Pete the Cat is one of the most beloved cartoon cats around. With his laidback attitude, blue fur, and red sneakers, Pete has been charming children and adults alike since his creation by author James Dean in 2008. But one question has puzzled Pete fans for years – why is Pete blue? Let’s explore some possible explanations for Pete’s unique blue hue.
Pete the Cat was created by artist James Dean when he was inspired to develop a “cool cat” character after seeing a Vaughn Bode cartoon of a beatnik purple cat playing saxophone. Pete made his debut in Dean’s 2008 book “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.” In the original story, Pete turned his white shoes blue by stepping in blueberries.
Dean chose blue as the color for Pete because it represented his cool, carefree attitude. The blue fur made Pete look different than a typical orange, black or grey cat. Dean liked how the color blue popped against the backgrounds and allowed Pete to stand out.
While Pete’s blue fur was originally just an artistic choice, it has now become an integral part of his character. Let’s explore some playful theories about why this hip feline may have ended up with such an unusual shade of blue fur.
He Fell into a Blue Paint Can
Perhaps the reason Pete has blue fur is because he accidentally fell into a can of blue paint! Pete does seem to get himself into silly situations, like when he stepped in berries and turned his shoes blue. Maybe one day Pete was curiously climbing some shelves and knocked over a paint can, spilling bright blue paint all over his fur.
No matter how much Pete licked himself clean, the blue tint just wouldn’t come out of his fur. So he decided to embrace it, putting on his signature red sneakers to complete the look. This would explain why Pete’s fur is such a uniform shade of blue rather than just patches of color.
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He Ate Too Much Blue Food
Another possibility is that Pete turned blue from eating too much blue food! Pete does love his snacks, so maybe he got into some blueberries, blue cotton candy, or even food colored with blue dye.
Cats can’t actually turn blue from food (unlike humans who can get a condition called argyria from colloidal silver). But we’re talking about a fun cartoon world here! So if Pete gorged himself on blue veggies and candy, over time it could have seeped into his skin and turned his fur blue.
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He Was Born Blue
Now let’s look at some more realistic options. One possibility is that Pete was simply born with blue fur. Genetics can produce unusual coat colors and patterns in both cats and other animals. For example, some Siamese cats carry genes that make their fur appear blue.
So maybe Pete has a rare genetic mutation that makes his fur blue. Or one of his parents could have passed down a recessive blue fur gene that just happened to get expressed in Pete.
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He Turned Blue from an Experiment
Here’s a more exciting idea – maybe Pete turned blue due to a strange scientific experiment! Pete could have been an ordinary brown cat until one day he wandered into a laboratory.
Once inside, Pete accidentally got exposed to an experimental dye or ray that permanently turned his fur vivid blue. We’ll have to use our imaginations for this one, since no real-life procedure could change a cat’s color so dramatically. But it sure would make for an intriguing origin story!
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He Fell into a Magic Pond
Finally, here’s a magical theory for Pete’s color – he took a swim in a enchanted blue pond! As the story could go, one day Pete was exploring the forest when he came across a mysterious bubbling pool of water. When Pete fell into the pond, the magic waters permanently turned his brown fur into a shade of cool blue.
This idea allows for a whimsical, fantastical backstory kids would find thrilling. While not very realistic, magic is a fun way to explain how ordinary cat Pete became the extraordinary blue cat we know and love.
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Conclusion
The charming character of Pete the Cat captured hearts and imaginations with his laidback personality – and unique blue fur. While we may never know the real story behind Pete’s color, coming up with fun possibilities allows fans to engage and think creatively.
Maybe Pete was born blue, turned blue from food, or took a swim in a magic pond. Or perhaps plain brown cat Pete had a transformative laboratory accident or spilled paint incident. No matter the origins, Pete shows that being different can be awesome. We love Pete just the way he is – the cool blue cat with the red shoes!
At the end of the day, Pete’s story reminds us it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Pete lives life to the fullest and takes challenges in stride, no matter the color of his fur. His positive attitude and resilience provide an uplifting message that it’s okay to be different. So whether he was made blue by magic, science, or something in between, Pete the Cat will continue inspiring us all to embrace our uniqueness, believe in ourselves, and keep on rockin’ those red shoes.
