History VerySpecialEpisode / WesternAnimation

* The fourth season of ''{{Recess}}'' had "Gus and Misdemeanors", which dealt with stealing. In the episode, Gus stole gum from the store because Mundy and his gang, the "bad kids" wanted him to (Mainly because they were banned from the store for stealing), and is wracked with guilt through the whole episode.

** A lot of episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' (according to the DVD special about the creation of the show, seen on the volume one DVD set) can be seen as [[DeconstructiveParody deconstructive parodies]] of the "very special episode" in which all conventions and expected twists, turns, and plot points seen in a "very special episode" are either mercilessly subverted, mocked, or [[RealityEnsues played out realistically]]. Case in point: "A Jones for a Smith" (the episode where Stan becomes a crack addict). At the end when Stan is rehabilitated, Francine is the only one happy that he is cured, Steve is pissed at Stan for ruining his chances at hooking up with a hot high school virgin who is attracted to nerds (and whose father is willing to let Steve sleep with her), and Hayley is begging Francine to let her into rehab for her marijuana problem (with Francine ignoring her).

** The Emmy-winning "Homer's Phobia" has Homer making a new friend named John (played by guest-star John Waters), but when John turns out to be gay, he's horrified and [[WhatTheHellHero Marge calls him out for it]]. ItGetsWorse when Homer thinks Bart will end up gay because John spends more time with Bart than Homer does (and even begins wearing Hawaiian shirts and dancing to 1950s music while wearing a wig). Homer tries to [[CureYourGays "cure"]] Bart by taking him to a cigarette billboard (which is for slim cigarettes), a steel mill (that turns into a gay disco after the work day is over), and a hunting lodge (which fails). At the end, Homer learns to accept Bart for who he is (Bart was unaware of what Homer thought until Lisa told him).

* [[{{Lampshading}} Lampshaded]] by a recent ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' commercial, which describes "You Made Me!" as being "a very special Lemongrab episode." Of course, given [[AmbiguousDisorder the]] [[TheMentallyDisturbed nature]] of the character in question, it could be a StealthPun.

* The "big 3" American networks united to air the special ''CartoonAllstarsToTheRescue'', where cartoon characters from ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' to ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' try to teach a child called Mikey about the dangers of marijuana. Ludicrously. The point that breaks Mikey, other than his addiction forcing him to steal from his little sister and his family worrying about him, is that marijuana [[SpaceWhaleAesop will turn him into a green-skinned zombie]]; it's quite obvious where Mikey's priorities are, and it's made even worse when you consider most marijuana users aren't, y'know, zombies. Stupidest of all is that cartoon characters who really have no business knowing about drugs are the ones preaching to Mikey, such as Huey, Dewey and Louie of ''DuckTales'', ''AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' and, of all people, ''the MuppetBabies''. And seeing Characters/BugsBunny talking about a joint is really quite a childhood-killer. And ironic, considering his normal behavior. Its first [=US=] airing began with a live statement from then-President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, while airings in other countries similarly began with live statements from their respective heads of government.

* Nickelodeon's ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'' was, as far as Nicktoons go, never one to shirk away from touching on real adolescent issues. Three notable episodes stand apart for their efforts to address particularly tough subject matter: "Stuff'll Kill Ya", "And She Was Gone", and "Losing Nana Bishop" provided commentary, sometimes subtly and sometimes not, on addiction, depression/suicide, and coping with death, respectively. "And She Was Gone" was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour).
* The "big 3" American networks united to air the special ''CartoonAllstarsToTheRescue'', where cartoon characters from ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' to ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' try to teach a child called Mikey about the dangers of marijuana. Ludicrously. The point that breaks Mikey, other than his addiction forcing him to steal from his little sister and his family worrying about him, is that marijuana [[SpaceWhaleAesop will turn him into a green-skinned zombie]]; it's quite obvious where Mikey's priorities are, and it's made even worse when you consider most marijuana users aren't, y'know, zombies. Stupidest of all is that cartoon characters who really have no business knowing about drugs are the ones preaching to Mikey, such as Huey, Dewey and Louie of ''DuckTales'', ''AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' and, of all people, ''the MuppetBabies''. And seeing Characters/BugsBunny talking about a joint is really quite a childhood-killer. And ironic, considering his normal behaviour. Its first [=US=] airing began with a live statement from then-President George H.W. Bush, and airings in other countries similarly began with live statements from their respective heads of government or other persons of similar importance.
* ''CaptainPlanet'' is one big Very Special Show, telling children to not cause pollution (despite rarely going into ''why'' people polluted in the first place). However, it had many particular episodes that focused on more down to earth problems that children, teenagers and young adults may face. One of these was a drug episode "Mind Pollution" where [[UncleNed Linka's cousin]] gets addicted to a designer drug called "Bliss" created by Verminous Skumm (who appeared to specialize in "pollution of the body" in the show, so to speak). Another episode was about AIDS, involving Skumm spreading lies about a young AIDS sufferer such as the virus could be contracted just through casual contact. The former episode is at least somewhat notable for breaking the NeverSayDie rule by having Linka's cousin die from overdosing on the drug... Then again, the fact he leapt through a glass window and sliced his arms, causing him to ''bleed profusely on the floor'' might've had something to do with it too.

* Parodied in "A Very Very Very Very Special Cartoon" ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}"'' in which the Warners attempt to win the Humanitarian Award by shoehorning every social issue they can think of into their next cartoon.
** The complete list is saving the whales, car engine pollution, reading educational books (about Gandhi), planting trees, walking instead of driving, anti-smoking, nursing orphaned owls, not littering, helping for no reason, non-fattening foods, no gratuitous violence, the goodness of being a vegetarian, respecting women for their minds rather than their...well, you know. In other words, it's absolutely nothing like a normal episode.
** Then, when the award goes to [[YetAnotherBabyPanda "A Panda Called Pookie"]], they spend the last minute of the show going back to normal, involving committing acts of gratuitous violence, eating fattening cheesecake, wasting gas, chopping down trees, wasting time, and admiring HelloNurse for...well, you know.
* Oddly enough, ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' had one about cigarette smoking. It was not very {{Narm}}-y, but it was kind of weird to have a Very Special Episode in a show about two lab mice trying to conquer the world. Even weirder was the fact that ''[[CloudCuckooLander Pinky]]'' was the voice of reason (well, as reasonable as he could get, anyway).
** Nonetheless, the episode's humor and style did not suffer (by much) and the episode won an award for its anti-smoking messages
* The ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "Oskar Can't Read" deals with the Czech character Oskar's illiteracy and he has to turn to Arnold for help.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' episode "The Price" deals with drug use.

* ''TinyToons'' had the requisite Very Special Episode, but, being ''Tiny Toons'', they [[LampshadeHanging hung lampshades on everything in sight]].
** Why Dizzy Can't Read is about... well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It turns out that he was addicted to television. He overcomes this by finding analogies to food within the stories. The ending of this short played BrokenAesop for laughs by having a shot of children at home reading books and ignoring their TV, prompting Dizzy to poke his head out of their set and turn it off.
** "One Beer" sees Buster coercing Hamton and Plucky into a cold one and admitting it's radically out of character for him in the same breath. They proceed to get entirely sloshed on 1/3 a beer each, become smelly, slurring hobos, steal a cop car, joyride it off a cliff into a graveyard, and die. At the end of the episode, it pulls back to the studio as they pull off their "angel" costumes, mention that a very important lesson has been taught, and hope they can be funny again in the next episode. However, it's preceded by an {{Anvilicious}} short about smoking that seems to be less about the actual health hazards posed and more about how to harass people you think are doing something objectionable into giving in to your nagging.
** Why Dizzy Can't Read and One Beer are both part of an episode titled Elephant Issues, along with another short, C.L.I.D.E. and Prejudice, which features Montana Max discriminating against a robot named C.L.I.D.E. Funny enough, the episode has been pulled from circulation by every network that has aired the series in the US.

** There was even a message at the end where Patti (in voiceover) encourages the viewer to call a number if they have a similar problem. This is edited in later airings, covering it up with Skeeter and Roger arguing (from the episode's B-plot about Doug and Skeeter trying to find the Lucky Duck Lake monster).

** Somewhat [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] when Cyborg goes on to tell Starfire that he knows what it feels to be put down like that. But not because he's black, because he's part-robot.

* ''CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue'' is a [[VerySpecialEpisode Very Special Animated Special]] that teaches kids to [[DrugsAreBad say no to drugs]], and includes some of the most popular Saturday Morning Cartoon characters of the 90s.

** There's also a hilarious episode that sends up the VSE where the boys are forced to join a choir class whose teacher (voiced by JenniferAniston) is using them to spread the message of saving rainforests. When the group gets lost in a rainforest and nearly killed by everything but the kitchen sink, the teacher snaps and screams "That's it! F**K rainforests!" and proceeds to change their message to destroy them rather than save them. The whole thing caps off with a PSA urging viewers to help "join the fight to destroy all rainforests before it's too late."
** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' also has the anti-bullying episode "Butterballs" that features Butters getting bullied by his grandma and played out like a schoolyard bullying story. It's not PlayedForLaughs in the slightest.
*** Though it does have its own subversion in the form of parodying anti-bullying programs when Stan's attempt at such a film goes south. The overall message of the episode is "Bullying is bad, but exploiting the victims of bullying for fame, money and admiration is also bad."
** "Eat, Pray, Queef", one of the show's more {{Anvilicious}} episodes, plays like a 20-minute women's rights tract. However, it's hard to tell if it's a sincere pro-feminist message or a parody of it. Given Trey's history with women (two of the show's characters are based on real life experiences with his sister (Shelley) and his ex-fiancee (Liane)) the latter seems more likely.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' had one called "A Very Special Episode" where the duo find a baby bird (or as Beavis calls it, "a chicken nugget") and nurse it back to life.
** By complete accident, as in typical B&B fashion they actually wanted to see it die. When the two manage to restore the bird by feeding it, they actually thought that the bird would automatically die only after they fed it.
*** They were told by the nurse that the bird was gonna die anyway no matter how much they try to help him. Of course, being stupid as they are, they thought she said to feed so it can die.

** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' always seemed to operate on addiction is easy, not something equals drugs. It always felt more like the special episodes were saying don't get too involved in something, not this equals drugs.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Batman: The Animated Series]]'' had a very special episode in the form of "It's Never Too Late", which features [[SiblingYinYang two brothers]]: one grew up to become a priest, the other a criminal[[hottip:*:the uncle of Tony Zucco]]. Flashbacks reveal that, as a child, the priest sacrificed his leg to save his brother, as such the criminal never lived it down. A very special episode about second chances and brotherly love. (And, as a ParentalBonus, a ShoutOut to the 1938 film classic ''AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.)
* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdManAttorneyAtLaw'' spoofed an episode where they used Peanut "discovering" his super-powers as an euphemism for... growing UP.
** Another episode was a play on gun violence. Except the guns were "guitars".
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''
** In one episode, Chemical X was giving kids super powers temporarily, and causing an addiction. (Mojo Jonesin'). Its all tongue in cheek, and the kids were all deliberately diverse to make them more relatable to minorities possibly watching (black, handicap, hispanic, pudgy), which Mojo Jojo himself [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], and the PPG ended the episode with how power addiction is bad. Slightly subverted due to the fact that one of the kids, Mary, appears in the episode where Blossom discovers she has ice breath and therefore isn't forgotten true to VSE fashion.
** "A Very Special Blossom", detailed and [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] the consequences of Blossom stealing golf clubs for a Father's Day present. Thankfully, the cartoon carried off this plot with its usual mixture of cuteness, sharp wit, and kick-assery.

** Parodied at the end of an early episode in which The Griffins go to an Indian casino and Peter and Chris go out in the woods on a spirit quest. After Stewie makes a racist comment about Native Americans, Lois launches into a "The More You Know" PSA about how Native Americans are people too (followed by Stewie stating the same thing about Mexicans, Meg saying the same thing about Swedish people, and Peter just stating that "Canada sucks!")
** A recent episode was about Lois kidnapping a baby so it can be given cancer treatment much to the disapproval of his Christian Scientist parents.

** "The Cartridge Family" is an odd version of the very special episode. For one thing, it was a shift from the original set-up (which has The Simpsons trying to survive a soccer riot that erupted in town). For another, it was a big SeriesContinuityError as Marge had a gun before on the episode where she becomes a cop and Marge never complained before about Homer having guns in the house [[note]]though most of the other guns Homer had were shotguns and rifles, and the gun Homer had was a handgun, which can easily be mistaken for a toy gun and is more likely to be misused by the children[[/note]]. For a final note, Homer learns his lesson about guns (and lying to his wife), but [[spoiler:Marge ends up with the gun after seeing how good she looks with it]], which leads to a BrokenAesop of "Yeah, guns are dangerous, but they make really good fashion accessories."

* In its 2nd (technically 3rd) season, some episodes of {{Jem}} talked about things such as literacy, however "Alone Again" is one that qualifies best as a very special episode, as it involves a one-off Starlight Girl who falls victim to a drug dealer at her school.
* One ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode (Dead Duck) let Darkwing die after driving (and crashing) with his motorcycle. That's right: After all the other cartoon violence (like falling from incredibly high buildings, classic anvils, etc.) leaves him with some temporary scars at best, it's driving without helmet that kills him off. The episode centers about him trying to solve the case as a ghost, protecting Gosalyn from being the next victim and making deals with the Grim Reaper. Although in the end it turns out [[spoiler: to be AllJustADream]] and the episode still is funny, it's still pretty dark.

* Invoked InUniverse on ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb:'' Candace calls in to a TV show called ''Bust 'Em'' to catch her brothers in the middle of one of their crazy schemes. When the show's host sees the giant thing they built, she says, "I think we finally have our VerySpecialEpisode!"

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' ''sort of'' had one with the episode "Bonky Fever", which was about [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Mikey's addiction to the preschool character, Bonky the Dragon, much to the horror of everyone else]]. It plays out very much like an anti-drug episode, though it could also be seen as Mikey trying to avoid growing up by regressing mentally.
* The ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "A.T.: The Abusive Terrestrial", where Roger goes to live with another boy, where their friendship is played out like an abusive relationship ([[PlayedForDrama and isn't played for laughs]], though there was some humor in the subplot of Stan and Francine trying to save their favorite soda -- Mr. Pibb -- from being discontinued).
** "The American Dad After School Special" focused on body image and eating disorders. When Steve falls for a chubby, PerkyGoth named Debbie, Stan is appalled to find that Debbie isn't the skinny, model-cheerleader-popular girl-type that Steve always lusts after (with hilarious results), but rather than Debbie succumbing to self-esteem issues because of her body, it's ''Stan'' who does after Hayley and Klaus call him out on being meaty himself.
** A lot of episodes of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' (according to the DVD special about the creation of the show, seen on the volume one DVD set) can be seen as [[DeconstructiveParody deconstructive parodies]] of the "very special episode" in which all conventions and expected twists, turns, and plot points seen in a "very special episode" are either mercilessly subverted, mocked, or [[RealityEnsues played out realistically]]. Case in point: "A Jones for a Smith" (the episode where Stan becomes a crack addict). At the end when Stan is rehabilitated, Francine is the only one happy that he is cured, Steve is pissed at Stan for ruining his chances at hooking up with a hot high school virgin who is attracted to nerds (and whose father is willing to let Steve sleep with her), and Hayley is begging Francine to let her into rehab for her marijuana problem (with Francine ignoring her).
* If "teaching children how to use the potty" episodes do count, here's one: Special Agent Oso did an episode on the subject.
* An episode of ''AaahhRealMonsters'' was about Ickis being diagnosed as being spontaneously combustible, which causes rumors to spread about Ickis hurting the other students when he bursts into flames. The entire thing is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything treated suspiciously like AIDS.]] The Grumble [[ShamingTheMob calls them all out]] for acting like [[HumansAreBastards humans]].
* Invoked in an episode of ''FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', where Eduardo writes to the protagonist of his favorite show (a ''DoraTheExplorer'' homage) because he's embarrassed about having gas and wants advice about how to handle it. The show's producer reads the letter, gets teary-eyed, then tells his staff to drop what they're doing--they've got a VerySpecialEpisode to make.

** In one episode, Chemical X was giving kids super powers temporarily, and causing an addiction. (Mojo Jonesin'). Its all tongue in cheek, and the kids were all diverse (black, handicap, hispanic, etc) and the PPG ended the episode with how power addiction is bad.

* The ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' episode "Oskar Can't Read" deals with Oskar's illiteracy and he has to turn to Arnold to help him.

** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' also has the anti-bullying episode "Butterballs" that features Butters getting bullied like his grandma and played out like a schoolyard bullying story. It's not PlayedForLaughs in the slightest.

** A recent episode was about Lois kidnapping a baby so it can be given cancer treatment much to the disapproval of his Christian parents.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has the anti-bullying episode "Butterballs" that features Butters getting bullied like his grandma and played out like a schoolyard bullying story. It's not PlayedForLaughs in the slightest.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had a very special episode in the form of "It's Never Too Late", which features [[SiblingYinYang two brothers]]: one grew up to become a priest, the other a criminal[[hottip:*:the uncle of Tony Zucco]]. Flashbacks reveal that, as a child, the priest sacrificed his leg to save his brother, as such the criminal never lived it down. A very special episode about second chances and brotherly love. (And, as a ParentalBonus, a ShoutOut to the 1938 film classic ''AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.)

** The simply titled "Brian & Stewie" (the 150th episode, the only episode in which SethMacFarlane is credited for doing all the voicework, and the only episode in which there are no cutaway jokes, flashbacks, or TakeThats against whoever's famous) where Brian and Stewie are locked in a bank vault for the entire weekend and Stewie discovers that Brian is planning his own suicide. Sure, there was that really gross poop-eating scene and some musical numbers at the end, but other than that, the episode was a serious look at the relationship between Brian and Stewie.

** Parodied on the episode where Happy-Go-Lucky Toys [[note]]The toy factory Peter used to work at before his boss died[[/note]] is merged with a cigarette company who uses the place as a front to get kids hooked on tobacco. First, it's played straight, with Peter enjoying the perks of being a company head and backing up his superiors -- until Stewie starts smoking cigarettes, then Peter protests against them. In the end, the message was really about how it's wrong to kill strippers (a CallBack to a short scene where a Senator is freaking out over killing one of the dancers at a D.C. strip joint called "The Oval Orifice" and Peter calming him down by saying that, yes, choking her to death on dollar bills and beating her with a chair were horrible ways for her to go, but at least she didn't die of cigarette smoking), because strippers were put on Earth to entertain horny men and most of them are already dead on the inside from the life decisions that led them to this point, so physically killing them is redundant.

* [[{{Lampshading Lampshaded]] by a recent ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' commercial, which describes "You Made Me!" as being "a very special Lemongrab episode." Of course, given [[AmbiguousDisorder the]] [[TheMentallyDisturbed nature]] of the character in question, it could be a StealthPun.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has the anti-bullying episode "Butterballs" that features Butters getting bullied like his grandma and played out like a schoolyard bullying story. It's not PlayedForLaughs in the slightest.

* CartoonAllStarsToTheRescue is a [[VerySpecialEpisode Very Special Animated Special]] that teaches kids to [[DrugsAreBad say no to drugs]], and includes some of the most popular Saturday Morning Cartoon characters of the 90s.

* Mercilessly spoofed in 'WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', in an episode appropriately named "A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special". Started as a roleplay by the housemates to help Xandir decide how to inform his parents of his homosexuality, the effort quickly derailed, which resulted in nearly all of them getting killed by the end of the episode.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had a very special episode in the form of "It's Never Too Late", which features [[SiblingYinYang two brothers]]: one grew up to become a priest, the other a criminal. Flashbacks reveal that, as a child, the priest sacrificed his leg to save his brother, as such the criminal never lived it down. A very special episode about second chances and brotherly love. (And, as a ParentalBonus, a ShoutOut to the 1938 film classic ''AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.)

* An episode of ''AaahhRealMonsters'' was about Ickis being diagnosed as being spontaneously combustible, which causes rumors to spread about Ickis hurting the other students when he bursts into flames. The entire thing is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything treated suspiciously like AIDS.]]

** By complete accident, as in typical B&B fashion they actually wanted to see it die. When the two manage to restore its by feeding it, they actually thought that the bird would automatically die only after they fed it.

** Then there's "Lighthouse in the Sea of Time", the episode concerning illiteracy - though the gargoyles came from the Middle Ages, where the ability to read was very uncommon, it's still a little hard to credit a plot where the villain wants to throw away the personal diary of Merlin, and is stopped by heroes, who then deliver a speech about how stories are treasures. (Admittedly, the villain was just frustrated that Merlin's writings didn't include any magic spells, and quickly calmed down.) Again, Broadway's the one who got the major CharacterDevelopment, becoming quite the fan of {{Shakespeare}} - just look at that moment when he describes Castle Wyvern's kitchen, and then his eyes ''really'' light up when he describes the library. The blind author introduced in "Lighthouse" also becomes an occasionally recurring character.

* Parodied in ''SouthPark'' where one of Kenny's [[RunningGag many deaths]] was played as a VerySpecialEpisode. Also a subversion of their own RunningGag.

** "The Cartridge Family" is an odd version of the very special episode. For one thing, it was a shift from the original set-up (which has The Simpsons trying to survive a soccer riot that erupted in town). For another, it was a big SeriesContinuityError as Marge had a gun before on the episode where she becomes a cop and Marge never complained before about Homer having guns in the house [[hottip:*:though most of the other guns Homer had were shotguns and rifles, and the gun Homer had was a handgun, which can easily be mistaken for a toy gun and is more likely to be misused by the children]]. For a final note, Homer learns his lesson about guns (and lying to his wife), but [[spoiler:Marge ends up with the gun after seeing how good she looks with it]], which leads to a BrokenAesop of "Yeah, guns are dangerous, but they make really good fashion accessories."

* ''SouthPark'' has the anti-bullying episode "Butterballs" that features Butters getting bullied like his grandma and played out like a schoolyard bullying story. It's not PlayedForLaughs in the slightest.

* An episode of ''AaahhRealMonsters'' was about Ickis being diagnosed as being spontaneously combustible, which causes rumors to spread about Ickis hurting the other students when he bursts into flames. The entire thing is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything treated suspiciously like AIDS.]]

* Nickelodeon's ''WesternAnimation/{{As Told By Ginger}}'' was, as far as Nicktoons go, never one to shirk away from touching on real adolescent issues. Three notable episodes stand apart for their efforts to address particularly tough subject matter: "Stuff'll Kill Ya", "And She Was Gone", and "Losing Nana Bishop" provided commentary, sometimes subtly and sometimes not, on addiction, depression/suicide, and coping with death, respectively. "And She Was Gone" was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Animated Program (Less Than One Hour).
* The "big 3" American networks united to air the special ''CartoonAllstarsToTheRescue'', where cartoon characters from ''LooneyTunes'' to ''WesternAnimation/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'' try to teach a child called Mikey about the dangers of marijuana. Ludicrously. The point that breaks Mikey, other than his addiction forcing him to steal from his little sister and his family worrying about him, is that marijuana [[SpaceWhaleAesop will turn him into a green-skinned zombie]]; it's quite obvious where Mikey's priorities are, and it's made even worse when you consider most marijuana users aren't, y'know, zombies. Stupidest of all is that cartoon characters who really have no business knowing about drugs are the ones preaching to Mikey, such as Huey, Dewey and Louie of ''DuckTales'', ''AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' and, of all people, ''the MuppetBabies''. And seeing Characters/BugsBunny talking about a joint is really quite a childhood-killer. And ironic, considering his normal behaviour. Its first [=US=] airing began with a live statement from then-President George H.W. Bush, and airings in other countries similarly began with live statements from their respective heads of government or other persons of similar importance.

** Then there was the episode where Wheeler in a dream discovered an island inhabited by greedy, foolish humanoid mice who refuse to stop having large families. Initially clueless American boy Wheeler is against government mandated population control, but he learns his lesson when the humanoid mice overpopulate to the point that their island destroys itself.

* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' did an anti-drug episode, though due to the show's sci-fi setting the popular genre convention that [[{{ILoveNuclearPower}} Radiation gives you superpowers]] is used as a metaphor for it.

** A large potion of all episodes are a VerySpecialEpisode. One that comes to mind is the one where the resident ButtMonkey that is George is diagnosed with dyslexia.

** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' always seemed to operate on addiction is easy, not something equals drugs. It always felt more like the special episodes were saying don't get too involved in something, not this equals drugs.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdManAttorneyAtLaw'' spoofed an episode where they used Peanut "discovering" his super-powers as an euphemism for... growing UP.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''
** In one episode, Chemical X was giving kids super powers temporarily, and causing an addiction. (Mojo Jonesin'). Its all tongue in cheek, and the kids were all diverse (black, handicap, hispanic, etc) and the PPG ended the episode with how power addiction is bad.

** Parodied on the episode where Happy-Go-Lucky Toys [[note]]The toy factory Peter used to work at before his boss died[[/note]] is merged with a cigarette company who uses the place as a front to get kids hooked on tobacco. First, it's played straight, with Peter enjoying the perks of being a company head and backing up his superiors -- until Stewie starts smoking cigarettes, then Peter protests against them. In the end, the message was really about how it's wrong to kill strippers (a {{CallBack}} to a short scene where a Senator is freaking out over killing one of the dancers at a D.C. strip joint called "The Oval Orifice" and Peter calming him down by saying that, yes, choking her to death on dollar bills and beating her with a chair were horrible ways for her to go, but at least she didn't die of cigarette smoking), because strippers were put on Earth to entertain horny men and most of them are already dead on the inside from the life decisions that led them to this point, so physically killing them is redundant.

** "Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows" had some funny moments, but was really a very special episode (and one of the few episodes, according to SethMacFarlane and [[Series/{{MADtv}} Alex Borstein]], that actually has human emotion in it) about coping with loss (Brian caring for the elderly shut-in who used to be a jingle singer and Peter caring for the baby birds that have nested in his newly-grown beard).

* One ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode (Dead Duck) let Darkwing die after driving (and crashing) with his motorcycle. That's right: After all the other cartoon violence (like falling from incredibly high buildings, classic anvils, etc.) leaves him with some temporary scars at best, it's driving without helmet that kills him off. The episode centers about him trying to solve the case as a ghost, protecting Gosalyn from being the next victim and making deals with the Grim Reaper. Although in the end it turns out [[spoiler: to be {{AllJustADream}}]] and the episode still is funny, it's still pretty dark.

* The "big 3" American networks united to air the special ''CartoonAllstarsToTheRescue'', where cartoon characters from ''LooneyTunes'' to ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' try to teach a child called Mikey about the dangers of marijuana. Ludicrously. The point that breaks Mikey, other than his addiction forcing him to steal from his little sister and his family worrying about him, is that marijuana [[SpaceWhaleAesop will turn him into a green-skinned zombie]]; it's quite obvious where Mikey's priorities are, and it's made even worse when you consider most marijuana users aren't, y'know, zombies. Stupidest of all is that cartoon characters who really have no business knowing about drugs are the ones preaching to Mikey, such as Huey, Dewey and Louie of ''DuckTales'', ''AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' and, of all people, ''the MuppetBabies''. And seeing Characters/BugsBunny talking about a joint is really quite a childhood-killer. And ironic, considering his normal behaviour. Its first [=US=] airing began with a live statement from then-President George H.W. Bush, and airings in other countries similarly began with live statements from their respective heads of government or other persons of similar importance.

* ''StaticShock'' had many Very Special Episodes, including "Sons of the Fathers" (focusing on racism), "Frozen Out" (focusing on homelessness), "Jimmy" (focusing on school violence), and "Where the Rubber Meets The Road" (focusing on dyslexia).
* Mercilessly spoofed in ''DrawnTogether'', in an episode appropriately named "A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special". Started as a roleplay by the housemates to help Xandir decide how to inform his parents of his homosexuality, the effort quickly derailed, which resulted in nearly all of them getting killed by the end of the episode.

* Oddly enough, ''PinkyAndTheBrain'' had one about cigarette smoking. It was not very {{Narm}}-y, but it was kind of weird to have a Very Special Episode in a show about two lab mice trying to conquer the world. Even weirder was the fact that ''[[CloudCuckooLander Pinky]]'' was the voice of reason (well, as reasonable as he could get, anyway).

* ''CloneHigh'' made fun of the concept by having its episode-end {{Eyecatch}}es for the next ep promote every episode as "a very special ''Clone High''".

* ''BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' did an anti-drug episode, though due to the show's sci-fi setting the popular genre convention that [[{{ILoveNuclearPower}} Radiation gives you superpowers]] is used as a metaphor for it.

* "Disney's {{Doug}}" played it straight on the episode when Patti Mayonnaise thinks she needs to go on a diet after lagging behind in gym class and overhearing Doug talk about her weight problem (in reality, he was talking about how big is Lucky Duck Lake monster lure is), but ends up purposely starving herself to the point that borders on anorexia. Considered one of the more highly-regarded episodes from this era of Doug.

* ''BeavisAndButthead'' had one called "A Very Special Episode" where the duo find a baby bird (or as Beavis calls it, "a chicken nugget") and nurse it back to life.

* ''BatmanBeyond'' had so many teen drug episodes it's hard to call them "very special", but they all have that ''tone'' to them that makes them seem to count. Then again, one of them was a 'excessive fashion statements = drugs' episode, and one of them was a 'video games = drugs' episode. And then there was the 'adoption / stalking' episode. And a couple of bullying episodes, although those are more just an excuse to have someone ELSE Terry knows from school go insane in a way that involves Batman.
** ''BatmanBeyond'' always seemed to operate on addiction is easy, not something equals drugs. It always felt more like the special episodes were saying don't get too involved in something, not this equals drugs.
* ''BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' had a very special episode in the form of "It's Never Too Late", which features [[SiblingYinYang two brothers]]: one grew up to become a priest, the other a criminal. Flashbacks reveal that, as a child, the priest sacrificed his leg to save his brother, as such the criminal never lived it down. A very special episode about second chances and brotherly luv. (And, as a ParentalBonus, a ShoutOut to the 1938 film classic ''AngelsWithDirtyFaces''.)
* ''HarveyBirdManAttorneyAtLaw'' spoofed an episode where they used Peanut "discovering" his super-powers as an euphemism for... growing UP.

* ''ThePowerpuffGirls''
** In one episode, Chemical X was giving kids super powers temporarily, and causing an addiction.(Mojo Jonesin'). Its all tongue in cheek, and the kids were all diverse (black, handicap, hispanic, etc) and the PPG ended the episode with how power addiction is bad.

* ''FamilyGuy''

** Parodied on the episode where Happy-Go-Lucky Toys[[hottip:*:The toy factory Peter used to work at before his boss died]] is merged with a cigarette company who uses the place as a front to get kids hooked on tobacco. First, it's played straight, with Peter enjoying the perks of being a company head and backing up his superiors -- until Stewie starts smoking cigarettes, then Peter protests against them. In the end, the message was really about how it's wrong to kill strippers (a {{CallBack}} to a short scene where a Senator is freaking out over killing one of the dancers at a D.C. strip joint called "The Oval Orifice" and Peter calming him down by saying that, yes, choking her to death on dollar bills and beating her with a chair were horrible ways for her to go, but at least she didn't die of cigarette smoking), because strippers were put on Earth to entertain horny men and most of them are already dead on the inside from the life decisions that led them to this point, so physically killing them is redundant.
** "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q.", aside from the traditional BlackComedy moments, was actually a very serious episode that dealt with Quagmire's sister being abused by her boyfriend (which was first mentioned on the episode "Jerome is the New Black"[[hottip:*:The episode featuring Quagmire calling Brian out on being a pompous asshole who pushes his atheist and liberal views on others]]).
** Earlier in the series, there was an episode where the Griffin family meet a family of nudists (Peter saved the father from being swept in an undercurrent while fishing, thinking he lost his trunks in the water). Meg ends up dating the son, and the family aren't too comfortable with that. They eventually warm up to the idea, even exibiting their own tolerance for the practice by going nude when he comes over. Despite the ruthless amount of innuendo and situation gags, it's really quite touching.
** "Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows" had some funny moments, but was really a very special episode (and one of the few episodes, according to SethMacFarlane and [[{{MADtv}} Alex Borstein]], that actually has human emotion in it) about coping with loss (Brian caring for the elderly shut-in who used to be a jingle singer and Peter caring for the baby birds that have nested in his newly-grown beard).

* Even ''TheSimpsons'' trotted one out.
** For Black History Month (which is celebrated by Springfield Elementary despite the fact that the has a low African-American population -- and even one episode pointed out that Springfield Elementary does well in science fairs, despite having no Asian kids [unless one were to interpret Sherri and Terri as Asian, since Asians on the show are chalk white while the Caucasians are yellow]), Lisa - at first reluctantly, and then with increasing interest and obsession - investigates the mention in a 150-year-old Simpson family diary of a slave named Virgil. It eventually comes to light that [[spoiler: Lisa's great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mabel, had helped Virgil to escape to Canada - and then married him. Grampa mentions that Mabel and Virgil's son was his great-grandfather, which makes Bart and Lisa one-sixty-fourth African-American. Marge wonders why this had been a family secret so long, pointing out that no one had ever complained about the family having, for example, French ancestry. Grampa's answer is that Homer's paternal side of the family is very racist and wouldn't have tolerated a black relative, much like Homer doesn't tolerate Marge's French side of the family]].

* ''TheProudFamily'' had a few.

** And the episode in which Penny makes friends with a Muslim girl who is being targeted for racism (even though the most blatant example to come from that is the infamous scene in which Penny and the Muslim family come home to find that someone spraypainted "GO HOME TOWELHEADS!" [[hottip:*: Later changed to "GO BACK TO YOUR COUNTRY!" in reruns]] on the Muslim girl's house -- [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse which was forgotten about in Act Three]]...[[CallBack until Penny mentioned it en passant in a speech about what she learned during her week with the Muslim girl]]).

* One ''DarkwingDuck'' episode (Dead Duck) let Darkwing die after driving (and crashing) with his motorcycle. That's right: After all the other cartoon violence (like falling from increadibly high buildings, classic anvils, etc.) leaves him with some temporary scars at best, it's driving without helmet that kills him off. The episode centers about him trying to solve the case as a ghost, protecting Gosalyn from being the next victim and making deals with the Grim Reaper. Although in the end it turns out [[spoiler: to be {{AllJustADream}}]] and the episode still is funny, it's still pretty dark.

* Invoked InUniverse on ''PhineasAndFerb:'' Candace calls in to a TV show called ''Bust 'Em'' to catch her brothers in the middle of one of their crazy schemes. When the show's host sees the giant thing they built, she says, "I think we finally have our VerySpecialEpisode!"

* ''{{Recess}}'' ''sort of'' had one with the episode "Bonky Fever", which was about [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Mikey's addiction to the preschool character, Bonky the Dragon, much to the horror of everyone else]]. It plays out very much like an anti-drug episode, though it could also be seen as Mikey trying to avoid growing up by regressing mentally.
* The ''AmericanDad'' episode "A.T.: The Abusive Terrestrial", where Roger goes to live with another boy, where their friendship is played out like an abusive relationship ([[PlayedForDrama and isn't played for laughs]], though there was some humor in the subplot of Stan and Francine trying to save their favorite soda -- Mr. Pibb -- from being discontinued).

** A lot of episodes of ''AmericanDad'' (according to the DVD special about the creation of the show, seen on the volume one DVD set) can be seen as [[DeconstructiveParody deconstructive parodies]] of the "very special episode" in which all conventions and expected twists, turns, and plot points seen in a "very special episode" are either mercilessly subverted, mocked, or [[RealityEnsues played out realistically]]. Case in point: "A Jones for a Smith" (the episode where Stan becomes a crack addict). At the end when Stan is rehabilitated, Francine is the only one happy that he is cured, Steve is pissed at Stan for ruining his chances at hooking up with a hot high school virgin who is attracted to nerds (and whose father is willing to let Steve sleep with her), and Hayley is begging Francine to let her into rehab for her marijuana problem (with Francine ignoring her).

* If "teaching children how to use the potty" episodes do count, here's one: Special Agent Oso did an episode on the subject.