Pete (Disney)

Pete
First appearance	Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925)
Created by	Walt Disney Ub Iwerks
Voiced by	Walt Disney (1928) Billy Bletcher (1932–1944; 1952–1954) John McLeish (Bellboy Donald, 1942) Will Ryan (1983–1987; 2013) Arthur Burghardt (The Prince and the Pauper, 1990; 2001–2003) Jim Cummings (1992–present)
Developed by	Norm Ferguson
Full name	Peter Pete, Sr.
Nickname(s)	Bad Pete, Big Pete, Big Bad Pete, Black Pete, Bootleg Pete, Dirty Pete, Mighty Pete, Pee Wee Pete, Peg-Leg Pete, Petey, Pistol Pete, Sneaky Pete, Piston Pete
Aliases	Percy P. Percival, Louie the Leg, Sylvester Macaroni, Tiny Tom, Captain Blackheart
Species	Cat[1][2]
Gender	Male
Spouse(s)	Peg
Significant other(s)	Trudy Van Tubb Chirpy Bird (1980s comics)
Children	Peter "P.J." Pete, Jr. (son) Pistol Pete (daughter)
Relatives	Petula (sister) Mabel (aunt)

Pete (also called Peg-Leg Pete, Pistol Pete and Black Pete, among other names) is an anthropomorphic cartoon character created in 1925 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He is a character of The Walt Disney Company and often appears as a nemesis and the main antagonist in Mickey Mouse universe stories. He was originally an anthropomorphic bear but with the advent of Mickey Mouse in 1928, he was defined as a cat.^[1][2] 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), Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), and Get a Horse! (2013).

Pete has also made many appearances in Disney comics, and often appeared as Sylvester Shyster's dimwitted sidekick in the Mickey Mouse comic strip. In the Italian comic production he has come to be the central character in comics from time to time. 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 and is a friend (albeit a poor one) to Goofy. He reprises this incarnation in 1999's Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. Pete also appears in House of Mouse (2001–03) 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, The Vanishing Private). 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.

Ancestry and family

Comic book stories have depicted Pete as being descended from a long line of villains, highwaymen and outlaws. Even historical figures such as Attila the Hun, Blackbeard, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Billy The Kid, and Cao Cao have been included among his ancestors. His mother is known only as Maw Pete and was mentioned in the story "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" by Carl Barks and Jack Hannah (first published October 1942) as a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Her first actual appearance however was in "The River Pirates" (first published September 1968) by Carl Fallberg and Paul Murry. The same story introduced Li'l Pete, Black Pete's fraternal twin brother who seems to be afflicted with dwarfism. In December 1998, the Mickey Mouse comic strip introduced an older sister of Pete. Petula is the television host of the cooking show Petula's Pantry. She finds time, however, to seek revenge against Mickey for condemning her "baby brother" to life imprisonment.

Better-known and more enduring as characters are two figures created by Romano Scarpa for Italian Disney comics. The first, Trudy Van Tubb, was introduced in Topolino e la collana Chirikawa (Mickey Mouse and the Chirikawa Necklace, first published on March 10, 1960). This female partner of Pete was presented as a childhood acquaintance of his: they are even shown as kids kidnapping Mickey when he was a baby.^[3] However, Trudy soon became Pete's girlfriend, his partner-in-crime and roommate—whenever they hold residence out of prison, that is. Their relationship seems to have evolved to a long-standing common-law marriage. This is occasionally used in contrast to Mickey's eternal engagement to Minnie Mouse and Goofy's determination to remain a bachelor. Trudy and Pete also have two hellion nephews named Pierino and Pieretto who often serve as foils for Mickey or Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse.^[4]

The second to be introduced is a cousin, the criminal scientist Portis (Plottigat in the original Italian version; English name first used in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 695, 2008). Portis first appeared in Topolino e il Pippo-lupo" (approximately Mickey Mouse and the Weregoof; January 9, 1977).^[5] Portis is a firm believer in the saying "knowledge is power". He considers himself superior to most others in both intellect and education, therefore a rightful leader. However, Portis often finds himself employed by gangs under Pete or even the Phantom Blot. Both of the latter are considered better connected within the Mouseton version of organized crime.

Ed Nofziger is responsible for a third recurring character, an alternative girlfriend of Pete named Chirpy Bird. She first appeared in Topolino e i piccioni "poliziotti" (Mickey Mouse and the Pidgeon Police, first published in December 1981) and starred as Pete's partner-in-crime in eight stories from 1981 to 1984.^[6] In France, she and Trudy are presented as the same character, being both renamed Gertrude, despite Trudy being a cat and Chirpy being a canary.

In Mickey Mouse Works, Pete has another cousin named Zeke. Zeke is a criminal like Pete, but is wary of his cousin's attempts to double-cross him "Just like old Times". Mickey often uses this distrust to turn the two against one-another.

In Goof Troop, Pete has a wife, Peg, and two children, PJ and Pistol. Alternatively, the comic book story "Mickey's Strange Mission" from Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #245 (1961, by Carl Fallberg and Paul Murry) suggests a cultured ancestry for Pete, giving his full name as the genteel Percy P. Percival.

In the Italian comic story of 1998, Topolino e il diario di zia Topolinda (Mickey Mouse and aunt Topolinda's diary) we meet Pete's grandma, depicted as the only honest member of his family.

Theatrical cartoons

Alice Comedies

Pete first appeared in the Walt Disney-produced 1920s Alice Comedies short subject series. He first appeared in Alice Solves the Puzzle (February 15, 1925) as Bootleg Pete. His nickname is a reference to his career of bootlegging alcoholic beverages during Prohibition in the United States (January 16, 1920 - December 5, 1933). His activities brought him at a[beach in time to see Alice playing with a crossword puzzle. Pete happened to be a collector of crossword puzzles and identified Alice's puzzle being a rare one missing from his collection. The rest of the short focused on his antagonizing Alice and her drunk-on-moonshine cat Julius in order to steal it. The menacing, bear villain commanded quite a presence on the screen and was destined to return.

• In Alice Wins the Derby (May 5, 1925) Pete, Alice and Julius are among several contestants in a combined horse racing/auto racing event. Pete first demonstrates his skill at cheating on sporting events to achieve victory. However, a car accident takes both Pete and Julius out of the race. The ending is given away by the title of the short.

• In Alice Is Stage Struck (October 1, 1925) Pete is cast as the stuff of nightmares for little Alice. She is depicted performing a stage version of Uncle Tom's Cabin with her live-action friends when she falls unconscious. In her nightmare, Alice is being chased by Pete in his dog sled across an Arctic environment.
• In Alice Picks the Champ (November 1, 1925), Pete is depicted as the owner of a gym who challenges all who enter in a boxing fight. The invitation is extended to Julius upon his entry. Despite the title Alice is a mere spectator in their fight rather than playing a more active role.
• Pete made his final appearance for the year in Alice's Tin Pony (November 15, 1925). The "pony" of the title was actually a train transporting passengers Alice and Julius along with a payroll shipment. The shipment attracts the attention of "Pete the Bear" and his gang of outlaws who attempt a train robbery. This was the first time Pete was depicted as leader of his own gang rather than a solitary villain. This depiction would prevail in his comic book appearances for decades.
• In Alice on the Farm (January 1, 1926), Pete performs his first act of kidnapping. He abducts Alice from a farm early on the short. Pete places her in a bag, punches her out and gives his own, silent version of an evil laugh. Julius then has to rescue his female friend in a duel. Arguably the first of many duels Pete would have in his long career. Notably both Pete and Julius received more screen time than Alice herself.
• Pete received a darker role in Alice's Mysterious Mystery (February 15, 1926). The title mystery concerns the abduction of an entire school of puppies by two mysterious dog catchers. Amateur detectives Alice and Julius investigate the case. The trail leads to Pete and an unnamed anthropomorphic rat serving as his henchman. The duo had abducted the puppies to sell them to a local sausage factory. Arguably establishing Pete as more ruthless than a mere kidnapper.
• Pete upstaged Alice again in Alice's Balloon Race (March 1, 1926) where said balloon race serves as an excuse for another confrontation between Julius and his arch-enemy. Alice served as a bit player in her own film.
• In Alice's Spanish Guitar (November 29, 1926), Pete listens to Alice playing guitar in a Spanish café. Pete is charmed by her music and abducts the girl once again. He keeps her captive in his own castle. Julius once again has to save the damsel in distress.
• Alice's Brown Derby (December 13, 1926) depicts a horse racing contest where Pete attempts to cheat again while Julius rides a mechanical horse.
• Alice the Lumberjack (December 27, 1926), finds Alice and Julius working as lumberjacks. Pete interrupts their work to abduct Alice again. Julius is forced to come to the rescue once again. Both shorts can be seen as evidence of the repetition of plot themes that plagued the series as it progressed.
• Alice the Gold Bug (January 10, 1927) had Alice, Julius and Pete competing against each other in a surreal golf game.
• Alice Foils the Pirates (January 24, 1927) has a misleading title. Actually the short features Pete holding Alice hostage in a pirate ship while Julius comes to the rescue. Pete would later be cast as an experienced captain and occasional pirate in his comic strip, Mickey Mouse Works, and comic book appearances.
• Alice at the Rodeo (February 21, 1927) features Alice and Julius in a rodeo. Alice rides a bull which has little trouble throwing the little girl off his back. Julius proves more successful in bronc riding and wins first prize. But it is Pete who escapes with his winnings. This naturally leads to another confrontation between the two rivals.
• Alice in the Alps (March 21, 1927) indeed has Alice and Julius ice skating in the Alps. They encounter Pete while mountaineering.
• Alice's Auto Race (April 4, 1927) actually features Julius and Pete competing in their usual style.
• Alice's Knaughty Knight (May 2, 1927) features Julius and Pete as knights in armour fighting over the affections of Lady Alice.
• Alice's Channel Swim (June 13, 1927) has Julius and Pete competing in a swimming race across the English Channel. Alice was actually the referee rather than a swimmer.
• Alice in the Klondike (June 27, 1927) has Alice and Julius as gold prospectors in Klondike, Yukon, Canada. Their successful search attracts their old rival Pete who wants the gold for himself. This would be the final appearance of Pete in the series. The series would have four more entries, ending with Alice in the Big League on August 22, 1927. Pete would be the only character of the series to survive its ending.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Disney needed a villain to place against his new star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and Pete was introduced to his new adversary in the sixth Oswald short The Ocean Hop (September 8, 1927). Apparently inspired by Charles Lindbergh, the two enter an aeroplane race across the Atlantic Ocean. Hugh Harman and Rollin Hamilton were responsible for animating several inventive gags during the film. At least one became a classic. At some point Oswald runs off a cliff and continues to walk on air without the effect of gravity until realizing there is no ground to stand on. The gag would be reused in many cartoon shorts. Charles Lindbergh also served as the inspiration for Plane Crazy (May 15, 1927), the first cartoon to feature Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.^[7]

• The Banker's Daughter (September 15, 1927) gave a more characteristic depiction of Oswald. Oswald was working as a limousine driver for a banker, but is quickly fired for flirting with the daughter of his employer. When Pete performs his first bank robbery at the same bank, Oswald comes to the rescue in order to become a hero. This is the first appearance of Oswald's cat love interest, replacing Oswald's former love interest Miss Cottontail who would never appear again in the Disney shorts.^[8][9]
• Rickety Gin (October 19, 1927) features Pete in a more comedic and romantic role. Oswald appears as a police officer who uses his fancy uniform to romance an unnamed young nurse. Pete succeeds at getting the officer drunk and proceeds in stealing his uniform and romancing the nurse himself. Apparently, the lady was attracted to uniform-wearing men.
• Harem Scarem (December 20, 1927) features Pete and Oswald in Morocco. Oswald falls in love with a dancer and Pete abducts her, leading to another heroic rescue for Oswald.
• Rival Romeos (February 16, 1928) features Pete and Oswald as rivals for the heart of their "Lady Love". However, both Romeos and their automobiles were at the end rejected by their Juliet in favor of an unnamed dog and his motorcycle.
• Sagebrush Sadie (March 14, 1928) features Oswald as a cowboy attempting to save a stagecoach and its female passenger from outlaw Pete.
• Ozzie of the Mounted (March 29, 1928) casts Pete as "Foxy Wolf", an outlaw wanted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Oswald was naturally positioned as the Mountie determined to "get his man". The chase goes on through a series of Canadian locales. One should note that "Foxy" is only named as such in the film's production materials; in the film as released, he is Pegleg Pete. The use of the name "Foxy", in any respect, has no known connection to Foxy, the namesake character of the later Merrie Melodies series.
• In Oh, What a Knight (March 30, 1928) the action takes place not in the 1920s, but in the Middle Ages. Pete is a strict father who keeps his daughter in isolation within their family castle. Oswald is the potential lover of the girl who is trying to release her. Oswald duels with Pete and then uses an anachronistic bowling ball to take out his men. He makes his escape with the girl, and is confronted by a hostile lion. The two lovers escape the castle using a parachute and kiss as they make their fall. The use of the parachute presumably places the events after its first recorded use by Armen Firman.
• Sky Scrappers (April 25, 1928) casts Pete as another kind of "villain": not an outlaw, but a harsh superior in a working environment (a figure presumably familiar to many among the intended audience of the short). In this case, the movie takes place at a construction site, where Oswald is a steel worker and Pete his supervising foreman...a working relationship than only deteriorates when both men are interested in a cat love interest by the name of Sadie (who also appears in The Banker's Daughter, Rival Romeos, Sagebrush Sadie, Oh, What a Knight and several more shorts).^[10][11]
• Hungry Hoboes (May 14, 1928) saw the duo having been reduced to hoboes seeking rail transport. On the plus side, the two old rivals had apparently achieved friendship.

By the time producer Charles Mintz took away the Oswald series from Disney, Pete had been established as the most consistently appearing supporting character to Oswald. He continued to appear in that role in the Oswald films directed and produced by Walter Lantz until 1933. His most notable non-Disney appearance was arguably as a captain in Permanent Wave (September 29, 1929).

Mickey Mouse

Animation historian David Gerstein speculates that when Disney stopped working on the Oswald cartoons for Universal he separated from the character and his cast including Pete. Disney and his team created a cat villain for their new protagonist Mickey Mouse. Originally called "Terrible Tom", the villain was named "Pegleg Pete" by 1930 as the Disney crew felt that he was essentially a continuation of their earlier villain, albeit a different species.^[12] Animator Norm Ferguson, known for developing Pluto, also developed Pete's character in several shorts and he was made to resemble actor Wallace Beery.^[2][13]

Pete appeared as Mickey's enemy beginning with the cartoons The Gallopin' Gaucho and Steamboat Willie. In the cartoons of the 1930s, Pete would be Mickey Mouse's nemesis, but would vary in professions, from an all-out outlaw (Gallopin' Gaucho and the cartoon within a cartoon Gallopin Romance in Mickey's Gala Premier) to a brutal law-enforcer (such as Moving Day in which he is a sheriff who serves Mickey and Donald Duck with an eviction notice). On the other hand, Pete is seen in the audience in the 1932 Mickey's Revue in which the antagonist is not Pete but "Dippy Dawg" aka Goofy; in the 1942 cartoon Symphony Hour, Pete is a sympathetic impresario who sponsors Mickey's orchestra in a concert, which goes terribly wrong, but is a great success.

In addition, Pete is featured in the Mickey Mouse cartoons The Barn Dance (1928), The Barnyard Battle (1929), The Cactus Kid (1930), The Chain Gang (1930), Traffic Troubles (1931), The Mad Dog (1932), Barnyard Olympics (1932), Mickey in Arabia (1932), Touchdown Mickey (1932), The Klondike Kid (1932), Building a Building (1933), The Mail Pilot (1933), Mickey's Gala Premier (1933), Shanghaied (1934), The Dognapper (1934), Two-Gun Mickey (1934), Mickey's Service Station (1935), Moving Day (1936), The Worm Turns (1937), Mickey's Amateurs (1937), Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip (1940), Symphony Hour (1942), and Get a Horse (2013).

Donald Duck

Pete is a featured character in the Donald Duck cartoons Donald's Lucky Day (1939), Officer Duck (1939), The Riveter (1940), Timber (1941), Donald Gets Drafted (1942), The Vanishing Private (1942), Sky Trooper (1942), Bellboy Donald (1942), The Old Army Game (1943), Trombone Trouble (1944), The New Neighbor (1953) and Canvas Back Duck (1953, where he fights a semi-pro boxing match with Donald Duck).

Goofy

Pete appears in three Goofy cartoons: Two Gun Goofy (1952), How to be a Detective (1952), and Father's Day Off (1953). He appears in Goof Troop, A Goofy Movie and its sequel An Extremely Goofy Movie.

Chip 'n' Dale

Pete appears in one Chip 'n' Dale cartoon, as the main antagonist of The Lone Chipmunks (1954).

World War II

During World War II, Pete was "drafted" by Walt Disney and appeared as the official mascot of the United States Merchant Marine. He appeared in Donald Duck's series of army films where he plays Donald's Drill Sergeant and later Sergeant and Jumpmaster. In the comic strips he was a spy for Nazi Germany as Mickey discovered in Mickey Mouse on a Secret Mission (1943) his motivation being the money.

Comics

In comic strips and comic books, Pete is consistently depicted as a hardened criminal. In the 1943 comic strip story Mickey Mouse on a Secret Mission, he was an agent of Nazi Germany, working as the henchman of Gestapo spy Von Weasel. In the 1950 comic strip story The Moook Treasure, he's even portrayed as the Beria-like deputy chief of intelligence in a totalitarian state on the other side of the iron curtain.

Pete often teams up with Mickey Mouse enemies Sylvester Shyster, Eli Squinch, or The Phantom Blot. In earlier comic strips, starting with Mickey Mouse in Death Valley (1930) Pete was portrayed as Sylvester Shyster's henchman, but he gradually started to work on his own. Sometimes, Pete also teams up with other bad guys in the Disney universe, such as Scrooge McDuck's enemies (the Beagle Boys and Magica De Spell), Mad Madam Mim, Captain Hook, and the Evil Queen. In Italian comics, his girlfriend Trudy (Trudy Van Tubb) is his frequent partner-in-crime. His cousin the "mad scientist" Plottigat is another, less frequent, accomplice.

In his earlier comic strip appearances, Pete sported a knee-high pegleg, which was later reduced to a foot-high prosthesis. In Mickey Mouse in Death Valley, Floyd Gottfredson occasionally committed goofs, with the pegleg switching from Pete's right leg to his left one. In Gottfredson's story The Mystery at Hidden River (1941–42), the pegleg disappeared, with Pete having two normal legs: when Mickey expressed surprise at this, Pete described one of his legs as a new, "streamlined, modern" artificial leg. Pete has since been consistently depicted as having two legs; except in the 2004 feature film Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers.

His name in Italy has remained "Pietro Gambadilegno" ("Pegleg Peter"), or simply "Gambadilegno" ("Pegleg") even though it has been a long time since he was actually depicted with a pegleg in either comics or animated cartoons. In an Italian story by Romano Scarpa, "Topolino e la dimensione Delta" ("Mickey Mouse and the Delta Dimension", first published in 1959), Pete briefly removes his artificial leg, revealing his old foot-high pegleg underneath. Usually, Gambadilegno is depicted as the rival of Chief Seamus O'Hara ("commissario Adamo Basettoni"), Detective Casey ("ispettore Manetta") and Phantom Blot ("Macchia Nera").

Television

DuckTales

In the first season of the 1987 TV series DuckTales, Pete appeared in a few episodes. However, he was portrayed as a different character in each of his appearances. Because of this, he wasn't always a true villain, but sometimes just a selfish individual with no evil agenda. In a few episodes, he even makes peace with Scrooge's group in the end. The various Petes appear to be their own characters, as two of them lived in different time periods, and because Scrooge never "recognizes" him, despite any previous encounters he may have had with any of the other Petes. In all of his appearances Pete was voiced by Will Ryan.

Episode	Character
"Duck in the Iron Mask"	Captain Pietro
"Time Teasers"	Captain Blackheart
"Merit-Time Adventure"	Dogface Pete
"Pearl of Wisdom"	Sharkey
"Lost Crown of Genghis Khan"	Genghis Khan

Goof Troop

In the 1992 TV series Goof Troop, Pete has a family who includes his wife Peg, their two children Pete Junior (or PJ for short) and Pistol, and their dog Chainsaw with Pete taking on a more canine-like appearance. They live next door to Goofy and his son Max. In the series, Pete is the major antagonist and the main antihero. Pete is often the victim of Goofy's clumsiness and mishaps, usually resulting in the destruction of his property or great personal injury. Pete owns a used-car dealership, and though no longer openly villainous, is still conniving (as well as abrasive, obnoxious, truculent and suspicious) and often exploits his good-hearted and somewhat addled friend Goofy. Often, his schemes backfire, or he feels guilty about his oafish behavior and works to set things right. His wife Peg often attempts to rid Pete of his uncouth attitude, and his son PJ is a complete opposite of his father in behavior, as he is good friends with Goofy's son Max in the series and its spin-off movies A Goofy Movie (1995) and An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000) as a good character. Jim Cummings provided Pete's booming bass voice starting from that series, and to date is still the character's voice in all media. It is eventually revealed in the series' pilot episode "Forever Goof" that one of the reasons why Pete dislikes Goofy so much is that when Pete was a high school quarterback in a big football game, it was Goofy who accidentally caused Pete to fumble the ball and lose the game by hitting him in the face with a pom pom (Goofy was on the cheerleading squad).

Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse

After Goof Troop, Pete reverted to his evil ways on Mickey Mouse Works, where he frequently bullied the other characters and occasionally kidnapped Minnie Mouse. He would also play an average criminal (i.e. a house burglar). Then in House of Mouse, he plays the role of the evil landlord. Several episodes involved his attempts to close the club by sabotaging the show, though there were times when he helped out the crew.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Pete appears in numerous episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney's newest 3D-animated children's series. He maintains his protagonist and semi-antagonist role, but is significantly toned down for its preschool audience—he is less malicious and more mischievous. Viewers will find that Mickey and gang are very forgiving of Pete and his escapades. He often appears as a seller of objects the gang needs, and will give them an item in exchange for beans. He is much nicer than his previous incarnations—in one episode, he invites the group to a Halloween party; in "Pete's Beach Blanket Luau", he even invites everyone to the titular party.

While Clubhouse has a great deal of fun at Pete's expense (or "expanse", as he's the biggest and fattest character; they use his overalls for a sail in "Mickey and Minnie's Jungle Safari"), it also depicts him in a sympathetic light; he's openly sentimental in "Clarabelle's Clubhouse Carnival", not wanting to part with his "Petey doll" prizes. He even changes Baby Goofy's diaper (willingly) in "Goofy Baby".

The Carnival episode also gives us the closest approximation of Pete's weight; he's shown to be the same size and weight as a brown bear.

In Mickey's Great Clubhouse Hunt, he is the only character not invited to the Easter Egg Hunt (or so he thinks), so he tries to gatecrash, but messes up the secret word, causing the clubhouse to float away. At the end, he apologizes and is invited to the egg hunt after all. He is also revealed as the owner of Butch the Bulldog, who is friends with Mickey's dog, Pluto.

Mickey Mouse

Pete appears in the 2013 Mickey Mouse cartoon series. In the show, he is designed based on his appearances in the early Mickey Mouse cartoons, complete with a peg-leg. Like Mickey Mouse Works and House of Mouse, in the series he has revert to his evil ways, and again his booming bass voice provided by Jim Cummings.

Movies

In the 1983 short film Mickey's Christmas Carol, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol featuring Disney characters, Pete was cast as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, who reveals himself by removing his hood and lighting a cigar, which also lights up the engraving on Scrooge's grave, and having only one line ("Why yours, Ebenezer. The richest man in the cemetery!", in response to Scrooge's question about whose grave it was) and laughing cruelly while Scrooge struggles to escape from his open grave as the gates of Hell are opening. Pete also made a cameo appearance as a Toontown police officer in the very final scene of Who Framed Roger Rabbit - he is viewed from the back, alongside Tom and Jerry's Spike and Horace Horsecollar in security uniforms; this can be seen just before Porky Pig and Tinkerbell close the movie. This was a non-speaking role. Pete later appeared in A Goofy Movie and its sequel where he was shown in a much lighter tone as these movies are based on Goof Troop . He was Goofy's best friend and confidante in the films making him a minor character. However, he was still arrogant and somewhat grouchy.

The Prince and the Pauper

In this Disney version of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, Pete once again played as the primary villain, this time as the English king's captain of the guard. When he saw that his ruler's life was slowly diminishing, he and his henchmen, a band of anthropomorphic weasels (from The Wind in the Willows) who now act as the king's guards, seized the opportunity to terrorize England's citizens and rob them of their goods in "favor" of the king. After kicking out a disguised Prince, whom he mistook for the peasant boy Mickey Mouse, out of his kingdom, he later receives word from one of his guards that the Prince was seen a causing a commotion in the village, as the guard claimed that he "acted like a nobleman and he had the royal ring!" Pete suddenly realizes that it was indeed the Prince he "booted out" and seizes another opportunity out of this. That night, after the king passes away, Pete finds the "phony prince" (Mickey), threatening the life of his dog, Pluto, unless Mickey follows his commands. In the village, he soon finds and captures the real Prince and takes him to the castle's dungeon to lock him up. On the day of the Prince's coronation, Pete plots to get Mickey crowned as king, though Mickey is still subservient to Pete's orders. His plan, however, is thwarted when the Prince suddenly appears in the throne room, having busted out of the dungeon and evading the guards with the help of Goofy (Mickey's peasant friend) and Donald Duck (the Prince's valet). A sudden battle in the throne room (Mickey and the Prince vs. Pete; Goofy and Donald vs. the Weasel Guards) results in Pete's defeat, as Goofy's bumbling antics cause a chandelier to fall on the weasels, bundle them together, and send them rolling towards Pete. Pete, seeing this, tries to flee but is slowed down by his ripped-down pants (courtesy of the Prince's swashbuckling skills) and tripped by both the Prince and Mickey, causing him to get rolled over and caught on the chandelier, which sends him and his men rolling through a stain-glass window and falling out of the castle.

Mickey's House of Villains

In the 2002 direct-to-video House of Mouse spinoff film Mickey's House of Villains, Pete and other Disney villains' guest appearances from House of Mouse are featured. He takes part in the musical number "It's Our House Now."

The Three Musketeers

In the 2004 made-for-video animated film The Three Musketeers (with Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy playing the title roles), Pete again appeared under the name Peg-Leg Pete. He served as the main antagonist of the film. Here, he was the Captain of the Musketeers, aiming to take over France, with the help of his lieutenant, Clarabelle Cow, and the Beagle Boys. To do so, he must get Princess Minnie out of the way, but it proves to be difficult for him, even when he hires the film's titular trio to be her bodyguards, believing they won't do a good job protecting her. He received his own "bad guy song", using the classic music piece In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Video game appearances

• Pete appears as the captain of a pirate ship in the early NES Capcom game Mickey Mousecapade (or simply Mickey Mouse). Unlike most appearances, he is not the final boss in this game. Notably, his role here was exclusive to the game's American release; in the original Japanese version, the level's boss was Captain Hook from Peter Pan.

• In the early Game Boy game Mickey's Dangerous Chase, Mickey has a present for Minnie, but Big Bad Pete steals it. To get it back, Mickey must chase him through several different zones. Pete is the final (and only) boss of the game.

• In Adventures in the Magic Kingdom for the NES, Pete (referred to as "Panhandle Pete") steals one of the keys needed to unlock the castle and challenges your character to a race on the Autopia attraction to get it back. Pete is only depicted in cut scenes, with the "race" itself more of a timed obstacle course featuring other cars with indistinct drivers.

• In Disney's Magical Quest, a trilogy by Capcom, Pete is the final boss of each game, personating a distinct ruler (Emperor, Baron and King). He serves as an evil ruler who terrorizes the land he reigns and often kidnaps another character. In Disney's Magical Quest 1, he kidnaps Pluto; in Disney's Magical Quest 2, he appears as the tyrant "Baron Pete" who commands the game's enemies; in Magical Quest 3, he kidnaps Donald's nephews. Mickey and, depending on the game, Minnie or Donald, are always set to defeat him. In the end of the first two games, when he is defeated, he simply disappears, but in Magical Quest 3, however, after being defeated by Mickey and Donald, he eventually surrenders and promises to become a good person.

• Quackshot follows the adventures of Donald Duck as he, with the aid of his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, sets out to obtain some treasure from a map he found. Pete appears as an antagonist near the end of the game, kidnapping Donald's nephews and demanding to be given the map, and must be fought immediately prior to the final stage and boss of the game.

• Mickey Mania follows Mickey Mouse, who has been catapulted back in time to his earliest appearance in Steamboat Willie. Black Pete is Mickey's archvillain throughout the entire game, all the way from his very first confrontation against Mickey in Steamboat Willie all the way to his role in then-recent 1990's The Prince and the Pauper.

• In the racing game Mickey's Speedway USA, Pete is a heavyweight racer, but gets replaced when the players selects between Ludwig Von Drake or Huey, Dewey and Louie.

• Pete appears as the main antagonist in Magical Tetris Challenge. In the game, his goal is to obtain ultimate power from Donald's mysterious purple stone, having a Weasel and the Big Bad Wolf as his henchmen.

• In Disney Think Fast, Pete appears as the final secret playable character after you've collected 30,000 points in a simple game.

• Pete in this game is the final boss, a character who owns a giant magical box and sets the challenge to any victims who fall into it to traverse surreal terrains and then to defeat him for escape. Some of the minor enemies may look a little bit like Pete as well (such as the spiders). It all seems to be fun and games rather than true imprisonment, as in both Mickey's and Donald's final stage act before the credits, Pete can be seen in the audience enjoying the show with a mischievous grin on his face (Mickey and Donald nearly missed the show by falling into the box).

• Pete is incompetent king of the story, who passes his kingship to the laundry boy, Mickey and eventually fights him as a final boss to regain his throne.

• Pete is featured in the Wii game, Epic Mickey. Once again with his titular peg-leg, he first appears in the Gremlin Village as Small Pete (based on It's a Small World ride at Disneyland), he appears dressed as one of the Dutch girl dolls of the ride. He later appears as his usual self in Mean Street (based on Main Street USA), where he informs Mickey that there are many other Petes throughout the world, each themed differently depending on the zone in the game, like appearing in a Sark outfit in Tomorrow City as Petetronic and in Ventureland as Pete Pan.^[14] Pete himself (referred to as "Big Bad Pete"), acts as a self-appointed enforcer of sorts at Mean Street and is often a source of quests for the player. In Tomorrow City, which is inspired by Tomorrowland, the Sark-esque Petetronic is the boss of the level, attacking with thrown buckets of thinner, shaking the ground, and throwing his ID disk. The only way to attack Petetronic is to deflect his disk back at him which will stun him and expose his back side. Mickey can then squirt him with paint, which turns him blue and friendly, or thinner, which short-circuits him and reduces him to a MCP-like entity. In Ventureland, Pete appears as a jolly, bubbly version of himself known as "Pete Pan", named after Peter Pan, who is trapped on Skull Island until Mickey can manage to save the sprite so Pete Pan can fight off the robot version of Captain Hook like he used to. The Petes return in the sequel, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, initially appearing as allies to the protagonists (except Pete Pan, who has allied with the Mad Doctor after Hook disappeared), Mickey and Oswald. However, by the end of the game, they leave with Prescott, presumably having plans for him. In the 3DS title Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, three types of Pete enemies appear. The first type are Thwomp-like enemies with Pete's face emblazoned on it. Mickey can use this enemy to his advantage by using a sketch of it. The second type resembles his appearance in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This time, Pete uses brute strength in order to fight Mickey. The third and final type uses a spiked shell to attack Mickey. Mickey can only defeat him by using a spin attack and then a jump attack.

• Pete is featured (in his two-legged form) in the Nintendo 3DS game Disney Magical World as a character in the main city of Castleton. One of the 100 stickers required to complete the game requires the player to fulfill a request made by Pete, which results in an in-game photo of the player alongside Pete.

Kingdom Hearts series

Pete is depicted as a recurring villain within the Kingdom Hearts video game series. He was originally a steamboat captain, with Mickey Mouse as his deck hand (as they were seen in Steamboat Willie), and later the captain of the Royal Musketeers until his plans for a coup were foiled by Mickey (as they were seen in The Three Musketeers). After Disney Castle was built in their world, with Mickey its new king, Pete began causing all sorts of mischief until he was banished to another dimension. He was subsequently freed by Maleficent, to whom he became indebted, and vowed to amass an army of Heartless, creatures born from the darkness of people's hearts, to return the favor.

• Prior to his service under Maleficent, Pete runs rampant through Disney Town during the world's annually held Dream Festival, entering contests while shifting between two different alter egos—superhero "Captain Justice" and antihero "Captain Dark"—in an attempt to claim the "Million Dreams Award" for himself. He instead loses to one of the game's three protagonists and player characters: Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Since his lack of consideration for the hearts of others is made apparent through his mischief, Pete is banished to another dimension by Queen Minnie until he can learn to behave. He is released from his imprisonment by Maleficent, however, and helps her conquer the various worlds in the series' universe in return.

• Pete makes several appearances in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, where he is gathering Heartless to build an army of Heartless for Maleficent. He is first seen exploring Agrabah in search of Jafar's magic lamp, but is secretly followed by Roxas and Axel of Organization XIII, who are on a mission to collect hearts. Pete eventually uncovers a secret passage leading outside the city, inadvertently leading Roxas to the Cave of Wonders. Roxas later returns with Xion to investigate the cave, but are spotted by Pete, who assumes they had come to take the lamp for themselves and fights them. After Pete is defeated, he makes a getaway. Pete reappears in Never Land where he plants several empty treasure chests across the island and sells maps leading to them to Captain Hook, knowing his greed will attract the Heartless for him to collect. However, his plans are once again foiled when Roxas slays the Heartless to collect their hearts. Pete decides to kill two birds with one stone by leading Hook to a final, gold-filled chest, which reacts to the darkness in Hook's heart and becomes a powerful Heartless that Pete hopes will defeat Roxas, though it ends up being defeated instead. Pete disappears again, vowing revenge against Roxas if they ever meet again.

• Pete makes his first appearance in the series in Kingdom Hearts II, where he first encounters the main group of protagonists—Sora, Donald, and Goofy—in front of Yen Sid's tower, and is disappointed to learn that they had previously defeated Maleficent while he was out gathering Heartless (though he does contemplate taking her place in her absence). However, Maleficent is quickly resurrected, and Pete continues his duties after updating her on what occurred in her absence, traveling to other worlds to recruit old or new villains to either join (or rejoin) their cause, or to turn them into powerful Heartless, but is foiled by Sora and co. each time. Pete is viewed more as a nuisance than a threat by the heroes, Sora remarking that he is "not smart enough to tie his own shoes." He is nonetheless fought as a recurring boss during several portions of the game, though the strategy for beating him is different each time. Pete often incurs Maleficent's relentless annoyance and insults for his comical ineptness, despite his fierce loyalty to her. After one such incident, his yearning for going back in time to experience his wonder years as a steamboat captain again summons a portal to the past, which gives him the opportunity to put himself back in Maleficent's good graces. He goes back in time to steal his younger self's steamboat and alter the past to Maleficent's liking, but is defeated again by Sora and co., who have allied themselves with the younger Pete (who never discovers the older Pete's identity). However, Pete once again proves his worth when he brings Maleficent to the Castle That Never Was, the headquarters of Organization XIII, for them to use as a new base of operations, though he is very much aware that the Heartless will be unruly in this dark realm. In the end, he contemplates running when the castle becomes overrun with Heartless, but decides to stand by Maleficent's side to hold them off and help Sora and his friends defeat Organization XIII, though the castle is destroyed. Before the final boss of the game, Pete can be fought again as a boss within the optional Hades Paradox Cup in Olympus Coliseum.

• Pete returns in Kingdom Hearts coded to spy on Mickey in Disney Castle, and ends up being transported into the Datascape with the King. Helping Maleficent's scheme to take over the virtual world, Pete encounters the Data Sora while helping Data Jafar and later kidnaps Data Riku, turning him into his slave through the bugs. He is later confronted at Hollow Bastion, unintentionally helping Data Sora regain his Keyblade before sicing Data Riku on him. Later, Data Sora attempts to rescue him and Maleficent from digital incarnation of Sora's Heartless before it crushes them. However, Data Riku is able to rescue them through a "rift in the data" and escort the villains back to their world.

• Because of the increasing Darkness through the worlds brought on by the eventual revival of Master Xehanort, Pete manages to bypass the protective magic of the Cornerstone of Light with Maleficent. They take Minnie hostage and send a letter to King Mickey, bringing them to a confrontation in the library of the castle. After Maleficent explains her past meeting with Xehanort, they demand the Data Worlds be handed over to them. However, Pete loses Minnie when Lea arrives and scares him with a chakram. He promptly flees with his boss. Sora and Riku also battle another past incarnation of Pete, this time during his career as the corrupt captain of Princess Minnie's Royal Musketeers. He schemes to overthrow Minnie and become King himself, but his plans are foiled by the three Musketeers, Mickey, Donald and Goofy, with aid from Sora and Riku.

Voice actors

• Walt Disney (early shorts)
• Billy Bletcher (1932–1944, 1952–1954)
• John McLeish (1942, Bellboy Donald)
• Will Ryan (1983–1987, 2013)
• Arthur Burghardt (1990, The Prince and the Pauper, video games)
• Jim Cummings (1992–present)

References

External links

• List of Disney shorts in which Pete makes an appearance
• Pete at the INDUCKS
• Pete on IMDb
• Black Pete's entry in the Toonopedia