"Dinky Hocker" is a 1978 episode of the American television anthology series ABC Afterschool Special, which aired on December 12, 1978.
The story revolves around its main protagonist, a Los Angeles teen who turns to food as her source of comfort because of the neglect she gets from all circles.
The message gets across to her family, and they finally see that Dinky wants to be accepted as the one thing they failed to notice... a daughter who wants to be loved and not fed with food.
Tucker's family (his father and journalist mother and an uncle with a drinking problem and an issue with responsibility and commitment) was notably absent from the program.
Also the novel was more comedic and hinted at some political views, whereas the TV adaptation toned down some of the elements to make it a little more serious, along with the location setting from Brooklyn Heights, New York to Los Angeles.