The Adventures of Pete and Pete
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''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
television series created by
Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi are a team of American show-creators, writers and producers of television and screenwriters. They are best known as the co-creators of the award-winning and critically acclaimed Nickelodeon television series ''The A ...
for
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia among their equally eccentric friends, enemies, and neighbors. ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' began on Nickelodeon in 1989 as minute-long shorts that aired as interstitials. Owing to the popularity of the shorts, five half-hour specials were made, followed by a regular half-hour series that ran for three seasons from 1993 to 1996. As of October 5, 2015, reruns of the shorts and the shows run on
TeenNick TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
as part of the
NickSplat NickRewind (formerly The '90s Are All That, The Splat, and NickSplat) was an American late night programming block that broadcast nightly over the channel space of TeenNick. The block showed reruns of mid-late 1980s, 1990s, and early-mid 200 ...
block. Jason Ankeny of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
called the series "the greatest children's show ever", while ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' called it "one of the most well-written kids shows ever". The first two seasons were released on DVD in 2005; the third was planned for 2006 but was indefinitely postponed.


Setting

''Pete & Pete'' is set in Wellsville, a fictional town in the U.S. whose exact geography is never specified. License plates in the show refer to "The Sideburn State", and according to the series' canon, the Wrigley house is set miles from the
Canadian border Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
, 500 miles from Hoover Dam and "not far from the beach". The name of the town is also a nod to The Embarrassment's song "Wellsville". Certain locations were fictionalized for the purposes of the show; Glurt County, mentioned in "Yellow Fever" and "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky", does not exist in any state. The show was filmed largely in Leonia, New Jersey, with location shots done in a variety of other spots around northern New Jersey, including the Willowbrook Mall in
Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. ...
, and the Wrigley House in
Cranford, New Jersey Cranford is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 23,847, an increase of 1,222 (+5.4%) from the 2010 census count ...
. The exteriors of Pete & Pete's house (as seen in the credit sequence and other shots) were filmed on Vreeland Avenue in Leonia, New Jersey. The football field used for various episodes is that of
Bayonne High School Bayonne High School (BHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Bayonne, in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, operated by the Bayonne Board of Education. The school has been ...
in Bayonne, New Jersey. The fictional Wellsville High School's mascot is a squid.


Episodes


Characters


Family

; "Big" Pete Wrigley ( Michael Maronna): The show's narrator, Big Pete, often acts as a voice of reason in contrast to the strange occurrences and people around him. However, he also grapples with the problem of growing up and thus losing sight of the simple happiness of childhood, often to the disappointment of Little Pete. Aside from typical sibling rivalry, he and his brother are best friends. Big Pete plays trombone in the school marching band. Big Pete's nemeses are "Endless" Mike Hellstrom and Open Face. He and Little Pete shared enemies in both Hat Head and Lifeguard Matt "The Urinator" Uplinger. ; "Little" Pete Wrigley (
Danny Tamberelli Daniel Joseph Tamberelli (born February 8, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his portrayal of Little Pete in ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' from 1989 to 1995, as the voice and actor of Jimmy De Santa in the 2013 ...
): Four years younger than his brother, Little Pete is often engaged in struggles against adults and other authority figures. He is also known to make irrational decisions in response to problems, like selling the house because his brother hung out with a girl instead of him, without taking responsibility for it (the only exception was back in 'Grounded for Life'). Little Pete has various enemies, including Papercut (who was originally Artie's main enemy besides John McFlemp). He showed defiance in throwing scissors, instead of rock, which angered Papercut to swear revenge on him and destroy him in the rematch. Little Pete's primary nemeses are Pit Stain (for insulting his glandular disorder) and Principal Ken Schwinger (the principal at his school). He and Big Pete share enemies in Hat Head and Lifeguard Matt "The Urinator" Uplinger. ; "Petunia": A tattoo on Little Pete's forearm depicting a prone woman in a red dress, Petunia receives her own credit in the show's opening sequence. Little Pete likes to make Petunia "dance" by flexing his forearm. In the series, Petunia's origins are a mystery and a cause of bafflement for Big Pete, though in an early ''Pete & Pete'' short, it is explained that Little Pete originally got the tattoo as a Mother's Day gift, infuriating his father and causing his mother to faint. Little Pete has a second tattoo of a sailing ship on his back, although the origins of this tattoo are never explained. ; Joyce Wrigley (
Judy Grafe Judy is a short form of the name Judith. Judy may refer to: Places * Judy, Kentucky, village in Montgomery County, United States * Judy Woods, woodlands in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom Animals * Judy (dog) (1936–1950) ...
): The Petes' mother, usually just called "Mom". She tends to be the more stern, conventional parent, but also tends to be more reasonable than her husband, agreeing to compromise with her sons when the need arises. She also tends to intervene when her husband goes too far. ; Mom's Plate: The plate in Joyce's head, which, like Petunia, gets its own opening credit via an X-ray. It can pick up radio stations, and, in the case of Little Pete's radio station WART, can also broadcast them. Though it is stated that Joyce got the plate due to a childhood accident, the nature of the accident is never explained. ; Donald "Don" Wrigley (
Hardy Rawls Hardy Rawls is a character actor. In 2003, ''Adweek'', ''Ad Age'', and the ''New York Post'' described Rawls' best-known role as that of the father on Nickelodeon's ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete''. For Maytag's 2004 marketing campaign, Rawls ...
): Usually known as "Dad", Don is the Petes' father. He and Joyce met when the metal detector he was using on a beach led him to the metal plate in her head. He is extremely competitive against practically everyone, including his own sons (particularly Little Pete, who seems to have gotten his own stubborn streak from his father), his neighbors, and other local parents. His hobbies include obsessive lawn care, bowling, and fishing, particularly for "Old Bob", a legendary striped bass.


Friends

; Ellen Josephine Hickle (Alison Fanelli): Ellen is Big Pete's best friend; though romance develops between the two on rare occasions, Pete generally sees Ellen as "a girl and a friend, but not a girlfriend". Over the course of the show she demonstrates some obsessive tendencies. In the pre-season 1 short "The Dot", as well as the season one episode "Day of the Dot" she is assigned the position of the letter "I" in "Squids" as part of the school marching band and attempts to hypnotize herself into "perfect dot-ness". She played French horn in the band. Ellen is also a huge fan of Greco-Roman wrestling and has vast knowledge on the subject, as seen in the episode "Pinned" where she tries to coach Big Pete. ; Artie, the Strongest Man in the World (
Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...
):Little Pete's personal superhero and one of the few adults for whom he holds any respect. His catchphrase is "I am Artie — the strongest man ... ''in the world''!" He wears a costume of a tight-fitting red-white-and-blue striped shirt, red long johns, and black running shoes without socks (claiming the lack of socks allows him to run at super-speeds, with the drawback of blisters). Artie claims an array of eccentric but apparently legitimate superpowers: he can skip stones on Neptune, move an entire house by an inch, turn Hat Head into a jack-o'-lantern, and hit a golf ball 300,003 yards, among other feats. In the two-parter "Farewell, My Little Viking" the villainous John McFlemp, wanting to allow the International Adult Conspiracy to take charge of Wellsville, decided to run Artie out of town and manipulated Don into persuading him to leave. Don did this despite misgivings, but finally saw sense when Joyce made him see how miserable Little Pete was without him. Upon returning Artie saw Little Pete standing up to his personal nemesis, Paper Cut, on his own and realised he was no longer needed. He bid farewell to Little Pete and left Wellsville to find another little boy in need of a superhero. His spot in the opening credits would later be replaced in the third season with Nona. ; Theodore "Teddy" L. Forzman (David Martel): Teddy is one of Big Pete's three friends (the others being Ellen and Bill). Teddy is a perpetually cheerful dork who is also in marching band and is known for bringing up odd trivia, then remarking "what, you guys didn't know that?" He also loves to exclaim "Excelente!" while raising his finger and give "soul shakes" (an elaborate handshake punctuated by hissing "Soul!") to friends. Teddy's cheerful personality once drove Endless Mike to a complete emotional breakdown. ; Bill Korn (Rick Barbarette): Bill is Big Pete's friend, who has a knack for practical jokes and sarcasm. He was renowned for getting Teddy to shoot milk out of his ears and getting Bus Driver Stu accused of kidnapping a busload of kids. He also admitted to once eating snot in the episode "Field of Pete". Bill did not appear after the second season. ; Nona F. Mecklenberg (
Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...
):Little Pete's best friend. Her middle initial "F" stands for Frances, but she wants to change it to Frank, Fahrvergnügen, or Forklift. She wears a cast, not because she has a broken arm but because it causes an annoying, itchy feeling on her arm which she enjoys scratching. She had a brief crush on Little Pete once or twice in the series. ; Natasha (
Heather Matarazzo Heather Christina Marie Matarazzo (born November 10, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough role was Dawn Wiener in the film '' Welcome to the Dollhouse'' (1995). She played Lilly in ''The Princess Diaries'' (2001) and '' The Princess Di ...
): A neighborhood kid and Little Pete's friend. She was a member of the Nightcrawlers who forced herself to stay awake by pulling her pigtails. ; Monica Perling (Maris Hudson): One of Little Pete's friends, Monica is the resident Kreb Scout. Her unfortunate luck with pets has given her a reputation as the "Girl Scout of Death", and she even has a graveyard for them. She has excellent hearing, supposedly because one of her ancestors married a bloodhound. ; Wayne Pardue (Justin Restivo): Also known as "Wayne the Pain". First appearing in the third season, Wayne tended to tag along with Little Pete and his friends, but as his nickname implied, Little Pete found him annoying due to his cluelessness and his tendency to spout phrases like "geez louise!" Wayne had an unrequited crush on Monica, who found him as irritating as everyone else. ; Clem LaNelle ( Aaron Schwartz): He was in several episodes as a friend of Little Pete. He served as the drummer of Little Pete's band, The Blowholes, and was a member of the Nightcrawlers, staying awake longer than anyone other than Little Pete and Artie. ; Libby Hurley (Winnie Zhang): Appeared in the "Nightcrawlers" and "The Call" episodes as a friend of Little Pete. Libby was adopted by the Hurley family. She stays awake via solar-powered sneezes, but flagged once the sun went down.


Enemies

; "Endless" Mike Hellstrom (
Rick Gomez Richard Harper Gomez (born June 1, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Radio Technician 4th Grade George Luz in the HBO television miniseries '' Band of Brothers'', and as "Endless Mike" Hellstrom in the Nickelodeon ...
): Endless Mike is the mortal enemy of Big Pete. The origins of his nickname are unknown, though it is speculated it was due to his perpetually repeating the same year of high school; it has also been stated that his nickname comes from the fact that "his hatred of Big Pete is endless". Endless Mike reigns over shop class and loves
Neapolitan ice cream Neapolitan ice cream (in Ireland and the U.K., sometimes colloquially mispronounced as Napoleon ice cream), also sometimes called Harlequin ice cream, is a type of ice cream composed of three separate flavors (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry) ar ...
. Although his relationship with Big Pete is largely antagonistic, the two have joined forces on rare occasions. The neighborhood kids hate and despise Endless Mike, but also envy him because he owns his own car. He hates Little Pete in "Time Tunnel" for humiliating him at the
drive-in theater A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movi ...
by showing everyone there home movies of him as a toddler and making him a laughingstock. In "Halloweenie" he foils Endless Mike's attempt to make Big Pete hate the holiday like him by putting a carved pumpkin of a jack-o'-lantern over his head. ; "Hat Head" (Chris Leveille): Hat Head draws his name from the fact that his hair perpetually looks as if it has been flattened by a hat, even though he is never actually seen wearing a hat. He originally appeared on several of the original shorts, making him the first bully in the ''Pete & Pete'' world. Hat Head hates Halloween and plots with Endless Mike to ruin it for the neighborhood kids, in part because Halloween is too frightening for him. He is frequently defeated by Artie, who protects both Petes from him and even made him into a man-made jack-o'-lantern with his proton push. ; "Open-Face" (Jason Late): One of Big Pete's enemies. A boy who is always shown eating open-faced sandwiches, even in church. Ellen dated him briefly in one episode. ; Fran "Pit Stain" Jones (Eric Kushnick): Little Pete's primary antagonist in season 3, he has a glandular disorder that gives him huge, smelly armpit stains. Little Pete gave him the nickname, which was quickly adopted by everyone in school (including the teachers), causing Pit Stain to swear revenge against Little Pete. He has a secret crush on Nona which often distracts him to the point of abandoning his pursuit of Little Pete. He is also often seen with his goons, "Hairnet" (Helen Davidson) and "Drawstring" (Yull Neri Borda). Drawstring was later replaced by "Nightbrace" (Robert Whitfield). During episode 3.07, "The Last Laugh", Little Pete and Pit Stain worked together to mastermind a prank on Principal Schwinger and the "Up With Personal Hygiene Singers". ; "Paper Cut" (Christopher Conte): Artie's original enemy in the season 2 episode "Farewell, My Little Viking" (parts 1 and 2). A boy who grew up in a copy shop, he is covered with lacerations and scars from
paper cut A paper cut occurs when a piece of paper or other thin, sharp material slices a person's skin, often the upper part of the finger, and often the index finger. Notably, "paper" cuts can also be caused by other thin, stiff, and abrasive materials ...
s. Paper Cut can fold paper into hundreds of
origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a f ...
shapes, including makeshift weapons. According to Big Pete, the numerous paper cuts did "some kind of origami number on his brain." Paper Cut enjoyed making life miserable for the helpless students by forcing them to throw "rock" while playing
rock paper scissors Rock paper scissors (also known by other orderings of the three items, with "rock" sometimes being called "stone," or as Rochambeau, roshambo, or ro-sham-bo) is a hand game originating in China, usually played between two people, in which each p ...
(since he always throws "paper"). When Little Pete defied him by throwing scissors, he became Paper Cut's enemy. He swore to destroy Little Pete in the rematch. Little Pete repeatedly defies him, and the other students, finally seeing how helpless Paper Cut is when he isn't allowed to get his way, gang up and drive Paper Cut out of Wellsville forever. ; Principal Ken Schwinger ( Adam West): The principal of Little Pete's school who always tries to stop his pranks to no avail. Schwinger has earned the title of Most Despised Principal in Wellsville. According to Big Pete it wasn't just the mandatory regime of squat thrusts in gym class and ordering that the school serve creamed corn (Schwinger's favorite food) for every meal that earned him that reputation, it was his continuous inviting a singing group called "Up With Personal Hygiene" Singers to perform every year. This reflected both his strange obsession with personal hygiene that stemmed from childhood and his tyrannical control over the student body. This last caused Little Pete to make a truce with his mortal enemy Pit Stain to orchestrate a prank that ruins Schwinger's reputation and frees the school from his control. In turn, the humiliated singers revoke Schwinger's honorary giant
cotton swab Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perc ...
and swear off the school forever. ; Matt "The Urinator" Uplinger (Christopher Cooke): The lifeguard at the Wellsville swimming pool, he appears in ("Splashdown") as an antagonist to both Petes. When Little Pete and his friends threaten adult swim with their "atomic splash", Uplinger conspires to undermine them by giving Big Pete a lifeguard whistle and power over the pool. Big Pete is won over by his new authority and tries to do a good job by enforcing the pool rules, including kicking his brother and friends out of the pool. However, Big Pete realizes that Uplinger has been using him and soon joins Little Pete in defying Uplinger by performing the Atomic Splash, causing even the adults to join them in the forbidden dive. Uplinger is finally defeated and he is exposed as having broken the primary pool rule: never urinate in the pool's filter. Monica proved this by using a chemical known as Weewee See which exposes his inability to hold his bladder after drinking too much coffee. Uplinger is humiliated further as everyone chases him out of the pool for good.


Neighbors

; Phil Hickle ( Steve Buscemi): Ellen's father and guidance counselor of Big Pete's high school. Once an enemy of Don Wrigley in "Apocalypse Pete". ; James "Pop" Mecklenberg ( Iggy Pop): Nona's loving and occasionally overprotective dad. One of the many adults who feared Artie due to his strange ways until Artie stood up for him against his mortal enemy, John McFlemp. He is very proud of his home and his neighborhood. After the Pumpkin Eater gang was exposed, Mr. Mecklenberg forced the gang to clean the entire neighborhood with cotton swabs. ; Mr. Tastee (
Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...
):A parody of
Mister Softee Mister Softee, Inc. (doing business as Mister Softee) is an American ice cream truck franchisor, best known in the northeastern United States. The company is based in Runnemede, New Jersey. Business history Mister Softee was founded in 1956 b ...
, Mr. Tastee is a mysterious ice cream vendor who never removes his mascot costume head. Mr. Tastee comes to symbolizes summer for the neighborhood kids, who become caught up in the mystery of who he is and why he seems so lonely. When the Petes' attempts to strike up a friendship cause Tastee to flee, the Petes and Ellen spend the summer tracking him down via his holiday photographs, learning that he was once married to a beautiful blind heiress who called him "Leonard". The kids eventually find Mr. Tastee, who confesses that he has commitment issues. They agree to allow Mr. Tastee his privacy as long as he returns to the neighborhood. ; Stu Benedict (
Damian Young Damian Young (born October 27, 1961) is an American actor notable for his appearance in the Hal Hartley film ''Amateur'' (1994). He also featured in Hartley's earlier film ''Simple Men'' (1992), and has appeared in theatre, television and film. ...
): An eccentric and emotionally unstable bus driver who was once in love with fellow bus driver Sally Knorp. His longing for Knorp causes him to drive his charges in endless loops through town, pointing out significant locations in his and Sally's relationship, while the children are forced to listen in frustration. Finally Endless Mike comes to the trapped kids' rescue by reporting Stu for kidnapping, while Ellen and Big Pete arrange a reconciliation with Sally. Stu does play protector to Little Pete in the season 2 finale episode "Sick Day" when he helps him avoid getting caught skipping school, and in the season 3 episode "The Good, The Bad and the Lucky", where he puts Pit Stain and his gang under bus arrest. ; Frank Gulcher (Jim Lally): A crossing guard who defends the crosswalk with his life, abiding by "the code of the crosswalk". Frank is haunted by the memory of the time he failed to save Little Pete's pet lizard Gary from death by oncoming traffic. Despite this, Gulcher is one of the few adults who Little Pete is friends with.


Guest stars

The many guest stars that appeared on ''Pete & Pete'' include: *
Selma Blair Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she s ...
— Penelope Ghiruto, school bus passenger from whose name Big Pete can make 27 words. ("Das Bus") *
Elizabeth Bogush Elizabeth Bogush is an American actress. She has appeared in the main cast or regular recurring cast of a variety of television series, including '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' and ''Masters of Sex'', as well as ''Titans'', '' October Road'', ''Eve ...
— Diane Senski, love interest of Big Pete who loses interest due to Big Pete's friendship with Teddy, whom she finds too annoying. ("The Trouble With Teddy") *
Golden Brooks Golden Brooks is an American actress. She began her career with starring role in the Showtime comedy series, '' Linc's'' (1998–2000), and later has appeared in films ''Timecode'' (2000) and '' Impostor'' (2001). From 2000 to 2008, Brooks ...
— Heather, captain of the tennis team and Big Pete's love interest. ("Crisis in the Love Zone") *
Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, '' The Drew Carey Show'', an ...
(uncredited) — Veteran at 4 July picnic launching fireworks. ("Grounded for Life") *
Jude Ciccolella Richard Jude Ciccolella (born November 30, 1947) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing Mike Novick in the television series '' 24'' from 2001 to 2006. Life and career Ciccolella was born in Burlington, Vermont, and spen ...
— Mr. Slurm, high school shop teacher with a claw for a hand. ("Tool and Die") * Matthew G. Cliff — Roger SanGreco, known as "Chalkface" due to his pale skin and the fact that he smells like classroom chalk. He is a short-lived enemy of Little Pete. ("The Call", "Dance Fever") *
Ellen Cleghorne Ellen Leslye Cleghorne is an American actress and comedian, best known as a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1991 to 1995. Cleghorne was the sketch comedy show's second African-American female repertory cast member, succeeding Danitra ...
— Bus driver Sally Knorp, on-again/off-again girlfriend of Stu Benedict. (Appears in "Day of the Dot" and "Yellow Fever", though she is mentioned in other episodes) *
Marshall Crenshaw Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...
— "Lightning" Mel Ratner, a meter reader who joins Little Pete's band. ("A Hard Day's Pete") *
Art Donovan Arthur James Donovan Jr. (June 5, 1924 – August 4, 2013), nicknamed the Bulldog, was an American football defensive tackle who played for three National Football League (NFL) teams, most notably the Baltimore Colts. He was inducted into the Pro ...
— As himself, talking to Big Pete about playing with Johnny Unitas. ("Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas") *
Martin Donovan Martin Donovan (born Martin Paul Smith; August 19, 1957) is an American actor. He has had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, such as ''Trust'' (1990), '' Surviving Desire'' (1991), '' Simple Men'' (199 ...
— Crossing guard Kenneth G. Keegan who passes messages between Big Pete and Ellen in "Apocalypse Pete"; also Smith ("Smitty"), a security guard whom Little Pete and Petunia distract in "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas". *
Richard Edson Richard Edson (born January 1, 1954) is an American actor and musician. Personal life Edson was born in New Rochelle, New York to a Jewish family. He has one brother, Steven, who resides in the Boston area, and two sisters, Andrea, who resides ...
— School janitor and field chalker Mr. Beverly. ("Valentine's Day Massacre") * Chris Elliott — Meterman Ray, a meter reader who foretells Little Pete's future. ("Sick Day") *
Gordon Gano Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes. Early life Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and gr ...
— Mr. Zank, the first of many substitute math teachers. ("X=Why?") *
Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...
— Ms. Brackett, an English teacher. ("X=Why?") *
Frank Gifford Francis Newton Gifford (August 16, 1930 – August 9, 2015) was an American football player, actor, and television sports commentator. After a 12-year playing career as a halfback and flanker for the New York Giants of the National Foo ...
— As himself, a customer at Dad's driving range. ("Rangeboy") *
Ellen Greene Ellen Greene is an American actress and singer. She has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actress and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many ...
— Abilene Jones, drive-in film operator. ("Time Tunnel") * Debbie Harry — A neighbor whose lawn the Petes sweep for land mines. ("New Year's Pete") * Eliza Harris — Girl in the straitjacket. ("Last Laugh") *
Juliana Hatfield Juliana Hatfield (born July 27, 1967) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from the Boston area, formerly of the indie rock bands Blake Babies, Some Girls, and The Lemonheads. She also fronted her own band, The Juliana Hatfield Three, ...
— Lunchlady Emma. ("Don't Tread on Pete") * Patty Hearst — Mrs. Kretchmar, a member of the family that moves into the Wrigley house. ("35 Hours") * William Hickey — Grandpa Wrigley, Dad's dad. ("When Petes Collide") *
David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...
— Park Ranger Thorsen, who scrutinizes Dad's activities until learning he is hunting for Old Bob. ("On Golden Pete") * LL Cool J — Mr. Thornberry, Little Pete's teacher. ("Sick Day") *
Luscious Jackson Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson. The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guit ...
— The band that plays at the school dance. ("Dance Fever") *
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
— A student ("Tool and Die") * Ann Magnuson — Eunice Puell, mail carrier and object of Little Pete's affection. ("Crisis in the Love Zone") *
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...
— As himself, devoting a portion of his show to support Big Pete's bid for Dad's bowling ball. ("When Petes Collide") *
Miracle Legion Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as '' NME'' and ''Me ...
— The four-piece version of Polaris that Little Pete sees in a garage ("A Hard Day's Pete"). Polaris, in turn, was Miracle Legion minus guitarist Mr. Ray. * Bebe Neuwirth — Mail Lady McGintee, a mail carrier whom Little Pete comes across on his sick day adventure. ("The Call", "Sick Day") *
Larisa Oleynik Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s. Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...
— A nurse who rushes Little Pete through the hospital. ("Dance Fever") *
Vincent Pastore Vincent Pastore (; born July 14, 1946) is an American actor. Often cast as a mafioso, he is best known for his portrayal of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on the HBO series ''The Sopranos''. Early life Pastore was born to an Italian-Ameri ...
— Vincent Park, a neighbor and bowling agent who is impressed with Artie's bowling skills and gets him to sign a bowling contract. *
Geoff Pierson Geoff Pierson is an American actor known for his starring television roles on '' Dexter'', ''Unhappily Ever After'', '' Grace Under Fire'', '' 24'', '' Ryan's Hope'', and '' Designated Survivor''. He has guest-starred in dozens of other TV shows. ...
— Mr. Perfect, dad's competition on a family trip to the Hoover Dam. ("The King of the Road") *
Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneid ...
— Mysterious blind millionaire Mrs. Vanderveer, who was once married to Mr. Tastee. ("What We Did on Our Summer Vacation") * John Ottavino — Inspector 34, inspector of Kreb of the Loom underwear and Little Pete's
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
. ("Inspector 34") *
Suzzy Roche Suzzy Roche ( ; born September 29, 1956) is an American singer and actress best known for her work with the vocal group The Roches, alongside sisters Maggie and Terre. Suzzy is the youngest of the three, and joined the act in 1977. She is the aut ...
— PEO MacMillan, meter maid and Inspector 34's love interest. ("Inspector 34") *
James Rebhorn James Robert Rebhorn (September 1, 1948 – March 21, 2014) was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films, television series, and plays. At the time of his death, he had recurring roles in the series '' White Collar'' and ''Hom ...
— Supervillain John McFlemp, who rallies the neighborhood to turn Artie into a respectable adult. ("Farewell My Little Viking" (parts 1 and 2)) * Sarah Shannon — A grocery store employee who gives Little Pete a label from an expired can of tapioca pudding. ("Sick Day") *
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
— Barber Dan, who refuses to talk to Big Pete. ("Saturday") *
Michael Stipe John Michael Stipe (; born January 4, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and artist, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of alternative rock band R.E.M. He is known for his vocal quality, poetic lyrics and unique stage presence. Pos ...
— Captain Scrummy, a disliked rival ice-cream vendor to Mr. Tastee. ("What We Did On Our Summer Vacation") * Syd Straw — Math teacher Miss Fingerwood. Played bass in the Blowholes. ("Hard Day's Pete", "X=Why", "Valentine's Day Massacre") *
Liza Weil Liza Rebecca Weil (born June 5, 1977) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Paris Geller in the WB/ CW comedy-drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) and its Netflix revival series '' Gilmore Girls: A Year in ...
— Margie Corsell, a girl for whom Big Pete abandons his brother ("35 Hours"). Weil also played a bully in "Yellow Fever", with her mother Lisa as a teacher in the same episode. One widely reported guest appearance — Hunter S. Thompson in "New Year's Pete" — has been described as "apocryphal" by show creator Will McRobb, who has said the Hunter Thompson listed in the credits is instead a similarly named extra.


Music

The show featured music by such artists as
Luscious Jackson Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson. The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guit ...
,
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
,
Drop Nineteens Drop Nineteens is an American, Boston-based shoegaze band active from 1991 to 1995. They were one of the few U.S.-based bands who styled themselves on England's distinctive shoegaze sound, taking their inspiration from bands such as My Bloody V ...
, Racecar, Chug,
Poi Dog Pondering Poi Dog Pondering is an American musical group which is noted for its cross-pollination of diverse musical genres, including various forms of acoustic and electronic music. Frank Orrall founded the band in Hawaii in 1984, initially as a solo pr ...
, Syd Straw and
The Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo, styled as The Apples in stereo, are an American pop/rock band associated with Elephant 6 Collective, a group of bands also including Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Of Montreal, and Circulatory S ...
. The music of
Stephin Merritt Stephin Raymond Merritt (born February 9, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the songwriter and principal singer of the bands the Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes. He is ...
can also be heard throughout the series, including songs from his projects
The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel '' Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as fr ...
, The 6ths and The Gothic Archies. On the DVD commentaries, the director and the creators revealed that they tried to use a song by the Pixies (band), Pixies, but could not afford the rights. Polaris (American band), Polaris, a side project of Mark Mulcahy's
Miracle Legion Miracle Legion was an American college rock band formed in 1983 in New Haven, Connecticut. They earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but also in the UK, where they were feted by music media such as '' NME'' and ''Me ...
, served as the show's "house band", providing the theme song and many other tunes heard throughout the series and even appearing in "Hard Day's Pete" as a local four-piece playing out of a garage. Some of the Polaris' music from the show was released as a CD, ''Music from The Adventures of Pete & Pete'', including the theme song "Hey Sandy". Polaris' music for the show was released on vinyl on Record Store Day 2015. The album tracks are: #"Hey Sandy" #"She Is Staggering" #"Waiting For October" #"Saturnine" #"Everywhere" #"Ivy Boy" #"Summerbaby" #"Coronado II" #"Ashamed Of The Story I Told" #"As Usual" #"Recently" #"The Monster's Loose" With a total of 2100 pressings, the album sold out promptly and was considered a must-own by many reputable collector sites, such as Modern Vinyl, Consequence of Sound, and Paste Magazine. Music from the show was also available in 1995 on a promotional cassette mini album, titled ''Happily Deranged,'' available by sending in UPC symbols from Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats. This cassette includes the Polaris songs "Hey Sandy", "She is Staggering" (listed on the cassette as "Staggering"), and The cassette includes a short introduction and closing read by Big Pete. Robert Agnello was the writer and creator of numerous pieces of music for ''Pete & Pete'' and wrote the Blowholes music for the "Hard Day's Pete" episode. The show runners originally intended to use the song "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain (band), Mountain for the episode, but could not afford the song rights and instead asked Agnello to write a "sound-alike" version. Agnello's sound-alike song, "Marmalade Cream", was so catchy that he was asked to produce three other songs for the episode: "Summer Wind", "Piledriver", and "You Color My World". He also wrote "One Lousy" Dance which was sung by Iggy Pop and the Garbageman theme sung by David Johanson. Many incidental songs in the series were performed by Agnello and his band Lamb to Slaughter.


Production music

The show also used music from standard production music libraries. * "Blood in the Gutter" by Laurie Johnson * "Drama Link (d)" by Hubert Clifford * "Dramatic Impact #3" by Ivor Slaney * "Fisticuffs" by Laurie Johnson * "Ballata Per Un Pistolero (Ballad of a Gunman)" A notable Western theme in the style of Ennio Morricone, it was used whenever there was a showdown between characters, for example Little Pete and the ringing phone in "The Call". * "Lonely Stranger" by Laurie Johnson * "Maniac Pursuit" by Trevor Duncan * "Aloha" by Dick Stephen Walter


Home media


VHS

Nickelodeon VHS tapes were first released through Sony Wonder, then through Paramount. * "Snick Vol. 1: Nick Snicks Friendship" — Includes one episode from each show in the early SNICK lineup: ''Clarissa Explains It All'', ''Roundhouse (Nickelodeon show), Roundhouse'', ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', and ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?''. A pre-series ''Pete & Pete'' short is included in between each show. This tape includes the shorts "Artie, the Strongest Man in the World", "X-Ray Man", and "Route 34". * "Snick Vol. 2: Nick Snicks the Family" — Includes the same lineup as "Friendship". The ''Pete & Pete'' shorts are "The Burping Room", "Mom's Plate", and "The Punishment". * "Classic Petes" — Includes the episodes "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation" and "Apocalypse Pete", plus the bonus short "Artie's Workout". (with an accompanying "Petunia" Tattoo) * "School Dazed" — Includes the episodes "Day of the Dot" and "Tool and Die", plus the bonus short "StareMaster" (with an accompanying "Magic Motion Eyeball Card"). * "Farewell, My Little Viking" — Includes both parts of the story, edited into one long episode. Also includes the short "Artie, the Strongest Man in the World".


DVD

Nickelodeon DVDs are released through Paramount. Season Releases


Broadcast

''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' first ran on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
from 1993 to 1996. Reruns continued to air from 1996 to 1999, and again from 2003 to 2004 on U-Pick Live. It also aired reruns on Noggin (brand), Noggin's teen block, The N, from 2002 to 2003. ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' was one of the series mentioned as a potential future series that would air on ''The '90s Are All That''. Despite images of the show appearing in the often-shown ''The '90s Are All That'' commercial promos, no episodes of the series have aired on the block. The 1989 shorts began airing on the block in 2013. When the block expanded into ''The Splat'' (now NickSplat) in 2015, ''Pete & Pete'' was listed as part of the block's lineup, but had yet to be scheduled (only the shorts have been aired on the block). On May 28, 2017, it was announced that Mike Maronna and
Danny Tamberelli Daniel Joseph Tamberelli (born February 8, 1982) is an American actor, comedian and musician. He is known for his portrayal of Little Pete in ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' from 1989 to 1995, as the voice and actor of Jimmy De Santa in the 2013 ...
would take part in a weekend-long event on
NickSplat NickRewind (formerly The '90s Are All That, The Splat, and NickSplat) was an American late night programming block that broadcast nightly over the channel space of TeenNick. The block showed reruns of mid-late 1980s, 1990s, and early-mid 200 ...
called "The Adventures of Pete & Pete: The Strongest Reunion in the World" on June 17 & 18, where classic episodes were replayed while they share various moments from making the series.


Reunion

In late 2011 and early 2012 a series of cast and crew reunions took place in Los Angeles and New York City respectively. Tamberelli, Syd Straw and Marshall Crenshaw performed a rendition of theme song "Hey Sandy" in addition to other ''Pete & Pete'' compositions. Creators McRobb, Viscardi, along with Michael Maronna, Hardy Rawls, Judy Grafe, Alison Fanelli, Toby Huss and Director Katherine Dieckmann were all in attendance. The 2011 Los Angeles reunion was billed by the Cinefamily as the "KrebStar Film Festival", a reference to the show's own brand. Additionally many products from the show were available, including Krebex, Kreb Scouts, KrebStore 24 and Krebgate Toothpaste. Staff members also handed out "performance-enhanced" Orange Lazarus. Since September 2013 Danny Tamberelli and Mike Maronna release a monthly podcast, ''The Adventures of Danny and Mike'', on the Last Podcast Network (produced and edited by Seltzer Kings).


References


External links

*
"Pete & Pete" flickr page

The website of ''Pete & Pete''


including lyrics of theme song "Hey Sandy"
The History of ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete''

''The Adventures of Danny and Mike''
podcast (produced and edited b
Seltzer Kings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures Of Pete and Pete, The 1990s American single-camera sitcoms 1990s American teen sitcoms 1993 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings 1990s Nickelodeon original programming English-language television shows American surreal comedy television series Television series about brothers Television series about families Television series about teenagers Television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi Television shows filmed in New Jersey