50 Fun Facts About The Adventures of Pete & Pete

What is the name of the tattoo on Little Pete's forearm, which gets its own credit in the Pete & Pete opening?

Petunia is a woman in a red dress whom Little Pete makes dance by flexing his arm. An early installment says the tattoo was a Mother's Day gift that made his mom faint.

In The Adventures of Pete & Pete, what in Joyce Wrigley's head picks up radio stations and gets its own credit?

A metal plate sits in Joyce's head after a childhood accident, and it is how she met her husband: Don's beach metal detector led him straight to her.

Which superhero in red long johns and a striped shirt protects Little Pete from bullies on Pete & Pete?

Artie, billed as the Strongest Man in the World, claims he can skip stones on Neptune. He leaves town in season two once Little Pete can stand up to a bully alone.

Which actor played Big Pete Wrigley after appearing as Kevin McCallister's older brother Jeff in Home Alone?

Michael Maronna played Jeff in the first two Home Alone films, and on the Nickelodeon series he also narrates nearly every story in character as Big Pete.

Which punk rock star played James Mecklenberg, the father of Little Pete's best friend Nona, on Pete & Pete?

Iggy Pop played Nona's loving but overprotective dad, and the show gave him a song to sing, One Lousy Dance, written for the series by Robert Agnello.

Which famous character actor played Phil Hickle, Ellen's father and the high school guidance counselor, on Pete & Pete?

Steve Buscemi played Phil Hickle, who wages a prank war with Don Wrigley in the special Apocalypse Pete, driving a wedge between Big Pete and Ellen.

Which mysterious ice cream man on The Adventures of Pete & Pete never takes off his mascot costume head?

Mr. Tastee is a parody of the real ice cream chain Mister Softee, and the kids spend a summer tracking him down after their curiosity about his private life drives him away.

A planned Pete & Pete feature film fell through and was reworked into which Nickelodeon movie starring Chevy Chase?

Snow Day was written by the show's two creators and directed by Chris Koch, who had also directed episodes of the series such as Rangeboy.

On Pete & Pete, what has rung nonstop in Wellsville for 27 years until Little Pete finally confronts it?

A pay phone has terrorized the town with its ringing, so Little Pete decides to answer it on the hottest day of summer while Big Pete works out who the call is for.

In "Valentine's Day Massacre", what kind of animal is Edna, the school mascot that Big Pete accidentally kills?

A squid is the mascot of Wellsville High, whose marching band spells out Squids on the field, so Big Pete has plenty to hide when Edna dies.

Which actor played Little Pete Wrigley and later joined the cast of Nickelodeon's sketch comedy series All That?

Danny Tamberelli joined All That in 1997, a year after Pete & Pete ended, and he later played Jimmy De Santa in the video game Grand Theft Auto V.

Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Nona on Pete & Pete, left during season three to star in which family film?

Harriet the Spy gave Michelle Trachtenberg her feature film debut in the title role, after Nona had been her first credited television part.

On Pete & Pete, which childhood rule do Little Pete and his friends try to overthrow by breaking a world record?

Bedtime is blamed on a worldwide conspiracy of grown-ups, so the kids try to stay awake for eleven nights in a row to break the world record.

What job does the lovelorn Stu Benedict do in Wellsville on Pete & Pete, pining for his co-worker Sally Knorp?

Bus driver Stu is so heartbroken that he drives the kids in loops around town, past the landmarks of his romance, until they arrange a reunion with Sally.

In "King of the Road", which landmark is the Wrigley family driving to see as Don defends his road-trip title?

Hoover Dam is the goal of a family road trip slowed by long bathroom breaks, and the Wrigley house is said to sit 500 miles from it.

Which actor played Ken Schwinger, the creamed-corn-loving principal of Little Pete's school, on Pete & Pete?

Adam West, television's Batman, played the hygiene-obsessed principal who makes the school serve creamed corn, his favorite food, at every meal.

What is the title of the Pete & Pete theme song, written by Mark Mulcahy for the opening credits?

Hey Sandy has lyrics so hard to make out that fans debated them for years, and its songwriter deliberately left part of the song a mystery.

Which part of the Wrigley property is Don obsessively proud of, until Little Pete's experiment destroys it?

His lawn is Don Wrigley's great obsession, and wrecking it in Grounded for Life gets Little Pete grounded for a month after he is caught fleeing for Canada.

Which subject does Miss Fingerwood teach, the teacher Big Pete falls for in "Valentine's Day Massacre"?

Math is her passion: the rumor is that as a baby she mistook the number 2 on her crib mobile for her mother. Singer Syd Straw played her.

Before the half-hour specials and series, The Adventures of Pete & Pete began on Nickelodeon in 1989 as what?

Minute-long shorts ran between other programs, and they proved popular enough to earn five half-hour specials and then a regular series.

Which band, formed by members of Miracle Legion, served as the Pete & Pete house band and played its theme song?

Polaris was created just for the series and appears in the opening credits. Its members took TV names, with frontman Mark Mulcahy becoming Muggy.

Which actor played Little Pete's personal superhero on Pete & Pete and later voiced Cotton Hill on King of the Hill?

Toby Huss had his first prominent role as the superhero, and he also played the ice cream man hidden inside a mascot head.

Why does Nona Mecklenberg, Little Pete's best friend, wear a cast on her arm?

She enjoys the itch: the cast makes her arm annoyingly itchy and she loves to scratch it, even though nothing is broken.

Which super-cold slushy drink fuels the baseball madness in the Pete & Pete episode "Field of Pete"?

Orange Lazarus lived on after the show ended: staff handed it out at the cast's 2011 reunion in Los Angeles.

Which made-up brand name turns up across Pete & Pete, on a scout troop, a toothpaste and a 24-hour store?

Kreb is everywhere in Wellsville: Kreb Scouts, Krebgate toothpaste and KrebStore 24, and the 2011 cast reunion was billed as the KrebStar Film Festival.

On Pete & Pete, what product does Inspector 34, Little Pete's guardian angel, inspect for a living?

Underwear worn by the Wrigleys and their friends is inspected by him, and Wellsville's craze for his perfection ends only when Little Pete steers everyone back to moderation.

In "When Petes Collide", Big Pete and Little Pete compete to inherit Rolling Thunder, which is what kind of object?

A bowling ball said to have mystical powers, Rolling Thunder is Dad's to pass down, and Grandpa Wrigley arrives to oversee the handover.

Ellen Hickle is a devoted fan of which sport, in which she coaches Big Pete for a match against his nemesis?

Wrestling, the Greco-Roman kind, is Ellen's passion, and in Pinned! her coaching clashes with the school's own coach, Beano Glattner.

In "Don't Tread on Pete", Little Pete rallies his gym class to beat the teacher's intramural team at which game?

Dodgeball is Little Pete's battle while Big Pete crams for a Revolutionary War test, afraid that failing will leave him like the school janitor.

In "The Big Quiet", Little Pete mourns the death of his pet Gary, which was what kind of animal?

A lizard named Gary was hit by traffic, a loss that still haunts crossing guard Frank Gulcher, and Little Pete asks the town for a moment of silence on his radio station.

The Adventures of Pete & Pete was filmed largely in Leonia and other suburban towns in which US state?

New Jersey stood in for Wellsville, whose own state is never named: the Wrigley house was in Cranford and the football field belonged to Bayonne High School.

Which nemesis of Big Pete lends him a customized Mustang convertible for a date with Ellen in "Time Tunnel"?

Endless Mike rules shop class and loves Neapolitan ice cream, and the neighborhood kids envy him for owning a car.

In "Grounded for Life", Little Pete tunnels out of the house to reach the celebrations of which favorite holiday?

Fourth of July is his favorite holiday, and during the escape he meets Nona, who has just moved to town and is trying to get her dog to pee.

Which rapper appeared as Mr. Thornberry, Little Pete's teacher, in the Pete & Pete episode "Sick Day"?

LL Cool J turns up in the season two finale, in which Little Pete fakes food poisoning to dodge school in the dull stretch between winter and spring break.

In "The Good, the Bad and the Lucky", which lucky charm does Little Pete try to recharge under a passing train?

A penny that has run out of luck sends Little Pete, Nona, Monica and Wayne on a trek to let the Midnight Express run over it, with Pit Stain's gang on their tail.

In "Splashdown!", which hated rule at the Wellsville pool does Little Pete fight to abolish with his friends?

Adult swim is the target of the kids' forbidden dive, the atomic splash, while Big Pete is tempted by a lifeguard's whistle and its power.

Which instrument does Big Pete Wrigley play in the Wellsville High School marching band alongside his friend Ellen?

Trombone is Big Pete's instrument, while Ellen plays French horn and their cheerful friend Teddy marches in the band too.

In "Rangeboy", Big Pete hides his identity at his father's driving range by dressing as which animal?

A bear costume recalls the animals that once lived where the range now stands, and NFL great Frank Gifford drops by as a customer.

In "Valentine's Day Massacre", Big Pete's rival for the teacher's heart is Mr. Beverly, who does which school job?

Painting the stadium lines is Mr. Beverly's work, and Edna the mascot was his own pet. Richard Edson played him.

Which enemy of Big Pete helps Mr. Beverly and pressures Ellen to spill a secret in "Valentine's Day Massacre"?

Open Face is always seen eating open-faced sandwiches, even in church, and Ellen briefly dated him in one episode.

In "Halloweenie", which gang of vandals terrorizes trick-or-treaters as Little Pete chases a record for houses visited?

The Pumpkin Eaters are unmasked in the end, and Nona's proud father makes the gang clean the whole neighborhood with cotton swabs.

Which famous guest star played the mother of the family that buys the Wrigley house from Little Pete in "35 Hours"?

Patty Hearst, who became a public figure after being kidnapped, played the mother of the nicest family ever, to whom Little Pete sells the house out of spite.

Which co-creator of Pete & Pete, with Chris Viscardi, wrote "Valentine's Day Massacre" and the other early specials?

Will McRobb is the credited writer of all five specials, and he later co-created the series KaBlam! and Radio Free Roscoe.

Which new wave singer played a neighbor whose yard the Petes sweep for land mines in "New Year's Pete"?

Debbie Harry of Blondie is one of many rock stars who guested, here in a special narrated by Little Pete about his failed resolution to change the world.

Which rock singer played Captain Scrummy, a rival ice cream vendor, in "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation"?

Michael Stipe of R.E.M. sells ice cream on the beach in the special, whose original cut also used his band's music.

Which future film star played Barber Dan, who refuses to talk to Big Pete during a haircut, in "Saturday"?

J. K. Simmons plays the silent barber in a late season-three episode that follows several Wellsville residents through one very odd Saturday.

In an early special about a science project on alien life, Big Pete becomes obsessed with which football hero?

Johnny Unitas and one life-changing play fixate Big Pete, and Unitas's old teammate Art Donovan appears as himself to talk about playing with him.

Which famous writer was long rumored to appear in "New Year's Pete" because an extra had a similar name?

Hunter S. Thompson never did the cameo: one of the show's creators called the story apocryphal, since the Hunter Thompson in the credits was just an extra.

In "Sick Day", Little Pete gets a cereal marshmallow shaped like which US president stuck in his nose?

Dwight Eisenhower in marshmallow form is one hazard of a faked illness that also brings a meter reader who foretells Little Pete's future.

Which director, known for R.E.M. music videos, made "Valentine's Day Massacre" and three more of the early specials?

Katherine Dieckmann also directed R.E.M.'s Shiny Happy People video, and she went on to direct episodes in all three seasons, writing one of them herself.