love seeing outtakes, etc.

ETA:



Hehe, sorry to disappoint, but I'm a New York City girl. The downpour started here an hour or two before I left work...I was NOT happy. The funny thing is, I like wearing my hair in ponytails(though not as messy or as high up as Punky's...that'd be a bit bizzare since I'm 22, but I like pulling my hair back that way) -- and as an afterthought, I took my hair down before leaving work. When I got to the Best Buy, I realized that had been SUCH a good idea -- because someone dripping wet, with 2 ponytails, clutching a Punky Brewster DVD does not look all that sane!

BTW, I don't think it was the Go-Gos that sang the theme -- though I have no idea who did. Belinda's voice isn't that high and chirpy.

Man, what a blast from the past. I was obsessed with this show when it was on, and I realize now, in retrospect, that I had a mad crush on Punky (shuddup, I was ten).

Same here. I adored that picture. God, what a little dweeb I was. And still am. I want those dvds...

All I know is, after listening to that, I totally wanted to burst out with a verse of "Our Lips Are Sealed." It just sounded like them. Can't put my finger on it.

BUMP.

Delurking to ask how everyone who has the DVDs are enjoying them. I kicked off my DVD viewing with a Punky brewster party, and one of my best friends came to my house in pigtails and rainbow socks.

Heh.
Glad to see that others are as obsessed wiht this show as I was.
It wasn't pouring rain when I ran to buy the DVD's but it was lightly drizzling.

This was such a huge flashback to my childhood, and I'm glad that all these old sghows are getting a new life on DVD.

I had no idea there were DVDs out!

I just ordered them from Amazon and cannot WAIT to get them. This was one of my favorite shows of all time as a kid. And there are interviews with old cast members? Double bonus! Can't wait to see everyone again after all these years.

The one thing that always struck me about Punky Brewster was how many "very special episodes" they had.

I was a major Punky fan, so I saw all of the VSEs a bunch of times and still have many on tape. Of course, with Punky being a foster child, a lot of the episodes centered around that theme, and I always thought that made it a little deeper than some other sitcoms of the era.

Aside from the drugs, Challenger, and refrigerator episodes, there were:

Homelessness: When Henry falls briefly in love, the woman pressures him to send Punky away to boarding school so they can marry and travel in Europe together. Punky doesn't want to get in the way and runs away from home. She meets a homeless boy (played by her real-life brother Meeno Peluce) who has also run away from home. At the end, the runaway is convinced to return to his home.

Drunk driving: Punky's friend Joey has a father who's an alcoholic with a penchant for driving drunk. People don't believe Punky and Cherie about Mr. Deaton until there's almost an accident.

Pet loss: Punky's dog Brandon is hit by a car and almost killed. He recovers at the end, but the other woman in the waiting room at the vet with them loses her dog Angus. A very weepy episode.

Death: Cherie doesn't want to deal with the fact that her parents were killed in a car accident when she was little. She disappears every year on the anniversary of their death and refuses to visit their grave. Punky helps her get in touch with her emotions, and the ending scene is a super-emotional one where Cherie is sobbing and wailing at her parents' grave. Kind of strong stuff for a kids' show!

Foster care: Lots and lots of episodes about foster care. Aside from the very first episode, there was also an episode about an abandoned boy named T.C. who had to go live at Fenster Hall. And later in the series, Punky is sent back to Fenster Hall when Henry has a heart attack after his photo studio shuts down. Punky is briefly sent to live with a rich couple, but at the end, Henry gets her back and is able to adopt her.

Parental kidnapping: Punky's new friend Julie (played by a pre-Full House Candace Cameron) is hiding a secret. Her father has kidnapped her from her mother's custody and they are living undercover. When the kids see Julie's picture on a milk carton, she confesses the truth.

Child abuse: Punky's friend Leslie keeps showing up with strange bruises. It's eventually revealed that her mother is beating her.

Violent crime: Punky is terrified that "the Northside stalker" will break into their home and kill Henry.

Divorce: Punky's friend Allen Anderson's parents get divorced and he moves away, never to be seen again.

Illiteracy: Cherie's cousin Paula comes to town, and it's discovered that she can't read.

Deafness: When a deaf girl named Maria joins Punky's Firefly troop, she feels she won't fit in until everyone makes an effort to understand deafness.

Addiction: Henry becomes addicted to sleeping pills.

Don't forget:

Lying: Punky borrows Henry's camcorder, and Allen directs a workout video staring Cherie, Punky and Margo (I refuse to spell it that snotty way) and the lens got cracked and they lied about it being broken.
In the end, Henry watches the video and figures it out. So... don't lie.

Man, kids in Punky's neighborhood had it tough.

QAF Rocks, you are god-like. Thanks for the rundown of the "very special" eps! I loved this show so much.

Punky had some big ass tittays.

Aaaaaaaaah, my Punky Brewster DVDs arrived yesterday! I was so excited I sat down and had a whole marathon.

The DVD set is the greatest thing ever. I just loved all the episodes. Some of them I have on VHS from the late 80s, early 90s, but most I just had memories of. It was so neat to see them because all the dialogue came flooding back.

One thing I learned is that several of the episodes I had taped from our local FOX affiliate about 15 years ago were cut all to hell. It was especially noticeable in the "Fenster Hall" episode with T.C. There were entire important scenes in there that aren't on my VHS tape. I noticed the same thing to a lesser extent in other episodes that I have.

A few gripes about the special features:

Where were Soleil Moon Frye and Casey Ellison? I've seen Soleil on I Love the 80s so I know she still does TV work. Why didn't she provide any interviews? And I was really excited to see how Allen Anderson turned out, but he was nowhere to be found on the DVDs. Anyone have a recent picture of him?

And what about George Gaynes? I was terribly afraid he would be dead, but according to the IMDb, Gaynes is still alive. He's 87, but appears to still be acting. He was even in a movie released in 2003. I hope his health didn't prevent him from taking part in any interviews.

I believe Casey Ellison has been doing more behind-the-scenes film work nowadays. As for Soleil, I have no idea why she wasn't a part of the cast interviews. I'm hoping they filmed(or are planning on filming) a bunch of interviews and will space them out throughout the different DVD season releases. Like maybe we'll see Soleil and Ami in Season 2, or Cherie and Casey...then Casey and Ami for Season 3, etc. Maybe there will be interviews with all of them together in the future. I have to say that it seems like the DVDs were put together rather quickly, with fairly little fanfare -- they may not have had enough time to book Soleil for these specific interviews, as she's probably had the most work out of everybody since the show.

Edited because I don't want to get reprimanded for double posting:

This just in: TVshowsonDVD has news on how Shout! Factory is making up for one of the bigger glitches in the dvd set -- the incomplete "Glomer's Story" cartoon on the first dvd in the set.

What happened in the end of Punky Brewster?? I can very vaguely remember it, did her mom come back to get her? Or am I tripping?

The last show was a clip show. Brandon got married. The last "regular" ep was the one with the deaf girl.
I can't wait to get these DVDs. I'm pretty sure Santa got my letter, so guess we'll just wait. And. See! (I haven't seen the show in over a decade and still sing the theme song constantly. I am a very annoying person.)
Did Melissa Joan Hart really audition to be Punky? I heard that once, but have no idea where to look to verify it.

This was my favourite show when I was little! I wanted to be just like Punky, I thought she was so cool. (Hey, I was seven.) The DVD is good news, I will have to add that to my Christmas list. :) Although it probably won't be as good as I remember it. But it was fun for its time.

Hey, I haven't seen the show since it was first running, but I remember it was one of my favorites at the time. I remember one time in class (sixth grade) people were saying what their favorite shows were and I said Punky Brewster, and everyone laughed at me because I guess the Cosby Show seemed much more sophisticated to my classmates.
Anyway, that disgression leads me to my question: can you tell me how the theme song went? I can't recall. I think it would come back to me if you can tell me how it goes.

Oh, I did, too! And I sent her some stickers since I'd read she had a sticker collection. That was the same year I wrote a fan letter to the Stray Cats.

I remember that, too, but you know what, I remember that was a trend for a while on a BUNCH of shows. It seems like every show that was usually light-hearted went weird for a while. They were always super heavy-handed and hard to watch, too. Perhaps the worst was Diff'rent Strokes.
But at least Punky brought up some unusual (for sitcoms) and worthwhile subjects, especially the foster child/adoption themes. I don't think I knew what a foster parent was until I saw that show.