Punky Brewster: Difference between revisions

'''''Punky Brewster''''' was a 1984-88 [[Dom Com]] on [[NBC]] about abandoned child Penelope "Punky" Brewster (her father walked out on her and her mom left Punky and her pet dog, Brandon, at a grocery store), played by Soleil Moon Frye, and her adoptive father, Henry, played by George Gaynes (best known for his role as Cmdt.Commandant Lassard in the ''[[Police Academy]]'' movies). Also revolves around Punky's interactions with her best friend, Cherie Johnson, played by [[The Danza|Cherie Johnson]] (who later went on to play Laura Winslow's friend on ''[[Family Matters]]''), who lives with her grandmother, Betty, played by Susie Garrett. Punky's other friends include geeky Allan Anderson (Casey Ellison) and stuck-up rich girl Margaux Kramer (Ami Foster).

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Spud in seasonSeason 3. An entire episode focuses on this.

* [[The Alcoholic]]: Frank, the central character of the seasonSeason 3 episode "Beer And Buffaloes Don't Mix." He changes at the end of the episode.

* [[Animated Adaptation]]: ''It's Punky Brewster''.

** TV Guide also billed the cartoon as just "Punky Brewster.". NBC dropped it after a two-year run then brought it back in repeats in October 1988 after the live-action pre-teenpreteen show ''2 Hip 4 TV'' tanked. In 1989, selected episodes were run on a rotating basis in the syndicated series ''Maxie's World.''.

* [[Body Double]]: In the five-part "Fenster Hall,", Punky impersonates Margaux so she can sneak out of Fenster Hall and visit Henry, who is in the hospital after collapsing from exhaustion following the burning down of his photo studio. In turn, Margaux impersonates Punky.

** Punky dresses up as Margaux again in the cartoon episode "Pretty Ugly"—but, but only because Glomer turned Margaux's face into a glomleyGlomley face. It's a wonder that Avery Bigelow (a kid whose dad runs a fashion magazine) didn't catch on that Margaux ''doesn't'' have brown eyes, freckles and a smoky voice.

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: Punky winks to us at the end of the animated episode "The Bermuda Tangle.".

* [[Brewster's Millions]]: The plot of the episode "Punky's Millions" at the animated adaptation. Trying to raise money for charity, Punky and Henry entered a game show. The final challenge was spending one million dollars within two days. Another restriction was that nothing can be bought for more than ten thousand dollars. {{spoiler|They lose the game because Allen forgot to spend the ninety-eight cents he got as change from the candy bars he bought. Fortunately, the [[Lottery Ticket]] bought during the episode was a winner.}}

* [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome]]: Scotty Lotabucci is never seen again after "Walk Pool" and "Gone Fishing.". Also Eddie the building superintendent, Mike Fulton, and Linda, the school cleaning lady that Punky befriends.

* [[Clip Show]]: "Remember When" (seasonSeason threeThree finale) and "Wedding Bells For Brandon" (seasonSeason fourFour and series finale).

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: In the animated episode "Little Orphan Punky,", the climactic scene takes at a television station, channel 6. There is no channel 6 in Chicago, but this is most likely a conceit used on TV, a TV channel not normally designated in a given city (e.g.: ''[[Married... with Children]]'' had a channel 83, a frequency that was discontinued over four decades ago.).

* [[Downer Ending]]: Season 3's "Divorce Anderson Style.". It ends with Punky crying her eyes out after Allen leaves to move out of town with his now-divorced mother.

* [[Drugs Are Bad]]: The episode "Just Say No.". Ends with rallies being held in St. Louis (with Cherie Johnson) and Atlanta (with Soleil Moon Frye). Also with seasonSeason 3 episode "Unhooking Henry.".

* [[Eighties Hair]]: Punky in seasonsSeasons 3 and 4.

'''Margaux:''' Don't be redundant! }}

* [[Heartwarming Orphan]]: Punky.

* [[It's a Wonderful Life]]: Pastiched in the animated episode "Allen Who?".

* [[Little Miss Snarker]]: Cherie in seasonsSeasons 3 and 4.

* [[Lovable Alpha Bitch]] : Margaux. (Who else?)

* [[Missing Mom]]: A few NBC episodes deal with Punky's desire to find her recalcitrant mother. In the animated episode "Punky The Heiress,", she suddenly has an aunt and uncle—servants for the Chester Henderson estate—who use her to impersonate Chester's granddaughter and embezzle the kid's inheritance, all under the guise that they've located Punky's mother.

** Soleil Moon Frye, as it turned out, suffered from a condition (known as either juvenile macromastia or juvenile gigantomastia) which caused her breasts to develop early and larger than usual. She had to have breast reduction surgery at '''15''' because of it.

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: How it all started. When Henry first discovers Punky in an empty apartment, she tells him she was abandoned. Three episodes later in "Lost And Found,", Punky thinks she's been abandoned again after she and Henry get separated at a grocery store.

* [[Precocious Crush]]: Punky had been a tomboy, up until the syndicated episode "Crushed,", where she falls for a boy named Kevin. The problem is Kevin is six years older than Punky, and to her devastation (and Henry's relief), already has a girlfriend.

* [[Talking Animal]]: Pretty much averted, but subverted in an animated episode and zig-zagged in a live-action episode. In the animated episode "Brandon The Dialogue Dog,", Glomer gives Punky's dog Brandon the gift of gab. In the third season episode "It's A Dog's Life,", Punky dreams that she and Brandon switch bodies and we hear Punky's voice as thoughts coming from Brandon's head.

* [[Zany Scheme]]: In the later two seasons, most episodes revolved around these. Though they are usually dreamed up by Punky, in seasonSeason 3 Margaux comes up with a few as well.