![]() ![]() It’s been fifteen years since James Dean-an Alabama-born electrical engineer turned self-taught artist-first painted Pete in hopes of making a few dollars. And that simple message has made Pete a sensation from China to Spain. ![]() ![]() But by keeping his head up and looking on the bright side, he always wins. He steps in mounds of strawberries and mud. He tumbles off his skateboard and cracks his favorite sunglasses. With blue fur and big stoner eyes, Pete strums a guitar, rides a skateboard, and surfs with a coolness you could mistake for indifference-if he weren’t always singing happy choruses or exclaiming “Groovy!,” “Everything is cool!,” or his catchphrase, “It’s all good!” More than anything, Pete is a study in perseverance, a rebel against negative vibes: The buttons on his shirt mysteriously pop off. In her adoration, my daughter joins legions of kids around the world who know the optimistic kitty from a series of bestselling children’s books. ![]() A painted cat literally sets the tone for our day. On days we spot the Pete sticker, she announces it to her teachers on days we don’t, she mopes. For the next seven months, she will drag me by the finger around the parking lot almost every morning on Pete safaris. By the time we park the car, Lola is convinced that Pete must live in the parking lot of her new school. So Pete the Cat stares back at us the whole way, our sleepy-eyed shepherd. As it turns out, the van with the sticker is headed where we are. ![]()
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