The Adventures of Pete & Pete

*The Adventures of Pete & Pete*
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
	File:Peteandpete.jpg Pete and Pete season two DVD cover
Created by	Will McRobb ; Chris Viscardi
Starring	Mike Maronna ; Danny Tamberelli
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	thirty-four (with five specials and eighteen shorts)
Production
Running time	Approx. 24 minutes per episode
Original release
Network	Nickelodeon
Release	1993 –; 1996

The Adventures of Pete & Pete was a U.S. television series produced and broadcast by the Nickelodeon cable channel. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative and many recurring themes, centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various interactions with family, friends and enemies. The show most recently aired on the cable channel Noggin, but is no longer broadcast. The first two seasons were released on DVD in 2005 and the third was planned for 2006 but was cancelled.

The show was created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi and began as minute-long shorts in 1989 that aired in between regular programs. 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 (1993-1996) and continued in reruns until around 1999.

Setting

Pete & Pete is set in the fictional town of Wellsville; like The Simpsons' Springfield, its state is never revealed, even though there is a Wellsville, New York in Allegany County, and another, much smaller, in Montgomery County, as well as others in Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Utah. In addition, Glurt County, mentioned in "Yellow Fever" and "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky," does not exist. The show does offer a few clues:

Someone can reach the Canadian border within hours, either running on foot or riding a lawn mower.
License plates bear the nickname "The Sideburn State." ("King of the Road," "Field of Pete")
Little Pete travels westward into the Central Time Zone. ("Time Tunnel")
During an episode where Pete goes on a field trip, there is also a map that shows Leominster, Massachusetts, as the map shows the trail of the field trip.
Kentucky can possibly be seen from the top of a water tower.
When the family vacations at the beach in the Mr. Tastee episode, they are close enough to drive home that afternoon.

The show was actually entirely filmed in several Northern New Jersey locations: originally, the school scenes were shot in Bayonne and the neighborhood scenes in South Orange, and Leonia. For the third season, production moved to Cranford. If looked at closely enough, many aspects reveal the Northern New Jersey setting, for example the Star Ledger newspaper can be seen advertised in various scenes around the town, in addition several NJ Transit buses can be seen in various shots as well as New Jersey state license plates on vehicles. Also throughout the show characters mention names of various New Jersey regions and towns, Pete's math teacher talks about a town called Lodi in a word problem and obvious reference to real life town Lodi, NJ, in addition Pete's father talks of going on a road trip to Cumberland another real life reference to Cumberland County, NJ while Petes's father's station wagon has New Jersey Plates in the first season.

Characters

Family

Big Pete Wrigley (Mike Maronna): The show's primary narrator, Big Pete often acts as a voice of reason in contrast to the strange occurrences and people around him. Typical sibling rivalry aside, he and his brother are best friends.
Little Pete Wrigley (Danny Tamberelli): Four years younger than his brother, Little Pete is often engaged in struggles against adults and other authority figures. He frequently uses insults like "blowhole" and "bite my neck hair."
"Petunia": A tattoo on Little Pete's arm depicting a mermaid, is frequently made to "dance" and gets its own credit in the show's opening sequence; the origins of that tattoo, and one of a sailing ship on Little Pete's back, are unclear.
Joyce Wrigley (Judy Grafe): The Petes' mother, usually just called "Mom," has a metal plate in her head from a childhood accident; it can pick up radio stations — and, in the case of little Pete's "WART Radio," it can broadcast them too.
Mom's Plate: The plate in Mom's head, like Petunia, gets its own opening credit.
Don Wrigley (Hardy 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 an extremely competitive driver, particularly on the family's excursion to Hoover Dam.

Friends

Artie, the Strongest Man in the World (Toby Huss): Little Pete's personal superhero, who is very eccentric but quite powerful — for example, he can skip stones on Neptune, move an entire house by an inch, and hit a golf ball 300,003 feet. His catchphrase is "For I am Artie — the strongest man ... in the world!" His trademark word "pipe!" aggravates the adults of the community. Sadly, he left the show after the 2-part episode, "Farewell My Little Viking". His spot in the opening credits would later be replaced in the third season with Nona's.
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". At one point she labored under the misconception that she was "a dot," due to her placement "riding the I" in the Wellsville marching band's show. She played French horn in the band.
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". (This character did not appear in the third season.)
Theodore "Teddy" L. Forzman (Dave Martel): Teddy is Big Pete's friend, who is kind of a dork, and seemingly always in a good mood (except when affected by the mind-controlling substance Orange Lazarus). He is in the marching band and is known for bringing up odd facts and then remarking, "what, you guys didn't know that?". He also loves to exclaim, "excellenté!" whilst raising his finger.
Nona F. Mecklenberg (Michelle Trachtenberg): Little Pete's best friend. Her middle initial F. stands for Francis, 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. Nona took Artie's place in the opening sequence for Season three. She also had a brief crush on Little Pete once or twice in the series.
Monica Perling (Maris Hudson): One of Little Pete's friends, Monica is the resident Kreb Scout who is ready for anything. Her unfortunate luck with pets has given her a reputation as the "Girl Scout of death," and even has a graveyard for them. She claims to be part dog. Supposedly, one of her ancestors married a bloodhound.
Wayne Pardue (Justin Restivo): Also known as "Wayne the Pain." First appearing in the third season, Wayne was one of Little Pete's friends. But as his nickname implied, he was quite annoying. He frequently spouted expressions like "Geez Louise" and also had a crush on Monica (as seen in 'Dance Fever').

Enemies

"Endless" Mike Hellstrom (Rick Gomez): "Endless" Mike gets his nickname from the depths of his hatred for Big Pete, his mortal enemy. Perpetually repeating the same year in high school, "Endless" Mike reigns over shop class, has a car, and loves Neapolitan ice cream.
Open-Face: One of Big Pete's enemies. A boy who is always shown eating open-faced sandwiches, even in church.
Fran 'Pitstain' (Eric Kushnick): Little Pete's mortal enemy, who has a gland problem that gives him huge, smelly armpit stains. He is in love with Nona. He is also often seen with his goons, Hairnet and Drawstring. Drawstring was later replaced by Nightbrace.
Papercut (Christopher Conte): One of Little Pete's enemies. A boy who grew up in a copy shop and is covered with lacerations and scars from paper cuts as a result. He can fold paper into hundreds of origami shapes including make-shift weapons. As with the rest of his motif, he always picks "paper" when playing rock-paper-scissors. Pete once defied him by playing scissors, thus resulting in heated conflict.
Principal Ken Schwinger (Adam West): The principal of little Pete's school. Always trying to stop his pranks, to no avail. He has a strange love of oral hygiene and creamed corn.

Neighborhood Members

Mr. Tastee (Toby Huss): The mysterious ice cream vendor who symbolizes summer for the neighborhood kids. He never removes his mascot costume head and is very reluctant to let his customers get close to him. When the Petes' attempts to strike up a friendship causes Tastee to flee, they and Ellen spend a summer tracking him down.
Stu Benedict (Damian Young): An eccentric and deeply manic-depressive bus driver who drives both Petes to school, often while nursing wounds from a relationship with fellow bus driver Sally Knorp while shouting out quotes such as "Passengers will refrain from killing my soul".

Guest stars

The many guest stars that appeared on Pete & Pete include:

Selma Blair — Penelope Ghiruto, school bus passenger from whose name Big Pete can make 27 words. ("Das Bus")
Steve Buscemi — Phil Hickle, high school guidance counselor and Ellen's dad.
Ellen Cleghorne — 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 — "Lightning" Mel Ratner, a meter reader who joins Little Pete's band. ("A Hard Day's Pete")
Art Donovan — himself, talking to Big Pete about playing with Johnny Unitas. ("Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas")
Martin Donovan — 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 — school janitor Mr. Beverly ("Valentine's Day Massacre").
Chris Elliot — Meterman Ray, a meter reader who foretells Little Pete's future ("Sick Day").
Gordon Gano — Mr. Zank, the first of many substitute math teachers ("X=Why?").
Janeane Garofalo — Ms. Brackett, an English teacher ("X=Why?").
Frank Gifford — himself, a customer at Dad's driving range ("Rangeboy").
Ellen Greene — 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 straightjacket ("Last Laugh").
Juliana Hatfield — Emma, a young lunchlady ("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 — Park Ranger Thorsen, who scrutinizes Dad's activities until learning he is hunting for Bob ("On Golden Pete").
LL Cool J — Mr. Throneberry, Little Pete's teacher ("Sick Day").
Luscious Jackson — the band that plays at the school dance ("Dance Fever").
Ann Magnuson — Eunice Puell, mail carrier and object of Little Pete's affection ("Crisis in the Love Zone").
Heather Matarazzo — Natasha, a neighborhood kid who stays awake by pulling her pigtails ("What We Did On Our Summer Vacation," "Nightcrawlers").
John McLaughlin — himself, devoting a portion of his show to support Big Pete's bid for Dad's bowling ball ("When Petes Collide").
Miracle Legion — 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 — a nurse who rushes Little Pete through the hospital ("Dance Fever").
Vincent Pastore — Plays Vincent Park, A neighbor and bowling agent who is impressed with Artie's bowling skills and gets him to sign a bowling contract.
Kate Pierson — mysterious blind millionaire Mrs. Vanderveer ("What We Did on Our Summer Vacation").
Iggy Pop — James Mecklenberg, Nona's dad.
Suzzy Roche — PEO MacMillian, meter maid and Inspector 34's love interest ("Inspector 34").
James Rebhorn — Supervillain John McFlemp, who rallies the neiborhood to get rid of little Pete's superhero Artie and turn him into a respectable and conservative adult.
Sarah Shannon — a grocery store employee who gives Little Pete a label from an expired can of tapioca pudding ("Sick Day").
Michael Stipe — Captain Scrummy, ice-cream vendor known for the Sludgecicle ("What We Did On Our Summer Vacation").
Syd Straw — math teacher Miss Fingerwood.
Liza Weil — 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's, 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. [1]

Music

The show featured music by such independent artists as Luscious Jackson, The 6ths, The Magnetic Fields, Drop Nineteens, Racecar, and The Apples in Stereo. Polaris, a side project of Mark Mulcahy's Miracle Legion, 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".

Music from the show was also available in 1995 on a promotional cassette single available by sending in UPC symbols from Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats. This cassette includes the Polaris songs "Hey Sandy", "She is Staggering", and "Coronado II". The cassette includes a short introduction and closing read by Big Pete.

Content

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The Adventures of Pete & Pete is unique amongst contemporary children's television series in that it is an abstract and rather absurd portrayal of everyday suburban life in the United States. The antics of the two brothers of the same name and their various friends and enemies are ludicrous in nature, but it is often easy to identify with the potent suburban truths stated in the narrations of Big Pete. Upon paying careful attention to each episode, it is easy to pick out dozens of obscure cultural references, strange little truths of life, and other oddities that do not appear in other series. This has made the show, which only aired as a weekly series for 3 seasons, a lasting classic amongst the children of the early 1990s. Demand for the show resulted in its selection as one of Nickelodeon's first two "Rewind Collection" DVD releases, and spurred the speedy release of a second-season set.

Although Pete & Pete was a children's show aired on a children's network, many of the jokes and allusions were aimed at older audiences.

Some such allusions include:

Reservoir Dogs - In the episode Tool or Die, Big Pete is confronted by the Shop Teacher in a scene mirroring one in Reservoir Dogs between Mr. White and Mr. Pink
Citizen Kane - Little Pete drops the snow globe in "Sick Day"
Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Possibly a minor influence in "Sick Day"
Jimmy Hoffa - While digging a tunnel out of his house in "Grounded for Life", Little Pete finds a wallet and reads the name inside: "Hoffa!" he says.
Lou Costello - Mentioned in "The Big Quiet" and "Inspector 34"
Bob Dylan - In "Don't Tread on Pete" Big Pete educates the audience about the different permutations of cafeteria meatloaf in a scene echoing the music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
Jim Morrison - In "The Big Quiet", after Gary the lizard died, Little Pete erected a monument in Gary's honor containing Jim Morrison's famous phrase "He was the lizard king, He could do anything"
Robert Oppenheimer - Slush shack owner Mr. Oppenhiemer says he created the highly destructive Orange Lazarus for good and that he wanted world peace, echoing Robert Oppenheimer's regrets over his role in the creation of the atom bomb

Peculiarly, almost every product mentioned on the show was manufactured by KrebStar — characters would, for example, drink "Kreb Full o' Nuts" coffee, wear "Kreb of the Loom" underwear or wax the floor with "KrebStar Industrial Floorwax." One of little Pete's friends was, in fact, a Kreb Scout. In other words, KrebStar was to Pete & Pete what Acme was to the Coyote and Road-Runner. There are many other Easter eggs incorporated into the show.

Trivia

A recuring company was Krebstar Industries. A company known for making spongecakes, spacestations, fishing rods and other items seen throughout the entire series. It's mascot was never seen but it possibly a animated Frog Man. Krebstar has also spanned to sub companies such as the KrebScouts or Krebjacks
Some episodes contained music used in the first season of Spongebob Squarepants, occasional episodes of Camp Lazlo.
Little Pete is ambidextrous.
The song "Marmalade Cream," heard in "A Hard Day's Pete" and several other episodes, is strikingly similar to the song "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain. However, it is also similar to "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin.)
Filming was moved to Cranford, New Jersey, after the cast and crew made such a mess of South Orange during the filming of "Halloweenie" that the town opted not to have them back.
Filming was not limited to the towns of Cranford or South Orange. In the special "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation," Ellen's photo booth is located in the parking lot of the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey. The former headquarters for the Wayne-based and now defunct Grand Union supermarket chain can be seen in the background.
All of the slushy flavors in "Field of Pete" are named after biblical characters. Examples are Lime Balthazar, Grape Judas, and the dangerous Orange Lazarus.
The original intro music used in the specials and many of the shorts is R.E.M.'s version of "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers".
In "What We Did On Our Summer Vacation", it is said that the character Mr. Tastee may only come by during the summer. However in "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas", the character is seen being tested to identify if he is an alien while school is in session.
The Nickelodeon-produced movie Snow Day, written by McRobb and Viscardi, was initially conceived as a Pete & Pete movie.
Co-creators Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb both stated that "Yellow Fever" is their favorite episode of the series on the audio commentary for the episode.
According to John Tynes, the popular role playing game Unknown Armies was inspired by Pete & Pete.
In "King of the Road," the highway the family travels on is the then-unfinished Interstate 287 in New Jersey. Note the lack of other cars on the road or lines painted on the surface.
Little Pete has two tattoos; one of Petunia, on his arm, and one of a large schooner, on his back (the latter makes an appearance in the special "What We Did On Our Summer Vacation"). Petunia is also the reason Little Pete must wear long-sleeved shirts almost exclusively, as his mother does not approve of her.

Episode guide

Shorts

(Note: The original broadcast order is not known. However, "What Would You Do for a Dollar?" and "Freeze Tag" were the two earliest.)

"What Would You Do for a Dollar?" — The Petes, Ellen, and a kid named Carl Slurm answer the title question. (Another character named Mr. Slurm would appear in "Tool and Die.")
"Freeze Tag" — Little Pete stays frozen after a night game of stocking freeze tag.
"The Launch" — The Petes and Ellen send a rocket into space.
"Mom's Plate" — A brief history of the metal plate in Mom's head.
"Pete-Less" — Ellen is hurt when Big Pete insults her valentine.
"Pete's Theory" — Little Pete is convinced that Santa Claus was the first man to swim the English Channel.
"X-Mas Eve" — The Petes watch Dad open his present (a glow-in-the-dark discus) early and play with it all night.
"X-Ray Man" — Little Pete gains x-ray vision after staring into a lunar eclipse.
"The Burping Room" — Dad, sick of Little Pete's constant burping, builds a special soundproof room.
"Artie, the Strongest Man... in the World!" — A little bit about the Petes' personal superhero.
"Revenge of the Petes" — Artie battles the bully known as Hathead.
"Halloween" — Hathead returns to smash pumpkins. (Themes revisited in "Halloweenie.")
"The Punishment" — Dad punishes Little Pete for waxing the lawn. (Themes revisited in "Grounded for Life.")
"Route 34" — Big Pete gets a horrible summer job mowing the grass along Route 34.
"The Dot" — Ellen is in tears after being yelled at by Mr. Putley, the marching band instructor. (Themes revisited in "Day of the Dot.")
"The Big Race" — Mr. Wrigley and Mr. Hickle have a race. (Recreated in "Apocalypse Pete.")

Specials

(Note: These episodes, while originally aired before the official run of the series, were modified to resemble regular episodes during the show's run with the addition of the opening credits.)

"Valentine's Day Massacre" — Big Pete and the school's stadium line painter, Mr. Beverly (Whose squid, Edna, the school mascot, Pete has just accidentally killed), vie for the love of the math teacher (Ms. Fingerwood). However, Openface (one of Big Pete's arch-enemies) tries to get the upper hand in a quest for the missing squid and helps Mr. Beverly with his love for Ms. Fingerwood. He tries to get Ellen to exploit the Petes by revealing the secret of what really happened to Edna. Mr. Beverly is played by Richard Edson.
"What We Did On Our Summer Vacation" — After the Petes and Ellen unintentionally drive Mr. Tastee (the local ice-cream man) out of town by trying to find out about his personal life, they start a hunt to find him and bring him back as the summer comes to a close. NOTE: the original (non-series) version of this episode had music done by R.E.M., Baby Flamehead, Poi Dog Pondering, Ministry, Jody Grind, and Shackwacky.
"Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas" — Big Pete and Ellen work on a science project to determine whether unearthly life exists on Earth and inadvertently make a new friend. Pete becomes obsessed with football hero Johnny Unitas and one life-changing play (The Greatest Game Ever Played), while Ellen discovers that some things are best left unrevealed.
"Apocalypse Pete" — Don Wrigley (the Petes' dad) and Mr. Hickle (Ellen's dad) start a prank war, which helps Little Pete and his father get closer while tearing Big Pete and Ellen apart.
"New Year's Pete" — Little Pete reflects on a year in which he ultimately failed to achieve his New Year's Resolution of changing the world. This and "Crisis in the Love Zone" are the only episodes not narrated by Big Pete.

Season One

"King of the Road" — On a trip to the Hoover Dam, Dad is determined to defend his title of "King of the Road" from a challenging family, but lengthy bathroom breaks and lack of family cohesion threaten his success.
"Day of the Dot" — When Ellen is selected to dot the "i" in "Squid" in the regional high school marching band competition, Big Pete becomes jealous of her newfound closeness with her band partner, James Markle Jr. (nephew of their band director). Meanwhile, Little Pete tries to stop an interminable bus ride by reuniting lovelorn bus driver Stu Benedict with his former sweet-heart, Sally Knorp.
"The Nightcrawlers" — Little Pete and his friends aim to overthrow the International Adult Conspiracy's reign over bedtimes by staying up for eleven nights and thus breaking the world record.
"Rangeboy" — Embarrassed to be working at his father's driving range, Big Pete hides his identity by dressing as the sort of bear that used to inhabit the area where the range is. Meanwhile, Little Pete helps Artie by perfecting his shot for the longball competition.
"Tool and Die" — Big Pete is put in shop class, much to his displeasure. His teacher, Mr. Slurm, assigns him to work on a mysterious "special project" with the bully "Endless" Mike Hellstrom.
"Don't Tread on Pete" — While Big Pete engages in a struggle against time to study for a test on the American Revolutionary War (with the fear that failing would cause him to wind up like the school's janitor, rumored to have failed the same test years before), Little Pete leads his gym class to try to beat his teacher's intramural dodgeball team.
"When Petes Collide" — The Petes compete for Dad's affections as he prepares to pass down "Rolling Thunder," a bowling ball that apparently has mystical powers.
"Hard Day's Pete" — Little Pete finds his favorite song (Polaris- Summerbaby) being played by a garage band on his way to school. But later that day, all traces of the band have vanished, so Pete starts his own band to try to find the song.

Season Two

"Grounded for Life" — Little Pete destroys Dad's lawn in an experiment gone awry, and is forced to tunnel his way out of the house past a state-of-the-art security system in order to make it to the celebrations of his favorite holiday, the Fourth of July. Pete meets Nona F. Mecklenberg (Michelle Trachtenberg), whose father is played by rock star Iggy Pop.
"Field of Pete" — Big Pete's baseball team goes on a winning streak due to Little Pete's incredible knack for making distracting comments. Coach Ed Narron's win-or-die attitude, a super-cold slushy drink called the Orange Lazarus, and Little Pete's dirty tactics threaten to destroy baseball forever, and Big Pete must choose between glory and the integrity of the sport he loves.
"The Call" — On the hottest day of the summer, Little Pete decides to answer an infamous pay phone that has been ringing for twenty-seven years, while Big Pete decides to figure out who the call is for.
"The Big Quiet" — Little Pete copes with the death of his pet lizard Gary while Big Pete struggles to improve his relationship with Dad in hopes of avoiding a lifetime of awkward conversations.
"Time Tunnel" — On the day that Daylight Saving Time ends in the fall, the Petes celebrate the extra hour by taking advantage of the "time warp" to do something momentous. This year, however, Big Pete is overcome by hormones and asks Ellen out on an official date. He enlists the help of his nemesis, "Endless" Mike Hellstrom, to help the date go smoothly. Mike lends Big Pete his customized Ford Mustang convertible and teaches him the nuances of dating. When things don't work out right, Big Pete is forced to use the power of the time warp to fix things with Ellen before their friendship is lost forever.
"Inspector 34" — Little Pete finds his guardian angel, Inspector 34, who inspects the Kreb of the Loom underwear worn by the Wrigleys and their friends. While Inspector 34 recruits Little Pete to be an inspector, Pete shows him how to interact with normal people and have fun. Little Pete struggles with perfection while Inspector 34 lets his tendency toward perfection and his hormones go to his head. The newfound perfection of Inspector 34 begins to infect the neighborhood, and people begin behaving erratically. Little Pete must help everyone find a way to live in moderation between perfection and abnormality.
"Halloweenie" — Little Pete decides to enter the annals of history by breaking the record for most houses visited on Halloween and tries to enlist the help of Big Pete. Big Pete is torn between his loyalty to his brother and the coming of age and abandonment of the childhood ritual of trick-or-treating. He must decide whether to face the ridicule of his peers and go trick-or-treating or to join the notorious "Pumpkin Eaters", a group of vandals who terrorize neighborhood "Halloweenies."
"X = Why?" — Ellen, fed up with algebra word problems, asks the question high school teachers dread most: "Why?" Her inquiry spreads like wildfire throughout the school and soon students are rebelling against the textbook knowledge forced upon them in every class. Ellen realizes that things have gone too far when math teacher Ms. Fingerwood disappears, and she desperately tries to put things right.
"On Golden Pete" — The Wrigley family takes a fishing trip, and Big Pete contemplates mortality while Dad tries to catch a legendary fish named Bob. Also, after realizing the cruel fate that could happen to Bob, Big Pete tries to sabotage Dad's attempts on making the catch.
"Farewell, My Little Viking" (Part 1) — The end of Artie's influence over Wellsville comes in two parts. Supervillain John McFlemp (James Rebhorn), head of the International Adult Conspiracy, concocts a dastardly plan to rid the Wellsville parents of the nuisance that is Artie forever, and threatens to destroy all that is unique about the kids of Wellsville. McFlemp extorts Dad and convinces him to get rid of Artie.
"Farewell, My Little Viking" (Part 2) — The Petes, Ellen, and Little Pete's various friends start a campaign to find Artie, who disappears in Dad's car after a disheartening speech from Don (Dad). The campaign consists of a Bat-Signal-esque likeness of Artie's face, t-shirts, and various souvenir items. After Dad realizes his mistake and joins in the search, Artie is brought back to Wellsville, only to find Little Pete standing up to Papercut on his own, demonstrating that Artie's protective influence is no longer needed.
"Yellow Fever" — Big Pete is stuck on a school bus departing for the deepest, darkest parts of the human psyche, as well as the county milk museum. During the bus ride, Pete befriends people he never thought he'd associate with, succumbs to the temptations of bullying, and is forced to cope with his actions and repent.
"Sick Day" — Little Pete decides to fake food poisoning in order to avoid another mind-numbing day at school during the stretch between winter and spring break. In an adventure that leads him from home to school and the various sites around Wellsville, Little Pete sees a classmate of his in a new light, gets a vitamin likeness of President Eisenhower stuck in his nose, and gains a new perspective on the world that can only be appreciated on a sick day.

Season Three

"35 Hours" — The Petes are entrusted with the key to the house while Mom and Dad go away on a trip for two days. Just when it looks like their plan to stage the ultimate bicycle race around the house is about to materialize, Big Pete is struck by hormones and instead chooses to vie for the attention of his latest sweet-heart. Little Pete sells the house in retaliation to the nicest family ever, the Krechmars. Big Pete tries to set things right with his brother and they attempt to regain ownership of the house before Mom and Dad return.
"The Trouble with Teddy" — Big Pete offers to let his friend Teddy stay over while his parents are away and begins to notice just how many annoying habits Teddy has. Meanwhile, Little Pete tries to get in touch with the land.
"The Good, The Bad and The Lucky" — Little Pete's lucky penny runs out of luck one day, so he, Nona, Monica, and Wayne set out on a journey to recharge it by letting the Midnight Express run over it. Pit Stain, Little Pete's arch nemesis, catches on and tails them, and Pete is forced to battle Pit Stain without the power of his lucky penny.
"Splashdown" — Big Pete tries to obtain the coveted position of Senior Lifeguard while Little Pete fights to abolish the hated Adult Swim. Big Pete is forced to choose between the power of the lifeguard chair and his friendship with his brother.
"Dance Fever" — Little Pete attends his first school dance and Big Pete develops a crush on the lead singer of the hired band (Luscious Jackson). Pit Stain learns of Little Pete's fear of dancing and tries to exploit it, and Nona tries to avoid the embarrassment of dancing with her "Pop," (Iggy Pop) who takes the stage and sings a song for her.
"Crisis in the Love Zone" — Spring fever hits Wellsville hard and everyone begins dropping like flies. Big Pete is smitten by a star member of the tennis team, and Ellen realizes her true feelings for him. Little Pete falls for Eunice Puell, the mail lady, despite his most sincere efforts to avoid love through his mantra, "Love bites." Nona is the last to go, finally falling for Little Pete. The results of this immense love web build toward a climax. Narrated by Little Pete and Nona.
"Last Laugh" — Little Pete cooks up his biggest April Fool's prank ever, while Principal Schwinger (Adam West) enlists the help of Pit Stain to stop him.
"Allnighter" — Little Pete, Monica, and Wayne get trapped in the school after it closes and are stuck for the night. They attempt to elude a fearsome school legend, who they are eventually forced to confront.
"Road Warrior" — Big Pete and his friends reach the age of responsibility and take Driver's Ed from Mr. Slurm, the shop teacher.
"Pinned!" — Big Pete tries to get a varsity letter and climb to the top of the social ladder the easy way by joining the wrestling team, and finds that individual sports are not a cakewalk. He trains for a confrontation at the big match with "Endless" Mike Hellstrom, and is coached by Ellen, a huge wrestling fan. However, Ellen's efforts to coach Big Pete are threatened by the school's wreslting coach, Beano Glattner.
"'O Christmas Pete" — Little Pete prolongs Christmas for as long as possible after the holiday's end, in an attempt to keep the neighborhood in a constant aura of yuletide joy. His efforts are threatened by a bitter garbage man who enjoys destroying Christmas trees and the holiday spirit they represent.
"Das Bus" — Big Pete chooses to become schoolbus driver Stu Benedict's apprentice for the week to be near Penelope Ghiruto, while Ellen stocks vending machines.
"Saturday" — Big Pete, Ellen, Wayne, Monica, and Stu Benedict make their way through a typical Saturday in Wellsville. Big Pete tries talking to Barber Dan while getting a haircut (with Little Pete helping his brother), Wayne tries his new sneakers out, Monica becomes a ninja, Ellen serves pizza, and Stu battles an endless traffic signal.

Home video shorts

"Artie's Workout" — Self-explanatory. Created for the home video release "Classic Petes."
"StareMaster" — Little Pete offers tips for winning a staring contest, (see "When Petes Collide"). In the end, you get to go up against Little Pete. Made for the home video release "School Dazed."

Home video releases

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, Ren and Stimpy, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?. A pre-series Pete and 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 and 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 "a short about Artie," possibly the same preseries short featured on "Nick Snicks Friendship."

DVD

Nickelodeon DVDs are released through Paramount.

"Season One" — Includes all eight first-season episodes, four of the five specials ("Valentine's Day Massacre," "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation," "Apocalypse Pete" and "New Year's Pete") and two shorts ("The Burping Room" and "Mom's Plate"). Bonus features include audio commentaries on "Day of the Dot", "The Nightcrawlers", and the special "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation", as well as a "Polaris Jukebox" feature that plays music from the show.
"Season Two" — Includes all thirteen second-season episodes, as well as the special not included on the previous release ("Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas") and five shorts ("Artie, the Strongest Man... in the World!", "The Punishment", "Route 34", "X-Ray Man" and "The Launch"). Audio commentary tracks are available on "Halloweenie", "Yellow Fever" and both parts of "Farewell, My Little Viking".
"Season Three" — Originally scheduled for release February 28, 2006, the third season has been removed from Paramount's schedule.[2] There is a petition for Season Three available. [3]

DVD cover images

Season One released on May 17, 2005.

Season One released on May 17, 2005.
Season Two released on November 1, 2005.

Season Two released on November 1, 2005.
Season Three (Cancelled)

Season Three (Cancelled)

External links

The Adventures of Pete & Pete at IMDb
The Website of Pete and Pete
Another fan site
Overview of Pete & Pete music, including lyrics of theme song "Hey Sandy"
The classic Nickelodeon petition Petitioning Nickelodeon to Re-release classic material.
TV.com's guide for The Adventures of Pete and Pete.