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Blossom had nothing on Punky Brewster when it came to Very Special Episodes. Bullies, peer pressure, drugs, parental abduction, backyard safety, school cheating, and gender stereotyping are just some of the "dilemons" from which nine-year-old Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) learns invaluable life lessons. Get out your handkerchiefs for "Changes," an emotionally wrenching five-parter that sees Punky wrested from her beloved caregiver, Henry (George Gaines), who not only loses his photography studio in a fire but suffers a medical emergency besides, while Punky is placed with a wealthy foster family. In the season finale, the show sensitively deals with the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, as aspiring astronaut Punky sorts out her feelings in a diary and gets some reassurance from none other than Buzz Aldrin. T. K. Carter plays a pivotal role this season as Punky's fourth-grade teacher, who makes quite an impression both with his Billy Crystal/Bill Cosby/Muhammad Ali imitations and his unconventional teaching techniques. He lends Punky a mentoring, sympathetic ear, as in the episode "Just Say No," when Punky is thrilled to join a group of cool girls until the leader insists she try drugs. The five-parter notwithstanding, all of Punky's problems are neatly solved by each episode's end. Gaines, best known for his roles in the Police Academy series and Tootsie, is a welcome anchor for the acting-impaired young cast. Still Punky Brewster has its heart in the right place, and Punky herself remains, as ever, a pre-teen role model. Donald Liebenson

Product Details

• UPC: 826663825190
• Source: SHOUT FACTORY THEATR
• Editions: Digi-Pak
• Time: 11:30:00
• Sales Rank: 4,332

This set contains DVDs which may be available separately:

• Punky Brewster: The K.O. Kid
• Punky Brewster: Punky's Treehouse
• Punky Brewster: Cheaters Never Win
• Punky Brewster: Baby Buddies Inc.
• Punky Brewster: Tap Your Troubles Away
• It's Punky Brewster: The Gold Rush
• It's Punky Brewster: Phar Out Pharoah
• It's Punky Brewster: Switchin' Places
• It's Punky Brewster: How the Midwest Was Won
• Punky Brewster: The Perils of Punky, Part 1
• Punky Brewster: The Perils of Punky, Part 2
• Punky Brewster: Just Say No
• Punky Brewster: The Search
• Punky Brewster: Love Thy Neighbor
• Punky Brewster: The Girl
• It's Punky Brewster: Little Orphan Punky
• It's Punky Brewster: Punky's Millions
• It's Punky Brewster: Fair Feathered Friend
• It's Punky Brewster: Be My Glomley
• Punky Brewster: Milk Does a Body Good
• Punky Brewster: Christmas Shoplifting
• Punky Brewster: Urban Fear
• Punky Brewster: Girls Will Be Boys
• Punky Brewster: Cherie Lifesaver
• It's Punky Brewster: All in Henry's Family
• It's Punky Brewster: Bright Eyes
• It's Punky Brewster: Mississippi Mud
• It's Punky Brewster: Punky, P.I.
• Punky Brewster: Changes, Part 1
• Punky Brewster: Changes, Part 2
• Punky Brewster: Changes, Part 3
• Punky Brewster: Changes, Part 4
• Punky Brewster: Changes, Part 5
• Punky Brewster: Accidents Happen
• It's Punky Brewster: Camp Confusion
• It's Punky Brewster: Allen Who?
• It's Punky Brewster: Punky's Half Acre
• It's Punky Brewster: Mother of the Year

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