A look at "Very Special Episodes" Part 1: Just Say No - Punky Brewster

“Just Say No” from Punky Brewster

Season 2, Episode 8
Original Air Date: 27^th of October 1985

While Ronald Reagan was declaring war on the Sandinista government during his

presidency (infamously, funds raised to fight the Sandinistas were raised from drug running through Columbia, Panama and other nefarious sources), ironically, First Lady Nancy Reagan was gearing up for her own war on drugs by founding the “Just Say No” campaign in 1982. Focusing on the prevention of substance abuse and addiction in young people, Mrs. Reagan kicked off her decade-long anti-drug crusade with numerous appearances on talk shows, well-publicised visits to drug rehabilitation centres, and frequently broadcasted public service announcements. She visited hundreds of schools around the country, giving talks to students and handing out T-shirts, stickers and badges emblazoned with the “Just Say No” slogan. Aiming to embed her message into popular culture, Reagan guest starred on episodes of Diff’rent Strokes and Dynasty as herself to promote the movement, as well as in the music video for ‘Stop the Madness’, a ‘We Are the World’-styled pop track with anti-drug lyrics sung by numerous music and movie stars. Reagan’s use of popular culture to spread the word was also a further effort to connect with children and adolescents – that young people would see it as ‘cool’ to say no if they saw their favourite celebrities doing so. In a 1986 press statement she noted: “Up until a few years ago there was almost a stigma in trying to speak out against drugs. It was unfashionable. It was illiberal and narrow-minded in our live-and-let-live society. Movies and television portrayed drugs as glamorous and cool. We heard about the recreational use of drugs as if it was as harmless as Trivial Pursuit. Even law enforcement was weakened by the moral confusion surrounding drug abuse. It was as if all the people who sought to fight drugs had to justify their actions.” 

One of the most memorable attempts by Mrs. Reagan to influence the youth market with her campaign is the Punky Brewster Very Special Episode “Just Say No”, which presents a frank and un-sugar coated lesson to its mostly tween audience on not giving in to peer pressure. “Just Say No” begins with the Chicklets, a clique of sixth grade girls unexpectedly turning up at Punky Brewster’s (Soleil Moon Frye) house. Punky and her best friend Cherie Johnson (Cherie Johnson), who is visiting when the group arrives, are surprised but pleased to see them, as both have been hoping to become accepted by the clique for some time. Emily (Alyson Croft), the leader of the Chicklets, asks to see Punky’s treehouse. Impressed, she then invites Punky and Cherie if they would like to join their “very cool and exclusive club”. Overawed, the girls immediately accept. Wanting to fit in with the group, Punky and Cherie try to dress ‘Chicklets style’ – bright layered clothing, plastic necklaces and bracelets, hair bows and makeup. They also adopt the gang’s exaggerated Valley Girl speak. But their efforts are gaudy and garish and their disapproving parents tell them to go back to being themselves. The Chicklets declare that Punky and Cherie must pass an initiation to become fully-fledged members of the club. Desperate to belong, both drink a nauseating concoction of raw eggs, mustard and horseradish with no qualms. However the girls are taken aback at the next dare. Emily places a colourful assortment of drugs in front of them (“just some grass, a few uppers and a little nose candy”) and invites Punky and Cherie to have first choice. Trying to hide their shock, the pair say apprehensively “maybe next time”. An annoyed Emily calls them “babies”, declares “everyone uses drugs” and storms off with the rest of the Chicklets in a huff.

In a dilemma over whether to do what the gang asks or stand her ground, Punky confides in her teacher Mike Fulton (T.K. Carter), asking him for advice. Mr Fulton explains to her what peer pressure is, as well as about the “Just Say No” movement, handing her a leaflet. With their confidence renewed, both Punky and Cherie are no longer afraid to say “No” to Emily the next time she pressures them to take drugs. They also no longer care about wanting to be accepted by the Chicklets and tell the group they’ve formed their own club – the “Just Say No club”. Kate (Stefanie Ridel), one of the Chicklets, is also tired of the peer pressure and sides with Punky and Cherie. The episode concludes with footage of real-life “Just Say No” rallies held around the USA (including marches lead by Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson), accompanied by a voiceover from T.K. Carter giving an overview of Nancy Regan’s anti-drugs campaign.  

“Just Say No” conveys both clear messages about the dangers of illicit drugs and peer pressure without being too overbearing or knocking the balance of the normal flow of the show off-kilter. Notably Punky’s adopted father Henry (George Gaynes) and Cherie’s mother Betty (Susie Garrett) have minimal screen time in this episode, presumably to avoid becoming overly preachy. Though some commentators have stated the notion of a gaggle of sixth grade girls decked out in the latest Esprit and Guess fashions of the time being drug pushers as unrealistic, it is of course not unheard of. It was, in fact, a clever decision from writer Rick Hawkins to show the audience that drug users can be of any age, race (one of the girls in the Chicklets is Asian) or background, not just the stereotypical emaciated, strung out, improvised addict begging on the street. Cherie Johnson herself stated “I had a conversation with my principal at the time in high school and mentioned that of course I had

done Punky Brewster and that he needed to bring in a kind of D.A.R.E. program into the school of a Just Say No campaign, just like we did in Punky Brewster. And he said that drugs weren’t a problem at our school because we were a private wealthy school. And I was like “Are you kidding me? These little girls here are doing drugs.”

Another significant life lesson the episode delivers is the importance of being yourself and not caving in to peer pressure just to be accepted and popular. That even if you lose favour with some for saying “no”, there will always be others who will support you. Henry and Betty emphasise the importance of embracing individuality when their daughters make their outlandish attempt to look and talk like the Chicklets. The girls take this on board and return to dressing in their own unique styles. Also, any viewer already familiar with Punky’s personality and values would easily predict that she would never compromise her own belief system to fit in with others. Punky is confident, strong-willed, and influential. The latter is demonstrated when the more uncertain, less self-assured Cherie follows suit when Punky refuses Emily’s demands to them to take drugs. It’s likely that if Punky had decided to take

up Emily’s offer, Cherie would have agreed too – fortunately Punky is a good influence on her best friend. Punky’s assertiveness also enables Kate to pluck up her courage and be true to herself by leaving the Chicklets, a clique she was obviously uncomfortable being around.

The performances from the young cast members in “Just Say No” are impressive; indeed as Cherie Johnson points out, their characters were not too far removed from their real life personas. “...I took pride in my tomboyish behaviour. Soliel Moon Frye...was like a child hippy. Soliel would get around without shoes and didn’t care about what she looked like, she was just so earthy and beautiful and free spirited. The little girls who play the in-crowd were older than us and were actually part of a cool clique that Soliel and I knew. We went to camp together and they were totally those kind of girls. Of course they were never into drugs and would never dream of pressuring us into doing drugs, but they were very much like the girls you see on that episode. They also really enjoyed playing their cool selves on TV and they also got to play out their roles in a real nasty and mean way, which is great for an actor because everybody loves to play the villain.”

The real-life footage of Soliel Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson leading “Just Say No” marches made a lasting and positive impact on both the show’s young fans and the actresses alike. Johnson looks back upon her part in the campaign fondly: “Soliel travelled for four years promoting the “Just Say No” campaign... I would be in Georgia and she would be trekking it around the US. Every weekend for four years, we lead rallies around the country. It was phenomenal. I think as a child I didn’t really understand how important the show was and how important its message of “Just Say No” was. I mean, I knew we were popular, because there were thousands and thousands of people on those rallies with us in the frontline. But fame was never discussed at my house. My reality in this situation was the fact that we travelled and made hundreds of friends and made that decision together that we would never take drugs or drink and never ruin our lives with that kind of lifestyle. It is such a lasting message. And I have carried that with me for all those years. People would stop me now and say “Hey I was at that “Just Say No” rally that you lead and I have never taken drugs because of it!” I get that all the time. All these people’s lives have been touched, and they are drug and alcohol free because of these rallies that came about because of Punky Brewster.” Johnson added: “Years later, a very well respected high profile actress who I will not name, was handing out what I thought were breath mints around set. And I was like “Oh yes please! I’ll have a couple” and she was like “No, no, no, not for you” and I was like “Why? What, my breath don’t stink?” and everyone on set laughed at me. Sometime later I found out that those breath mints were drugs, and they were all taking them, but “little Miss Punky Brewster” was not allowed to have any, because they were protecting me. And that was because of doing a show like Punky Brewster. It made me out to be a good kid, and I’m thankful. I would have put that thing in my mouth and freaked out!”

At the time of these marches, the “Just Say No” campaign was at the height of its popularity and recognition. According to The Ronald Reagan Library, by the end of the Reagan administration in 1989, more than 12,000 “Just Say No” clubs had been formed worldwide. No doubt the formation of some of these clubs was brought about by keen Punky Brewster fans. Although Nancy Reagan’s efforts in promoting the prevention of substance abuse certainly made a lasting impression and increased overall public awareness of drug use, the campaign failed to have a lasting impact on the statistics of usage and fatalities. It is most likely that the overly simplistic message of “Just Say No”, equally simplistic grouping of all drugs, from alcohol to crack cocaine, as the evil ‘Other’ (for example, a glass of wine or a joint being classed as equally destructive as heroin addiction) thus raising misinformed and unnecessary hysteria, and lack of solid drug education contributed to the failure of the campaign. In an age where drug use is generally glorified in popular culture and the mainstream media, the “Just Say No” movement is a quaint, and in hindsight, very naive throwback to a bygone era.

Likewise the Punky Brewster “Just Say No” episode has a charming naivety to it, though its message is strong, clear and to the point, and effectively conveyed by the talented young cast. One of the most unforgettable Very Special Episodes, it is certainly one that stays in the viewer’s consciousness, regardless of their opinion of its moral stance.