Pete (Disney)

Pete (Disney)

Pete (also called Peg-Leg Pete, Big Bad Pete and Black Pete, among other names) is a funny animal cartoon character created in 1925 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He is a character of The Walt Disney Company and often appears as an archnemesis and the main antagonist in Mickey Mouse universe stories. Pete was originally an anthropomorphic bear, but with the advent of Mickey Mouse in 1928, Pete became a large black cat, the persona for which he is most often associated. His species later became more ambiguous in the Goof Troop franchise (1992–2000) where he appeared more canine. Pete is the oldest continuing Disney character, having debuted three years before Mickey Mouse in the cartoon Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925).

Pete has appeared in more than 40 animated short films between 1925 and 1954, having been featured in the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons, and later in the Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy cartoons. Pete's final appearance during this era was The Lone Chipmunks (1954), which was the final installment of a three-part Chip an' Dale series. He also appeared in the short films Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983), The Prince and the Pauper (1990), and Runaway Brain (1995). Although never a central character, Pete has also made many appearances in Disney comics, and often appeared as Sylvester Shyster's dimwitted sidekick in the Mickey Mouse comic strip. Pete later made several appearances in television, most extensively in Goof Troop (1992–1993) where he was given more continuity, having a family and a regular job as a used car salesman. Pete also appears in House of Mouse (2001–2003) as the greedy property owner who's always trying devious ways and loop holes to get the club shut down.

Although Pete is often typecast as a villain, he has shown great versatility within the role, playing everything from a hardened criminal (The Dognapper, The Lone Chipmunks) to a legitimate authority figure (Moving Day, Donald Gets Drafted, Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip), and from a menacing trouble maker (Building a Building, Trombone Trouble) to a victim of mischief himself (Timber). On some occasions, Pete has even played a sympathetic character, all the while maintaining his underlying menacing nature. (Symphony Hour, How to Be a Detective) He seems to have lost much of his antagonistic demeanor in his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse appearances and is today a largely friendly character, although his antics can occasionally prove an annoyance.