The BEST episodes of Punky Brewster
Every episode of Punky Brewster ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Punky Brewster!
When 7-year-old Punky Brewster is abandoned by her parents and left alone with her dog Brandon, she decides to crash in an abandoned apartment building in Chicago. The building's manager, a curmudgeon by the name of Henry, discovers her in his building and decides to take her in — and Punky tries in turn to bring some joy into Henry's life.
#1 - Christmas Shoplifting
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/15/1985
Misled by schoolmate Richmond Matzie, Punky shoplifts a winter scarf for Henry as a Christmas present, and unknowingly switches bags with Mike -- and an innocent Mike is put in jail, but Punky and Henry get Mike out when Punky explains everything.
#2 - Urban Fear
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/5/1986
Punky is absolutely terrified that Henry is going to become the next victim of the "Northside Stalker" -- a killer who has been terrorizing the city. Henry assures Punky that it's okay to be afraid, but it's not healthy to let her fear completely take over everything she ever does.
#3 - Cherie Lifesaver
Season 2 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/19/1986
Henry's old refrigerator breaks down and can't be used anymore. Later, Mike teaches CPR to his class after sending Allen to the principal's office for repeatedly misbehaving and interrupting the lesson, as Henry is putting the refrigerator outside for the Salvation Army to pick up. Later, at home, Punky and her friends play a game of hide-and-seek. When it starts snowing as Henry is preparing to remove the door from the old refrigerator after buying a new one, Henry tells Punky, Allen, and Margaux to help him and Betty look for Cherie, who still hasn't been found in the game. Henry and Allen are shocked to find Cherie trapped inside of the old refrigerator, and this makes Punky and Margaux thankful that they learned CPR, and makes Allen feel bad that he was sent to the principal's office during the lesson. Henry and Allen decide to learn CPR together after watching Punky and Margeaux save Cherie's life with it.
#4 - Changes (2)
Season 2 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/9/1986
Punky is devastated when Henry tells her that she'll be going to Fenster Hall because Chillings removed her from Henry's custody. Chillings takes Punky to Fenster Hall, where Punky traps Chillings in a closet and escapes. Punky goes to the school to tell Mike what's going on. Mike agrees to help Punky, but he needs to know which DCFS case worker has been handling Punky's case. Punky tells Mike that it's Chillings, who took over Fenster Hall after Mike left Fenster Hall to become a teacher. Mike has a talk with Chillings, and doesn't make any progress with Chillings, who cruelly won't let Punky temporarily stay with Cherie and Betty while Henry is in the hospital, just because Punky wouldn't have her own bedroom in Betty's apartment. Betty rightfully doesn't understand this rule, which means that Punky is not allowed to temporarily share a room with her best friend Cherie at Betty's apartment, but Punky has to share a room at Fenster Hall with four girls that she doesn't even know. Mike
#5 - The Search
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/10/1985
Punky is feeling a little down after Mike has assigned the class to each work on their family tree. It's making her want her mother Susan back in her life, and when she has a talk with Mike, Mike tells Punky something surprising -- Mike was born on November 23, 1955, and his mother gave him up for adoption when he was just a few days old, and he was never adopted, so he grew up in Fenster Hall. This inspires Punky and Mike to help each other search for their mothers. Only the search for Mike's mother, Lois Collins, is successful, and the fact that Mike has been happily united with Lois delights Punky, who is thankful that Henry found her and took her in after her mother Susan abandoned her a year ago.
#6 - Love Thy Neighbor
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/17/1985
On Halloween, Punky tries to play a trick on Isabelle Peavy, because Punky wants to get even with Isabelle for the way Isabelle treated Punky, Cherie, and Allen. Isabelle is a mean old lady, and Punky's friends think Isabelle is actually a witch. When Isabelle sees Punky trying to play the "flying foamie" trick on her, Isabelle takes Punky inside her apartment, and a terrified Punky runs back out, unintentionally leaving Brandon behind in Isabelle's apartment, and Isabelle may not want to give Brandon back. Punky gets Mike to go to Isabelle's apartment to get Brandon, and Isabelle explains to Mike the reason why she is so mean...she absolutely loved dancing. 12 years ago, in 1973, Isabelle was on her way to the Starland Ballroom to do some dancing, but before she got to the ballroom, a kid on a bicycle collided with her and didn't even stop, and ever since then, Isabelle hasn't been able to dance, and she has hated kids ever since that day. Isabelle becomes angry at Mike's attempts to
#7 - Just Say No
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/27/1985
Punky and Cherie are playing in the backyard when a girls club called "the Chicklets" show up. They say they love Punky's fashion sense and her treehouse. They also explain to Punky and Cherie how being part of a club ""is like everything"". Punky invites them up to her treehouse, and the Chicklets ask Punky and Cherie if they'd like to be a part of the Chicklets. On the next day, Punky and Cherie say the pact to get into the club, and the Chicklets want to celebrate this by doing drugs. Punky and Cherie say maybe another time. Punky goes to Mike and asks him what to do. Mike hands Punky a book for the "Just Say No" club, and tells Punky about the club. On the next day, when the Chicklets pressure Punky and Cherie to do drugs, Punky just says no and tells the Chicklets about the "Just Say No" club. Chicklets member Kate, who is fed up with Chicklets leader Emily, wants to join the "Just Say No" club with Punky. At the end of the episode, Soleil Moon Frye is in a "Just Say No" march in Ch
#8 - The Perils of Punky (1)
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/20/1985
On a camping trip with Henry and Betty, Punky and her friends get lost in the woods while they're finding wood for a campfire.
#9 - The Perils of Punky (2)
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/20/1985
Lost in the woods, Punky and her friends pass the time by sharing a ghost story in a cave while Betty and Henry are searching for them.
#10 - Punky's Porker
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 11/25/1987
Punky befriends a pig at the mall, and she kidnaps it when she discovers that its owner, Jimmy John, plans to have it butchered, but Henry tells Punky that she must return the Pig to Jimmy John, who decides not to have the pig butchered. He decides to feature the pig in an ad campaign.
#11 - Poor Margaux
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 5/2/1988
When Margaux and her parents go bankrupt and auction off all of their belongings, Punky and Cherie use their skiing trip money to buy Margaux's favorite doll back for her -- a true showing of friendship that Margaux dearly appreciates. Margaux returns the favor by repaying Punky and Cherie's skiing trip money when her family comes back into having mega money again.
#12 - This Spud's for You
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/1/1987
Overweight classmate Farley "Spud" Blugner has a crush on Punky, but rejection from Punky sends him out on the window ledge on the 6th floor of the apartment building Spud lives in, when Punky refuses to ask Spud to the Sadie Hawkins Day dance.
#13 - So Long, Studio
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 12/2/1987
While Henry is closing his studio for the day, he is approached by Matt Glossy, the owner of Glossy's, which is a multi-million dollar empire of photography stores. Glossy admits that his real name is Sam Glossy, and that the name "Matt Glossy" sounded better to use for business. Glossy wants to open a new branch of Glossy's in the mall that Henry's studio is in, and Glossy thinks Henry's studio is in the spot Glossy is looking for, so Glossy offers to buy Henry's studio for $100,000 so he can turn it into a branch of Glossy's. Henry accepts the offer and Glossy hires Henry as the manager of this branch of Glossy's. Henry, who has been a photographer for 43 years, feels so miserable working as the manager that he ends up quitting. Punky convinces Henry to take some of the $100,000 he got from Glossy and open up a new restaurant. Since it was Punky's idea, Henry names the new restaurant "Punky's Place".
#14 - Help Wanted
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 12/3/1987
When Henry's most valuable employee, Stanley, quits his job, Henry tries to find a replacement for Stanley, but to no avail. Punky tells Henry that she needs money to pay her own way into summer camp, so Henry hires Punky, then promptly fires Punky for wrecking havoc in the restaurant, starting a feud between Punky and Henry. Henry believes Punky should have taken the time to learn how to do some of the things that she made mistakes doing, while Punky just wanted to do a good job for Henry.
#15 - Remember When
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 12/4/1987
A blizzard traps Punky, Henry, Betty, Cherie, Margaux, and Brandon in Henry and Punky's apartment, where the gang passes the time by remembering past situations that they've been in, with flashbacks to past episodes.
#16 - Unhooking Henry
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 12/7/1987
After discovering that Henry has become addicted to the sleeping pills that were prescribed for him six months ago when back pain kept him awake at night, Punky helps Henry realize that he has an addiction, and she helps him make the decision to stop taking the pills, because he doesn't need the pills anymore, and Punky wants him to be around for a long time.
#17 - The Nun's Story
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/27/1988
Punky and Cherie must get back an urn that contains the ashes of Henry's late aunt Mable, after Punky and Cherie give the urn away to a convent without knowing what's in the urn.
#18 - Crushed
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 4/28/1988
Punky has a crush on 16 year old Kevin Dowling, who is helping Punky install a stereo in the treehouse. Punky tells Henry about Kevin, and Henry, who doesn't understand that Punky has a crush on Kevin, vows to break every bone in Kevin's body. Punky is crushed when she meets Kevin's girlfriend Gina.
#19 - Going to Camp
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/29/1988
Punky, Cherie, and Margaux go to summer camp, where they learn about such traditions as T-shirt raids, and the kissing rock, but Punky doesn't seem to have the same romantic visions about these things that Cherie, Margaux, and their roommate Marcie have -- until Punky is kissed by a boy named Jimmy. Also, Cherie is annoyed by Franco Grenolli, a fellow camper who has a crush on her.
#20 - Open Door, Broken Heart (1)
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 12/8/1987
Brandon runs away, and while Punky and the gang spend six hours searching for Brandon, Joey Deaton, a kid Punky's age, takes Brandon in, and hopes Brandon can move to California with him and his parents.
#21 - Tangled Web
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 11/20/1987
Punky fakes being sick so she can avoid school and can go to the movie theater to see "Slime Wars In Space" -- an R rated movie that Margaux and Cherie have each seen twice, and Punky feels left out because she hasn't seen it at all. Punky does end up seeing the movie.
#22 - The Anniversary
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/17/1987
In a saddening episode: Henry has bought tickets to the circus which is scheduled for the next day, May 9th. When Cherie starts acting strange and says she can't go to the circus, Punky remembers that Punky's diary says that Cherie acted the same way on May 9th of last year too. Punky wants to know why Cherie likes to be alone on May 9th of every year, so Punky decides to follow Cherie around on May 9th -- and discovers that May 9th is the anniversary of the day Cherie's parents, Ronald George Johnson and Elizabeth Marie Johnson, died in a car accident in 1981, and Cherie is still having problems coping with the tragedy, because she feels guilty, thinking that the accident was her fault because her parents were on their way to pick her up from school. Punky talks to Betty, who says that Cherie never talks about her parents, not even to Betty. Cherie has never even been to the cemetery where Ronald and Elizabeth were buried. Cherie has kept her feelings about the deaths all balled up in
#23 - My Fair Punky
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/16/1987
Punky is invited to the birthday party of rich kid Robert Whitney when Henry is hired to be the party's photographer. In order to keep from embarrassing Henry, Punky takes lessons from Margaux on how to act like a rich stiff. The lessons don't work -- Punky ends up wreaking havoc and has Robert wishing that his social secretary Charles hadn't invited any stiffs to the party, because Robert didn't want the party to be as boring and stiff as Charles wanted it to be.
#24 - The Matchmaker
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/13/1987
Punky and Cherie send Henry on a blind date with Ms. Maytag, the school librarian, then they talk Betty into appearing on the TV show "Dream Date", where out of the three women on the show, overweight contestant Chuck McKinley chooses Betty.
#25 - Fighting City Hall
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/13/1987
Henry tries to overcome his fear of public speaking when he helps Punky petition city council to turn a vacant lot into a park -- but another man, Mr. Arnold, wants to put a mall in the lot, not realizing that Chicago has too many malls already. Henry does speak for Punky in front of the city council, and the city council decides to turn the vacant lot into a park.