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Children’s TV is generally known to be light-hearted, entertaining, and educational, but it relies on adults running the show to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the young fans are treated with respect and care. But what happens when those adults fail? Or, even worse, they let a monster get involved in the program who had no right to be anywhere near children.Joy Junctionwas a long-running TV show that disappeared on a day off the air; as people began to dig into why, a shocking revelation was made about one of its cast members.
This is how one disgusting man hid under the guise of faith, made a program get wiped from history, and left multiple victims in his wake while doing so. This is the darktrue storybehindJoy Junction.
This Article Contains Discussion of Child Abuse and Cannibalism
What Was Joy Junction?
Founded in 1979 by Bob D’Andrea, the American non-profit broadcast television network Christian Television Network, or CTN for short, is still in operation today. Offering original programming alongside radio programming and outreach programs, it has been a staple in the televangelist andChristian faith-based communityin the United States for a long time. One of the station’s earlier hits was a children’s entertainment program calledJoy Junction, which was also broadcast to other faith-based stations, including TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) and Smile of a Child (later renamed Smile). The show ran for an impressive length, from roughly 1983 to 2005 (though there is some mixed information on these dates, as discussed later).
Joy Junction was,in many ways, your typical children’s program, with the only distinguishable difference being its focus on religious storytelling.It was a variety show, lasting half an hour each episode, with various returning characters living in the titular town. Lead by Sheriff Don, played by the creator of the show, Don MacAllister, he was accompanied by a soft-spoken professor, Forrest Padley, a goofy and expressive farmer who told stories to kids, Whitler Dan, and Ron and Marty, a ventriloquist duo. The show was educational and invited children to participate in a live audience format. The program offered skits, activities, and feedback like reading fan mail on air. However, the content of all the episodes throughout its long run remains somewhat unknown.
Joy Junction Was Lost Media
Joy Junctionwent off-air one day with no explanation, no final episode saying goodbye, and no announcement or reasoning from any stations broadcasting it.The show was treated as if it never existed, and footage of it is rare, with only a few scenes and full episodes popping up online from home recordings.Existing as largely lost media, of course, attracts those internet sleuths who are interested in finding and preserving such content.
This was met with roadblocks, as the television networks that aired it did wipe it from history in the sense that they were unwilling to talk about it or even admit it was once shown on their network. There is no official website, and none of those involved in the project have it listed on their resume;everyone involved saw it as a stain. IMDB lists it with basic info and states the program’s starting date, 1979, which matches the start of CTN. There is a valid reason why the networks and those involved in the project have allowed it to become buried and washed their hands of it, and it was the actions of one man that ruined any legacy the show may have had.
One of the most noticeable performances of Joy Junction came from Ronald Brown, who polarized the audiences due to Brown’s puppet Marty entering the uncanny valley ofnightmarish ventriloquist dummiesthat either horrified or entertained children. While the duo’s focus was on comedy, Ron and Marty often ended up tackling some of the tougher issues kids face, at least in what is seen in the existing clips. This includes the now chilling segments, such as Marty talking about self-control and what to do if a friend tries to show you “dirty pictures,” whichyou can watch here.
Ronald Brown was hiding a dark secret, and while the actual date of the arrest that set the wheels in motion is uncertain,it started with another man, Michael Arnett, being raided for having CP. Arnett was producing his own content and had extensive chat logs on his computer, including in-depth conversations with Ronald Brown.
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Ronald Brown Was Hiding a Dark Secret From Joy Junction
Ronald Brown was active in his community, putting on plays at his local church and offering a touring program where he helped preach the bible through a myriad of his own creations. Sadly, this gave Brown direct access to many children, with the man even hosting ‘shows’ at his home where the kids would come over for pizza after being picked up by Brown himself, often without his parent’s knowledge.
He was disliked by some in the community, with many reaching out to the authorities about his weird actions. Brown was even caught with children’s underwear in his vehicle in 1995 but was able to push officers off by convincing them it was part of a prop for one of his puppets. There were never any allegations against Ronald Brown during these instances, but these become even more darkly framed when considering the leaked content of the logs with Michael Arnett.
The two wouldtalk in depth about killing and eating childrenin their chats. Ronald would even discuss a specific child hewanted to cannibalizeat his church and, in one chilling revelation, state how the youth would make the perfect Easter dinner. Brown also shared photos of the child he took in secret, accompanied by drawings he made on top of the photos showing how he would butcher him for meal preparation.Plans for kidnapping the child to fulfill this fantasy were also revealed in the chat logs. Micheal Arnett shared these fantasies and even offered up photos of his own, including child abuse conducted by himself.
This led to a raid on Ronald Brown, whereit was revealed he had amassed a massive collection of CP and images of dead children. Among his online collection of despicable atrocities were images of the slow decline and eventual death of a child who attended his church and a missing poster for another child, leading many to speculate Brown may have enacted his fantasies at some junction. This was also cemented by another discovery at Brown’s home whenjournal entries were found dating back all the way to 1978, before his appearance on Joy Junction, that expressed his desires to kill and eat children.
Ronald Brown was arrested and admitted to his various predilections and collection, but he remained adamant that he was simply role-playing with Arnett and would never act out any of his fantasies. Ronald WilliamBrown was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014, but he would die in prison in 2020.
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What Can We Learn From Joy Junction?
While the cynic may try to draw comparisons between religious doctrine and the actions of Ronald Brown, the hypocrisy of his character inJoy Junctionhad little to do with his faith. Rather, we can see Brown as a man who did everything he could to surround himself with children to help feed his grotesque fantasies. His eventual death in prison is but a small consolation, knowing the potential extent and victims that may have existed, even directly or indirectly, through his actions.
It is always important to stay safe and aware, but also rely onresources like theChild Help Hotlineor theDomestic Help Hotlineand reach out when suspecting any form of abuse. Ronald Brown got away with a lot before being discovered, and while no one is to blame for the delay, it is possible if more spoke out about someone who, to many, was seen as a good figure in the community, he may have been stopped sooner. Have those uncomfortable conversations with your kids, so they know how to stay safe. Don’t isolate, but be smart; there are very few Ronald Brown’s out in the world, thankfully.
