Was Pete the Cat Blue or Black?
Many have heard the name in legend, in whispers, in children's story books: Georgia's own Pete the Cat, a character created by artist James Dean. Pete's bright blue fur and laidback attitude are beloved by children and former children across the land.
The character Pete the Cat has had a vast legacy spanning dozens of books and an Amazon Prime original animated show. But how did this iconic blue cat come to be? Was he ever a real cat? Is he blue or black? WHAT IS THE TRUTH?!
As James Dean tells it, the origin begins here in Georgia about two decades ago. He had recently lost a dearly loved cat named Slim and was unsure if he was ready to open his heart to another pet. He and his wife visited a local animal shelter to meet the cats and see if they connected with any of them.
“I really didn’t want a black cat because I thought they were bad luck," Dean recollected. But then a small black cat came over to the bars. "All the pretty cats with long hair were in the back of the cage and didn’t want to play," Dean said, "and Pete had his paw sticking out. So I said, ‘Okay, it’s you.'"
Pete quickly became an artistic muse for Dean. One day, Dean saw Pete with a particularly thoughtful look on his face, and set about trying to capture the expression with a pen and paper. The original drawing of Pete was very different from the bright, stylized depictions that came later; "It wasn't a fun painting; it was kind of melancholy, as if he were thinking about something," recalled Dean.
Over time, the character Pete became brighter and more eye-catching, with blue fur and bright yellow eyes. This stylization lent itself well to the children's books which were later to come (the first published with Eric Litwin in 2008.)
As for the real Pete, he sadly ran away shortly after Dean adopted him. Dean has painted many hopeful adventures for Pete. In his work, Pete has gone on to visit the beach, New York, Paris, and Gotham City, to name just a few.
So in short, Pete the Cat WAS once a real cat, albeit black rather than bright blue, who inspired James Dean to create the character who would become a veritable superstar. We can't ask for a much better legacy than that.