He is known by many names. Among them are Bootleg Pete, Putrid Pete, Black Pete and Big Bad Pete. Surprisingly, this villainous character is actually Disney’s longest-lived animated creation. His first appearance came as early as Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925). Part of the early Alice Comedies, his heroic nemesis in that short was Julius the Cat. Pete went on to appear in the Oswald Rabbit shorts, then appeared as Mickey Mouse’s foil in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first Mickey cartoon released to general distribution.

Pete originally appeared as a bear, but became a cat to take on Mickey Mouse. He has remained a cat to this day. Pete gradually lost his pegleg, but he has continued to torment Mickey, Donald and Goofy in films and comics throughout the years. In 2004, he appeared in the direct-to-video release The Three Musketeers.