Long before obesity became the "cause du jour" for pediatricians, the ABC Afterschool Special series tackled the issue head-on with the riveting drama Dinky Hocker. The title character, played by Wendie Jo Sperber, is the daughter of Helen Hocker (June Lockhart), a committed community activist and drug counselor. Unfortunately, Helen is far too busy with her "outside" activities to notice that her daughter Dinky has an addiction of her own -- to junk food and sweets. Only when she turns to her equally overweight friend Tucker for help does Dinky make an effort to lose her excess weight. But, alas, her mom and dad barely notice the difference, moving Dinky to a desperate act. Based on Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, a novel by M.E. Kerr, Dinky Hocker originally aired in the fall of 1978 -- ironically under the sponsorship of a major candy company!
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