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The Adventures of Pete & Pete facts for kids
| The Adventures of Pete & Pete | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Michael Maronna |
| Theme music composer | Mark Mulcahy |
| Opening theme | "Hey Sandy" by Polaris |
| Composer(s) | Mark Mulcahy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 34 (plus 5 specials and 16 shorts) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Charles Darby |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Original release | February 9, 1991 – April 1, 1996 |
The Adventures of Pete & Pete was a funny TV show made by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It was about two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their strange, funny adventures in their neighborhood. They met many unique friends, enemies, and neighbors.
The show started on Nickelodeon in 1989 with short, one-minute clips. These clips were so popular that Nickelodeon made five half-hour special episodes. After that, a regular TV series began in 1993 and ran for three seasons until 1996. Reruns of the shorts and episodes are now shown on TeenNick as part of their NickSplat block. Many people loved the show. Jason Ankeny from AllMusic called it "the greatest children's show ever." IGN also said it was "one of the most well-written kids shows ever."
Contents
Exploring Wellsville: The Show's Setting
Pete & Pete takes place in a made-up town called Wellsville, in the U.S. The show never says exactly where Wellsville is. License plates in the show say "The Sideburn State." Also, the Wrigley family's house is said to be near the Canadian border, far from the Hoover Dam, and close to a beach. The town's name is a small tribute to a song called "Wellsville" by the band The Embarrassment. Some places mentioned, like Glurt County, are also made up for the show.
Most of the show was filmed in South Orange, New Jersey. Other scenes were shot in different parts of northern New Jersey. For example, the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey, and the outside of the Wrigley house in Cranford, New Jersey. The football field used in many episodes belongs to Bayonne High School in Bayonne, New Jersey. The made-up Wellsville High School has a squid as its mascot.
Meet the Characters
The show features many interesting characters, including the Wrigley family, their friends, and even some enemies.
The Wrigley Family
The main characters are two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley. The older brother is usually called Big Pete, and the younger one is Little Pete.
Friends and Neighbors
The Petes have many friends and neighbors who join them on their adventures.
The Wrigley house from season 3, located in Cranford, New Jersey.
Famous Guest Stars
Many well-known actors and musicians appeared on Pete & Pete. Here are some of them:
- Selma Blair played Penelope Ghiruto, a school bus passenger.
- Drew Carey (uncredited) appeared as a veteran at a picnic.
- Chris Elliott played Meterman Ray, who could tell Little Pete's future.
- Janeane Garofalo was Ms. Brackett, an English teacher.
- Frank Gifford played himself at Dad's driving range.
- Debbie Harry was a neighbor.
- Juliana Hatfield played Lunchlady Emma.
- Patty Hearst played Mrs. Kretchmar.
- William Hickey was Grandpa Wrigley.
- LL Cool J played Mr. Thornberry, Little Pete's teacher.
- Luscious Jackson was the band that played at the school dance.
- Alicia Keys appeared as a student.
- John McLaughlin played himself.
- Bebe Neuwirth played Mail Lady McGintee.
- Larisa Oleynik was a nurse.
- J. K. Simmons played Barber Dan.
- Michael Stipe was Captain Scrummy, a rival ice-cream seller.
- Liza Weil played Margie Corsell.
Music in the Show
The music in The Adventures of Pete & Pete was very special. It featured songs from many different artists like Luscious Jackson, Drop Nineteens, and The Apples in Stereo. Music by Stephin Merritt and his bands, like The Magnetic Fields, was also often heard. The creators wanted to use a song by the band Pixies, but they couldn't get the rights to use it.
Polaris, a band formed by Mark Mulcahy from Miracle Legion, was like the show's own band. They created the theme song, "Hey Sandy," and many other songs used throughout the series. Polaris even appeared in an episode called "Hard Day's Pete." Some of their music from the show was released on a CD called Music from The Adventures of Pete & Pete.
In 2015, Polaris's music for the show was released on vinyl records. This album quickly sold out because it was very popular with collectors.
In 1995, a special cassette tape called Happily Deranged was given away as a promotion. It included Polaris songs like "Hey Sandy" and "She is Staggering." Big Pete himself introduced and closed the cassette.
Robert Agnello wrote many songs for Pete & Pete. He created the music for the band The Blowholes in the "Hard Day's Pete" episode. He also wrote "One Lousy Dance," sung by Iggy Pop, and the Garbageman theme, sung by David Johansen.
Where and When the Show Aired
The Adventures of Pete & Pete first aired on Nickelodeon from 1993 to 1996. Reruns were shown from 1996 to 1999, and again from 2003 to 2004 on a block called U-Pick Live. It also aired reruns on The N from 2002 to 2003.
The show was mentioned as a possible series to air on The '90s Are All That, a block that showed old Nickelodeon shows. Even though images of Pete & Pete were in the commercials, full episodes didn't air on that block. However, the original 1989 shorts did start airing in 2013. When the block became The Splat (now NickSplat) in 2015, Pete & Pete was listed as part of the lineup, but only the shorts were shown.
In May 2017, Mike Maronna and Danny Tamberelli (who played the Petes) took part in a special weekend event on NickSplat. It was called "The Adventures of Pete & Pete: The Strongest Reunion in the World." During this event, classic episodes were replayed, and Mike and Danny shared stories about making the show.
Cast and Crew Reunions
From left to right: Danny Tamberelli, Michael C. Maronna, Toby Huss and Rick Gomez during the "Pete & Pete Forever" reunion at SF Sketchfest 2016, in San Francisco, United States
In late 2011 and early 2012, the cast and crew of Pete & Pete had several reunions in Los Angeles and New York City. Danny Tamberelli, Syd Straw, and Marshall Crenshaw even performed the theme song "Hey Sandy" and other songs from the show. Many people involved in the show, including creators Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi, and actors Michael Maronna, Hardy Rawls, Judy Grafe, Alison Fanelli, and Toby Huss, were there.
The Los Angeles reunion in 2011 was called the "KrebStar Film Festival," named after a made-up brand from the show. Many fake products from the show, like Krebex and Krebgate Toothpaste, were available.
Since September 2013, Danny Tamberelli and Mike Maronna have been releasing a monthly podcast called The Adventures of Danny and Mike.
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See also
In Spanish: Las aventuras de Pete y Pete para niños