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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Punky Power RULES! Punky Brewster is the GREATEST!!, March 31, 2005
I LOVE Punky Brewster! I got this DVD set for my birthday and it has been just wonderful!
Punky Brewster is a GREAT family-friendly show! Its wonderful for all ages & is one of the few shows out there that a whole family can watch together without worrying about kids seeing graphic violence, or other inappropriate material.
For those who have not heard of, or had the chance to see this timeless 80's classic, Punky Brewster is about an adorable, and feisty 8 year old who was abandoned by her mother in a shopping center (after her father had walked out on them), She has been living in a vacant apartment, with her cute Golden Retriever puppy, Brandon, when she is found by the apartment building's manager, Henry Warnimont, a gruff, and grumpy photographer, who's been living alone, having isolated himself, both physically and emotionally since the death of his wife a year after their marriage.
At first Henry reluctantly takes her in, telling her that she can stay with him until Children's Services can find her mother. But then Henry and Punky begin to develop a close attachment to each other as the lovable Punky starts drawing Henry out of his shell, and making him feel emotion, and love once again.
Meanwhile, when it becomes apparent that Punky's biological mother cannot be found, and even does not want to be found, Children's Services takes Punky from Henry, and places her at Fenster Hall, an emergency children's shelter. That's when Punky and Henry discover how much they miss each other and want to be together. After Punky runs away from Fenster Hall to return to Henry, then Henry realizes the difference that Punky has made in his life, and how much they really love and need each other. That's when Henry makes the decision to apply to become Punky's foster parent. Though there are some obstacles along the way, eventually Punky comes home to Henry.
So Henry and Punky become a family, and the two of them grow closer and closer together as "father" and "daughter". The series explores the many ways in which they learn to share their lives with each other, and that's when the adventures begin!
Punky Brewster is a GREAT show! The minute I put in on, I am instantly transported back to my childhood - a relatively happy time in my life, when everything seemed so safe and secure. Man I miss those days! *sigh*
Out of all the DVD's I've seen, Punky Brewster is one of my favorites! I CAN'T WAIT until all 4 seasons of this wonderful show come out on DVD! I am going to buy them all!
Ever since I got this set, I have been watching it over and over! When and if I have children someday, I want them to watch this great show too! Although at the rate I am watching it now, by then, I may need to buy a whole new DVD set of this series! LOL!!
I love both the real-life show, as well as the animated series. So the extra features are terrific too, with episodes of the animated series, as well as interviews of Ami Foster, who played Margaux Kramer, Cherie Johnson, who played Cherie Johnson, Executive Producer David W. Duclon, and Writer Barry Vigon.
I love ALL the episodes of Punky Brewster, but on this set, I think my favorite episode is the hourlong special episode, "Yes, Punky, There is a Santa Claus", the holiday episode where Henry tries to restore Punky's faith in Santa Claus and Christmas. I have many other favorite episodes, though its a hard choice since I love all the episodes of Punky Brewster.
Although there are no fancy features in terms of the picture and sound, like Dolby Digital or Surround Sound, or anything, it is still pretty good - considering that this show was made in the 80's. Honestly, though it would be nice if they did include more picture and sound features, it's not really a necessity - at least not to me.
However I do have one minor quibble, and that is the lack of a closed captioning, and/or subtitle feature. Almost all the DVD's that I have seen, at least have this one basic feature. Unfortunately Punky Brewster does not.
Worse, with some of the other DVD's that do not have this feature, if the TV has a closed-captioning feature built in, then it can still be possible to get captions. But with Punky Brewster, it does not work.
As I have said, this is a pretty minor quibble. It's just that everything else about this DVD set is so great, I just wish that they had thought to include closed captioning. Not only so that those with hearing impairments can watch this wonderful show, but also because sometimes, when Punky or another character is talking quietly or mumbling, its kind of hard to understand, and closed captions would have helped to decipher it. I hope that the creators of the DVD's think about that, and decide to include closed captions, and maybe even separate language tracks (with subtitles, of course!) Naturally, they would need to raise the price a little with the inclusion of these features, but I, for one would not mind paying a little more to get those extra features for a show as fantastic as Punky Brewster.
This show is TRULY a GEM!! It's really too bad that they don't make shows like this anymore. Punky Brewster is a MUST for all 80's fans like me. Having been born in 1978, I grew up in the 80's and this show is an instant blast to my childhood. I LOVE PUNKY BREWSTER!!
I seriously urge anyone with kids, anyone who is planning on having kids someday, or anyone who liked this show when it used to air on TV to get this DVD set! You won't be sorry! I sure wasn't, and I have been watching it over and over again!
I've got PUNKY POWER!!
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